McLaren

McLaren Racing is the motorsport arm of the British car brand McLaren, founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren, himself a racing driver, and has competed in Formula 1 since the 1966 Monaco Grand Prix, with the New Zealander at the wheel. The British team currently boasts the second-most successful record in F1 history with ten titles, behind Ferrari and its 16 crowns. It also holds the record for the most championship appearances, again behind Ferrari. The team, which previously competed in Endurance racing, a discipline it will return to in 2027, and in CART – the former name of IndyCar, in which it still participates – enjoyed its most successful years in F1 during the mid-80s and 90s thanks to a legendary driver duo, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, both three-time world champions with the British team. After more than thirty years at the helm of the team, Ron Dennis, the man behind all these successes, handed over the reins to Zak Brown in the winter of 2017.

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo at the 2022 Singapore GP / © Florent Gooden / DPPI

Since then, the Woking-based (Great Britain) team has forged an engine partnership with Mercedes, after having long shared the road with Honda. It signed the young and promising British driver, Lando Norris, in 2019 to drive alongside the experienced Daniel Ricciardo, already a multiple Formula 1 Grand Prix winner. The Australian has since handed the seat to his young compatriot, Oscar Piastri, in 2023.

While McLaren seemed to be struggling after the arrival of its new driver, the British team has since bounced back strongly. In 2024, despite Red Bull dominating the championship for two years, it was ultimately the orange car that proved to be the most competitive. McLaren thus won the Constructors' title, but none of its drivers managed to secure a victory, despite the high hopes placed in Lando Norris, who ultimately couldn't catch Max Verstappen, who clinched the title in Las Vegas.

In 2025, the British team arrives with high hopes for both titles. On the constructors' side, no team seems capable of challenging McLaren, who logically clinched the title at the 18th race of the season in Singapore. As for the Drivers' title, the battle was much tougher. Initially expected to be an internal struggle, Max Verstappen ultimately managed to insert himself between the McLaren drivers. Oscar Piastri, who led the championship for a long time, saw his inconsistency cost him dearly in the second half of the season, to the advantage of his teammate Lando Norris, who won by two points over Max Verstappen. The Dutchman also capitalized on the Australian's difficulties to finish as runner-up.

For the 2026 season, McLaren was once again considered the favorite, with high expectations surrounding the new regulations and the Mercedes engine. But the Woking-based team doesn't seem to be able to capitalize on its engine; electrical problems are piling up, and Oscar Piastri has equaled a new record, one he surely never wanted to achieve. By failing to start two consecutive Grands Prix, he matches Bruce McLaren, who also experienced difficulties in 1969. It remains to be seen whether McLaren will be able to bounce back before the end of the season.

If Bruce McLaren was already racing in Formula 2 with Cooper in 1958, then in Formula 1 the following year, the New Zealander could not prevent the departure of his friend and mentor, Jack Brabham, and note the slow decline of the British team. . While Brabham decided in 1960 to embark on his own adventure and build an F1 team, Bruce McLaren ended up imitating him during the winter of 1963. “Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Ltd” was then created, and entered Cooper single-seaters. within a hotly contested winter championship, the time for F1 to resume its course. He quickly became friends with a certain Teddy Mayer, a lawyer by training and also a car enthusiast, who helped him in his quest. If the 1 F1960 world vice-champion is still involved in Formula 1 with Cooper, he decides to broaden his field of vision and participates in several endurance races with his single-seaters with Cooper chassis, as always.

Bruce McLaren after his victory at the 1959 US GP © LAT / DPPI

Arrival in Formula 1

In 1966, McLaren Racing definitively became a constructor in the Formula 1 World Championship with the debut of the team's first single-seater, the M2B. While McLaren enjoyed its first successes in Can-Am (Canadian American Challenge Cup) alongside its F1 commitment, the same cannot be said of its results in motorsport's premier category. The New Zealander alternated between the Ford V8 engine and the Serenissima V8 in his car, which nevertheless allowed him to score his first three championship points. But Bruce McLaren was far from the leading drivers, and especially from his mentor, Jack Brabham, who had four victories and was now world champion with his own team.

