Imagine being booted out of your workplace for wearing jeans. Sounds absurd, right? But that’s exactly what happened at McLaren under former boss Ron Dennis, according to Sky F1’s Ted Kravitz. This revelation sheds light on a stark contrast between McLaren’s past and its present culture—a culture now hailed as the secret weapon behind the team’s F1 2025 dominance.
Under CEO Zak Brown, McLaren has cultivated a work environment that’s not just about winning races but also about fostering happiness and loyalty among its staff. And this is the part most people miss: it’s not just about signing contracts; it’s about creating a space where people genuinely want to stay. But here’s where it gets controversial—is a relaxed dress code, like allowing jeans, really a factor in retaining top talent? Or is it just a symbol of a deeper shift in workplace culture?
The stakes are high. Championship-winning teams often struggle to keep their star players, as seen with Mercedes losing key engine staff to Red Bull Powertrains, or Red Bull’s own losses of Rob Marshall and Adrian Newey to McLaren and Aston Martin, respectively. Brown himself has called retaining his ‘Band of Brothers and Sisters’ his ‘biggest challenge.’ After all, McLaren’s recent success isn’t just a fluke. Following Red Bull’s dominance in the early ground-effect aerodynamic era, McLaren roared back last season, winning six Grands Prix and narrowly missing the World title. This year, they’ve been unstoppable, securing the Constructors’ title in Singapore with a staggering seven 1-2 finishes and 12 Grand Prix wins—all while Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lead the Drivers’ Championship.
But success breeds new problems. As Simon Lazenby pointed out in the Sky F1 podcast, ‘When you’re on top, people start to poach your best people.’ McLaren has already locked in key figures like team principal Andrea Stella and technical director Peter Prodromou on multi-year contracts, but the real test lies in maintaining the team’s harmony and culture. Three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick emphasized this, noting that a positive work environment is just as crucial as on-track performance. ‘Motorsport isn’t just a job—it’s a lifestyle,’ she said. ‘Keeping harmony within the team, especially between drivers and the rest, is vital.’
The ‘jeans’ incident, though seemingly trivial, highlights how small changes can reflect broader shifts. Kravitz recalled the sound technician’s ejection from the McLaren Technology Centre for wearing jeans under Dennis’s watch. Today, denim is not only allowed but symbolizes a more relaxed, inclusive atmosphere. ‘It’s the little things,’ Lazenby remarked, ‘but a lot of it comes from the top down.’ Brown’s laid-back yet focused leadership style seems to be rubbing off, creating a workplace where people enjoy coming to work.
So, here’s the question: Is McLaren’s success in 2025 purely down to their car’s performance, or is their healthy work culture the unsung hero? And more controversially, can something as simple as a dress code policy truly influence a team’s ability to retain top talent? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—we’d love to hear your take on this!
