Zak Brown swapping ranks? It’s more likely than you think!

At the British Grand Prix, the McLaren Racing CEO is busting out a Williams FW11B from his impressive car collection for a lap around Silverstone.

McLaren boss to drive Williams ahead of British Grand Prix

It’s no secret that McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown loves cars. He boasts an impressive collection of legendary racing machines that he’s sourced over the years — from Can-Am racers to modern supercars.

But one machine in particular is about to break cover: Nigel Mansell’s Williams FW11B from 1987.

Speaking to ESPN about the FW11B, Brown said, “I’ll take this out at the British Grand Prix this year, which I think the fans are gonna absolutely love.

“I’m gonna personally take it out… so I’m gonna drive this [privately] in Spain, as I’ve never driven it.

“We’ve just had it fully restored here. It’s been shaken down, it’s ready to go.

“And I think the fans are gonna love this around the British Grand Prix, but might be a bit confused why the McLaren guy is in Williams!”

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In fact, the FW11B in Brown’s collection is the one that Nigel Mansell used to secure a stunning British GP win by squeezing his way past teammate Nelson Piquet after chopping down a near 30-second gap.

“This is the car, 1987… won a lot of races. [Mansell] said this was his favourite car to drive,” Brown explained.

“This was, if you remember, the very famous British Grand Prix where he was leading, had a tyre puncture, and then he went out and he broke the track record, I think it was 17 laps in a row, and did that famous move on the end of the straight on Nelson Piquet to win the British Grand Prix.

“That was this exact chassis, and I got this when I did a sponsorship deal for Williams.”

According to Brown, the Williams team asked what it could do for him, and he had a very clear idea: “It’s like ‘You can sell me a car. Can’t give me a car, because that wouldn’t be right, but you’re gonna sell me one.’

“And they were like: ‘Which one do you want?’ And I’m like: ‘That one’,” he said, pointing at the FW11B.

The FW11B started life as the FW11 in 1986, and it secured a victory in its very first race on the track. Slight updates were made to the Frank Dernie-designed machine heading in 1987.

It was the last Williams with a turbocharged engine until 2014, and it was the machine with which Piquet tested active suspension.

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