F1: Zak Brown to drive at Long Beach this weekend

No, not in an IndyCar.

The countdown to our first historic race of the season is on – and what a way to start.

United Autosports and Arrow McLaren Team co-owner Zak Brown will race the 1980 F1 World Championship-winning Williams FW07 around the streets of Long Beach this weekend (14-16th April).

The FW07, instantly recognizable by its iconic Leyland livery, has won Grands Prix races around the world from the UK to Australia, and delivered Williams’ first F1 World Championship win in 1980 with Alan Jones at the wheel.

Moveable skirts were a key design feature of the Williams, touching the ground at all times to create an elite ground effect car. More than forty years later, the FW07 is still racing, going to classic events with owner Zak Brown and the historics team at United Autosports – however the moveable skirts must be pinned up.

This weekend, the FW07 will hit the track once more in the F1 Historic Challenge as part of the 2023 Grand Prix of Long Beach. The two-part historic race is running alongside the headline IMSA and IndyCar events, promising an action-packed weekend of racing on the West Coast.

Zak Brown

“The 1980 Williams FW07 is always great fun. Racing it at the Long Beach Grand Prix – an event I grew up around – is awesome. We’re all set for a strong weekend in California with the United Autosports team … I can’t wait to get back in the driving seat. Let’s go.”