What McLaren Must Learn From 2024 to Dominate Both Championships in 2025
In 2024, Red Bull was a dominant force, but they faced a strong challenge from
McLaren
threatened to topple the squad and snatch both titles from under its nose. But just as a real challenge from McLaren was materialising, cracks started to form, and it could only take the constructors’ crown last season. Now, with a dominant car and two drivers at the top of their game, is McLaren at risk of another near miss?
The initial six grands prix of the seasons in 2024 and 2025 present stark contrasts for the team associated with the papaya theme. In the previous year, McLaren struggled to secure positions within the top five until they received an upgrade specifically before the Miami Grand Prix, which significantly improved their performance and outcomes.
Lando Norris
To secure his initial victory in Formula 1. This season, the team has triumphed in every Grand Prix except for one, largely due to the supremacy of their MCL39.
This does not guarantee the team a championship, since Formula 1 squads are assessed solely based on their performance in the most recent race, with competitors such as
Mercedes
And with updates coming in, Red Bull will surely begin narrowing the gap.
Once McLaren begins encountering tougher and more persistent rivals for race victories, it must ensure that the issues from 2024 do not resurface during its Grand Prix weekends.
These vulnerabilities in McLaren’s performance became evident during several crucial instances throughout the 2024 season, hindering their prospects for clinching both championships. Problems such as poorly executed strategic decisions and sluggish pit stops were particularly detrimental. Additionally, errors made by the team’s drivers occurred consistently across various races.
In Canada, another victory seemed within reach for Norris, but delayed decisions when changing from intermediates toslick tires resulted in losing crucial track positioning. Ultimately, the British driver finished insecond place, narrowlymissing out onseven important championshippoints.
Lando Norris driving the McLaren MCL38, alongside Max Verstappen who competes with the Red Bull Racing RB16B.
Photo credit: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
A few weeks later in Silverstone, Norris blamed a handful of wrong decisions over the grand prix for his third-place finish, meaning he missed out on another 10 points.
Next up was the Hungarian Grand Prix. The conflict within McLaren became public when their disagreements were aired via team radio. Lando Norris disputed with his engineer, Will Joseph, regarding whether he should pass.
Oscar Piastri
To secure his second Formula 1 victory, the British driver was informed that “winning a championship isn’t a solo effort; it’s a team endeavor.” Following this advice, he maintained his position and let Piastri claim his inaugural F1 win.
If McLaren had fully supported Norris from this stage onward, or if the British driver had decided to disregard his team’s instruction, he would likely have secured an impressive result.
Max Verstappen
leading the drivers’ championship.
By 2025, McLaren is not chasing but rather maintaining a strong lead at the summit of the constructors’ rankings. Piastri leads Norris by 16 points in the drivers’ standings, with Norris holding an identical 16-point advantage over third-place Verstappen.
While leading doesn’t ensure both championships will go to McLaren, there’ll be a moment when the orange-clad team must commit fully to supporting one driver if they aim to achieve their long-sought-after double—a feat not accomplished by the squad since 1998. Thus far, the team continues to resist this approach.
After the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, McLaren CEO Zak Brown stated, ‘I consistently maintain that they have the freedom to compete.’ He continued, ‘They had every opportunity to do so, and their lap times showed an almost even match. Both drivers performed admirably. However, they chose not to engage in full competition, which I am perfectly fine with.’
Lando Norris from McLaren, Oscar Piastri with McLaren
Photo credit: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Andrea Stella, the team principal, supported this view when he cautioned about an “intriguing scenario” developing within the squad as Norris attempted to close the gap on Piastri towards the end of the Miami Grand Prix. Despite Norris finishing four seconds behind at the checkered flag, Stella emphasized that tighter competition would undoubtedly arise “in upcoming races.”
The team principal is opposed to implementing team orders at McLaren, warning that such strategies could have “ruined” potential future prospects. If McLaren had instructed Piastri to assist his teammate in maximizing points in 2024, it might have negatively impacted their chances for success down the line.
However, might seeking to assert authority also lead to equally catastrophic outcomes for the team in their pursuit of both world championships?
After the Miami Grand Prix, Piastri joked in response to questions about potential intense intra-team competition throughout the season, “Our aim is to recreate what happened in 2007.” He added, acknowledging their team’s capabilities, “We’re well aware of where our strengths lie, and it has consistently been tight between us.”
So, we’re in for an exciting competition; some weekends Lando will have the upper hand, and others I’ll come out on top—making it quite the thrilling contest.
Any conflict that emerges as the various factions continue into 2025 must not undermine McLaren’s leadership in both championships. If Norris and Piastri compete intensely at the forefront, it might create opportunities for a charging Verstappen or perhaps an advancing Mercedes team.
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Furthermore, if the worst occurs and they end up competing against each other during the race, losing a two-figure number of points for McLaren could significantly impact their prospects of securing the constructor’s championship title.
It remains a sensitive topic among racing enthusiasts, but McLaren will likely need to get its drivers in order at some point.