CNBC’s Tania Bryer caught up with McLaren CEO Zak Brown in London — where the team took over Trafalgar Square with its McLaren Racing Live fan event — to ask him about the growth of the sport in recent years, and the impact of TV and movie coverage.

London

McLaren CEO Zak Brown attributes the recent surge in Formula One's popularity to increased media coverage, especially the Netflix series 'Drive to Survive' and upcoming film projects like the Brad Pitt movie. Brown notes that these media efforts have attracted new demographics, including more women, younger fans, and audiences in North America, contributing to record attendance and heightened sponsor demand.

Brown also addressed speculation that Formula One's growth may be peaking, stating that there is still significant room for expansion, particularly in television ratings and global race locations. He emphasized that McLaren's current success in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championships is supported by ongoing technological innovation, which remains a key factor in the team's performance.

McLaren CEO on the 'Netflix effect'

Well, the Formula One Carnival is in town this weekend, the four-day event culminating in the main race on Sunday. And it's expected to be the largest meeting in the sports history, reaching half a million people. Well, Tanya caught up with the McLaren CEO, Zac Brown, right here in London, and she joins us now with more. Hi, Tanya, great to see you. Great to see you, too. I must say, you're both looking fantastic this morning. Oh, I thought it was Tanya. Feeling tickety-boo, and it's a Friday morning as well. It's Friday, exactly as you said, Mandy. I caught up with Zac Brown, the CEO of McLaren, where they took over Trafalgar Square with a McLaren fan event. And ahead of this week's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, I asked Zac Brown, who, and of course CNBC, are a partner of McLaren, along with many others, and I asked him about the rivalry between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are currently one and two in the championship, also McLaren are number one in the Constructors' Championship, and I asked about the impact of TV and movie coverage of the sport, including the Netflix series, Drive to Survive. The Netflix effects has been awesome. Brought in so many women, youth, North America, now you've got the Brad Pitt movie, gonna be awesome. You know, the CNBCs of the world, I don't think you were covering Formula One like you are today five, six years ago, so I think what's ended up happening is it's become a very hot sport, a thing of the moment, but I don't think that moment's gonna come to an end anytime soon, and then you've got everyone clamoring to the sport to cover different aspects of it, and it just continues to kind of fuel itself. There are those that are saying that the growth is peaking, what do you say to that? I think we've got so much room to grow, so we've got 24 Grand Prixs, but probably another six countries that want races, so I don't see any shortage of demand there. We can't do more than 24. I'd like to see us go to maybe 20 permanent races and eight where we rotate through so we continue growth. More media, the Brad Pitt movies are coming fast and furious. I can tell you from our sponsor portfolio, we have more demand than ever, every race is sold out, and then I think there's still a lot of room, especially in North America, for TV ratings growth. If you look at what NFL and NBA do, we're not even close, so I don't think we, not only have we not peaked, I think we're continuing to grow. Zac Brown there from McLaren. Of course, it's 75-year anniversary of Formula One, back in 1950, May 13th, the first race at Silverstone. And on Sunday, of course, Silverstone is gonna be the place to be. Are you going, Mandy? I'm not, are you gonna go? Sadly not, but I'll be watching. Karen, are you a Formula One fan? I am a big fan. I was hoping to make it to Monaco one day. I've driven around that special spot where it's quite tricky to get around a corner. It's almost like a U-turn. You've driven around it? Yeah, well, when you drive around Monaco, you end up on the track. Oh, I see. There's a Silverstone that is a specific track, right? So slightly different. It is, yeah. It is amazing, though, how popular the sport has become, and the global fan base and the global audience is absolutely huge now. And I think due to Netflix's drive to survive the Formula One movie with Brad Pitt, it's become even more popular. Of course, that's right. And it's huge business. You've forgotten Brad Pitt, Mandy. I saw that. And it's big business, too, isn't it? We're talking big dollars, right? Absolutely. I was talking about Hairpin Corner as well. I was trying to think what the name of that was. But can I ask you about the technology? We're just talking to Jeetu Patel from Cisco, head of products, and he's been working a lot with McLaren over the years, too. What technology have you seen coming through? And what was Zac talking about yesterday in terms of how that is moving the business forward? Can, the technology is extraordinary, and especially, I mean, McLaren is number one, as we've seen, and they're leading both with the drivers and with the constructors. And they're putting it down to all the innovation, all the new technology in their car. Now, they won't give away all the secrets because they don't want the rival companies to take them, but of course, it's all moving forward. And that's really, that's where the real battle is sometimes. I drove past Woking and their big headquarters the other day. It just takes over the whole area, doesn't it? But it's so exciting. And actually, Oscar and Lander, they are ahead, but Max Verstappen is right there behind them. George Russell's doing very well. So it's a really exciting Formula One season.

President Donald Trump called Elon Musk's plans to form a new political party "ridiculous," launching new barbs at the tech billionaire.

Washington

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Rescuers are searching for more than 40 people still missing, after flooding in the US state of Texas. The death toll has risen to at least 82, including 28 children - many of them from a summer camp. President Donald Trump has declared the area a disaster zone.

Hunt

Death toll from Texas floods rises to 82, dozens still missing

BRICS leaders set to discuss key global political issues, but questions over the bloc’s cohesion arose as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin opted to skip the summit.

State of Rio de Janeiro

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit President Trump at the White House as Gaza ceasefire talks resume in Qatar. Elizabeth Palmer reports.

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The search for missing children from a girls' summer camp hit by flash floods in Texas entered a third day on Sunday, as rescuers faced the threat of more flooding and the death toll in the region reached at least 67.

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Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he has formed a new political party after falling out with U.S. President Donald Trump over the "One Big Beautiful Bill."

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Doha

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Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received an enthusiastic welcome at a mosque in Tehran as he made his first public appearance since the start of the 12-day war between Israel and Iran.

Tehran

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Death toll rises as search for Texas flood survivors continues

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

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The unemployment rate for new college graduates has recently surged. Economists say businesses are now replacing entry-level jobs with artificial intelligence. Ali Bauman has the story.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is sending a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for talks on a possible ceasefire deal. Hamas calls the latest response "positive." Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 14 in Gaza.

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The funeral proceedings of the late football players Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva took place in the church of Gondomar in their hometown in the east of Porto. Family members, teammates and coaches joined thousands of mourners to pay their final respects.

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Search and rescue operations continued overnight after flash floods slammed central Texas, killing dozens, officials said. More than 20 children are still missing from Camp Mystic, an all-girls camp hit by the floods, the Kerr County sheriff said.

Kerrville

Rescues continue in central Texas after deadly flash floods

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Kerr County

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Türkiye has been battling wildfires for more than a week, with its western province of Izmir among the hardest hit. Thousands have been forced to flee as flames threaten homes and villages.

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Heavy rainfall in central Texas caused the Guadalupe River to overflow and unleash a torrent of water. The bodies of at least 13 children and adults have been recovered and more than 20 girls are missing from a sleepaway camp.

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U.S. President Donald Trump marked the passage of the new spending bill, which includes changes to food assistance, student loan programs, and clean energy credits. Robert Costa joins "CBS Mornings" to break down what's in the legislation.