In 1967, Bruce McLaren thought about solving his problems by entering into a partnership with BRM (British Racing Motors) for the supply of engines, but the latter's delivery delays forced him to use other cylinder capacities, obviously impacting his results on the track. . On the other hand, it was from 1968 that the performance of the McLaren improved significantly, with the arrival in the ranks of the team of Denny Hulme, reigning world champion. Ford-Cosworth powers the team's two single-seaters, effectively improving the performance and reliability of the McLarens. Obviously, Bruce McLaren will be the first winning driver in the history of the British team, by imposing his car at Spa-Francorchamps, in Belgium. Hulme took over from his teammate, twice registering his name on the Grand Prix list, and fighting for a long time for the title ultimately won by the Lotus of Graham Hill.

Bruce McLaren in 1968 © DPPI

In 1969, like many teams, McLaren thought it would find the solution to its problems by developing a four-wheel drive single-seater. Despite Denny Hulme's victory in Mexico, the British team missed the boat. At the dawn of a new decade, McLaren will be hit by two tragedies. First by Hulme's accident during testing for the Indianapolis 500, the team's new objective, seriously burning the driver's hands. A month later, while Bruce McLaren was officiating on the Goodwood track (Great Britain) for the CanAm championship, he collided head-on with the concrete marshals' wall, and died instantly. A real blow for a growing team, which leaves Teddy Mayer alone in charge. In 104 participations, Bruce McLaren had the pleasure of taking the checkered flag four times in the lead, becoming during his first victory, the youngest winner of an F1 Grand Prix (record broken by Fernando Alonso in 2003 only) .

Bruce McLaren at the 1969 Monaco GP © DPPI

Obviously, the page is difficult to turn for the British team, which is counting on its two compatriots, Peter Gethin and Jackie Oliver, to help Denny Hulme on the track. The results suffered greatly, and relegated the New Zealander to thirteenth place in the championship, with only nine points. In 1972, McLaren worked to regain the top positions, and won the second Grand Prix of the season, in South Africa, again through Denny Hulme. With his new teammate, the American Peter Revson, they climbed onto the podium eleven times, and allowed McLaren to climb to third in the constructors' championship. With the appearance of the M23 in 1973, the Grove team continued its progress. Denny Hulme took pole position at the South African Grand Prix, once again, then victory in Sweden, during the first part of the season, before Revson won twice. The good results of two drivers allow McLaren to maintain its third place in the championship, behind Lotus and Tyrell.

The first coronation

The arrival in the ranks of McLaren of a certain Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974, world champion two years earlier, allowed the British to take on a new dimension. Hulme won the first Grand Prix of the season in Argentina, before Fittipaldi took over for the remainder of the season. The Brazilian is imperial, it must be said, he wins three times during the season and demonstrates incredible consistency. At the end of the season, the ninth in F1 only for McLaren, Emerson Fittipaldi was crowned world champion for the second time in his career, while the British team won its first crown among manufacturers, ahead of Ferrari. The start of a great story for McLaren.

Emerson Fittipaldi was the first McLaren driver to be crowned world champion. It was in 1974 / © DPPI

The Lauda/Hunt rivalry

While Denny Hulme ended his career as an F1 driver at the end of this successful season, Emerson Fittipaldi, replaced by Jochen Mass, tried to keep his property in 1975. Despite two more victories on the clock, he suffered the law of Niki Lauda and his Ferrari, imperial. The Brazilian leaves the British team with this latest setback, James Hunt gets his seat back. In 1976, the Briton would experience one of the most memorable seasons in the history of F1, at the end of an epic, bitter and almost dramatic duel against Niki Lauda. The Austrian's Ferrari is starting this new year in the best possible way, continuing its title last year. But in Germany, on the Nürburgring circuit, he was the victim of a serious accident, which should have ended his season.

Meanwhile, James Hunt continues to win and grab important points in the absence of his Austrian counterpart. Hunt had three consecutive successes, and despite Lauda's more than early return to Italy, four rounds from the end of the championship, won two more. The Homeric duel between the two drivers reached its climax in Japan, during the final round. The weather conditions are not easy, the rain falls continuously on the circuit. However, the Grand Prix was held in Dantean conditions, something in which Lauda refused to take part. By finishing third in the race, James Hunt scored the four points he needed to win his only world champion title. However, the constructors' title eluded McLaren against Ferrari.

James Hunt (McLaren) on his way to the 1976 world title / © DPPI

A more difficult period

The following year, Lauda recovered his property, but the McLarens were no longer really up to par. Above all, they experienced a slow and long decline until the early 80s, marked by the takeover and takeover of Ron Dennis. The Briton is already well known in the world of motorsport for his projects of excellence in promotional formulas in the 70s. Supported for a long time by Malboro, Dennis was offered the opportunity to buy McLaren, in sporting delicacy, by the through its sponsor. The operation was validated in November 1980, and it was also this merger between McLaren and the team “Project Four” by Ron Dennis (under the leadership of Malboro), which would later be given the name MP4 (Malboro Project 4) to the chassis of the British team.

Ron Dennis took the opportunity to induct the young British engineer, John Barnard, whose reputation is already well established. The latter is preparing to develop, for the 1981 season, a single-seater with very distinct materials, having a great influence on the overall weight of the vehicle. The MP4/1 made its appearance in Argentina, the third meeting of the season, and it did not take long to get noticed, with two successive podiums for John Watson in Spain and then in France. The Briton even snatched victory in the British Grand Prix afterwards, at the heart of a competitive and open season. Meanwhile, Andrea de Cesaris drives an old single-seater from the team, and only manages to score a small point at the start of the season. Ron Dennis did not hesitate to part with it, and attempted a crazy bet at the time: to bring Niki Lauda, ​​double world champion, out of his retirement in which he had been immersed since 1979. Obviously, the Briton achieved his goals. and fielded the Austrian in 1982. Despite doubts about Lauda's motivations within the paddock, McLaren won four times during the season, with two victories for Lauda and two for Watson. The British team is back at the forefront, and finishes vice-constructors' champion.

The arrival of the Porsche engine

1983 rhymes with disappointment for McLaren, which ideally began the season with a victory for Watson and two podiums for Lauda, ​​but was quickly overtaken by reliability problems with its Cosworth engines. Above all, since its induction by Renault, turbocharged engines are starting to take over the older generation. A fine negotiator, Ron Dennis manages to convince Porsche to join him, while his drivers fail to even qualify for the Monaco Grand Prix. In the Netherlands, the German manufacturer made its appearance in the British single-seaters, which also failed to reach the finish. The end of the season ended in a mess for McLaren, with Lauda only scoring two small points in the last thirteen races. But Dennis masters the art of bouncing back like no one else, and takes advantage of the tensions within the French Renault team to secure the services of Alain Prost.

Niki Lauda at McLaren in 1984 / © DPPI

Now equipped with TAG Porsche engines and a formidable pair of drivers, McLaren began the 1984 season on a high, with five wins in six races. The distance duel between the French and Austrian pilot is in full swing. When one wins a Grand Prix, the other wins the next one. And so on until the end of a season which saw Niki Lauda win a third world championship title by… half a point ahead of his teammate. A year of all records for McLaren which won the championship with almost triple the points of its first pursuer, Ferrari (143,5 against 57,5). The British team is beginning its golden period, which will see it crowned seven times in the drivers' championship, in just eight years.

Alain Prost won his first title with McLaren in 1985 © Yann Guichaoua / DPPI

As early as 1985, Alain Prost got his revenge against his Austrian counterpart. The one already nicknamed "The Professor" For his unprecedented ability to win races without always being, or needing to be, the fastest, he won five races and easily secured the championship. At the end of the season, Niki Lauda retired for good, having only achieved one victory, at the Dutch Grand Prix. While in 1986, Williams seemed to have found the solution and become definitively the fastest team on the grid, driven by its Honda engines, Alain Prost managed to clinch a second consecutive title. The Frenchman apparently benefited from the internal rivalry between Mansell and Piquet at Williams to win by two and three points respectively, ahead of the Briton and the Brazilian.

The Prost-Senna duo

However, the 1987 season was largely dominated by the Williams, who once again proved irresistible. The spirit is still the same within the rival British team, and as Ron Dennis always knows how to seize opportunities at the right time, he convinces Honda to join the ranks of McLaren Racing for the following season. This was done in 1988 with the arrival of the Japanese engine manufacturer, along with Ayrton Senna, who replaced Keke Rosberg in the new single-seater designed by the South African engineer, Gordon Murray. If relations between Prost and Senna quickly turned out to be cool, Ron Dennis charged McLaren's sporting coordinator, the Mexican Jo Ramírez, with this imperial mission.

Ayrton Senna joined McLaren in 1988 © Gilles Levent / DPPI

The British team resumed its harvest in 1988 with no less than fifteen victories in sixteen Grands Prix for the Franco-Brazilian duo. If Prost proves to be the most consistent as usual, the count of the worst results over a season allows Senna to win his first world title at the age of 28, by only three points. The Brazilian has totaled thirteen pole positions during the season (compared to two for the Frenchman), although in terms of victories, the record is more divided – eight for Senna, seven for Prost.

Alain Prost's departure

In 1989, the two rivals obviously brought it up again. And although out of the 16 Grands Prix contested, Ayrton Senna took 13 new pole positions, it was Alain Prost who won at the finish thanks to the consistency that characterizes him. Relations between the two pilots deteriorated greatly in San Marino, when Ayrton Senna, faithful to his reputation as " daredevil " breaks the non-aggression pact agreed with his teammate, then in the lead. The press gets involved, Prost is beside himself, the situation is gradually becoming unbearable. During the penultimate meeting of the season in Japan, it reached its climax when the two drivers collided on the 47th lap of the race, offering the title to the Frenchman after the disqualification of Senna, helped by the stewards to return to the track. If McLaren can boast of a new driver-constructor double, Alain Prost decides to leave the team which saw him win his first three world titles, for Ferrari.

In 1990, the voice was royal for Ayrton Senna, who now teamed up with Gerhard Berger at McLaren. But the hatchet between Senna and Prost is clearly not buried, and while the two drivers find themselves once again in Japan in the fight for the title, Senna sends Prost into the gravel trap from the start – as he did would later recognize – confirming his second world title. During the following season, Ayrton Senna definitively established his domination at the wheel of a McLaren which he now mastered wonderfully. He almost crushed any hope of victory for his opponents, by winning the first four Grands Prix of the season. And despite the late return of Mansell and Williams, Senna won for the third time in four years. His last world title.

However, the renewed form of the Williams will prevent McLaren and Senna from fighting regularly in 1992, while the title goes for the first time to an imperial Nigel Mansell. While Senna only finished fourth in the championship, this first bitter failure for McLaren in many years pushed Honda to leave the world of Formula 1. Cosworth engines found their place in British single-seaters, and despite Senna's reluctance in a At first, he decides to continue the adventure. In 1993 he teamed up with the American Michael Andretti, who was fired before the end of the season. The Brazilian, as he is often accustomed to, does not deserve anything despite the superiority of Williams and Alain Prost. He will still manage to achieve five new successes, but it is indeed the Frenchman who will end up winning a fourth world champion title, ahead of Senna. At the same time as this fratricidal duel, McLaren and Ron Dennis induct Mika Häkkinen, replacing Andretti. The Finn participated in the last three Grands Prix of the season and reached the podium in his second, at Suzuka, in the rain.

Ayrton Senna (McLaren) gives a recital at Donington in 1993 / © Francois Flamand / DPPI

Ayrton Senna's departure

A page in history turns at McLaren when Senna announces his departure for Williams in 1994. The choice of the British team then falls on the experience of Martin Brundle, in addition to the arrival of the French manufacturer Peugeot in the role of engine driver. A season which will see McLaren on the podiums ten times, but without the slightest victory on the clock. She finished fourth in the constructors' championship between 1994 and 1997, where many adventures followed. Like Nigel Mansell, recruited in 1995 but who did not participate in the first two Grands Prix because in reality, he did not fit into his car. If Mercedes took over from Peugeot in the British single-seaters, the results on the track did not live up to expectations. Mansell will leave the team, and even Formula 1, before the end of the season.

In 1996, David Coulthard was recruited alongside Mika Häkkinen, and despite difficult first races, the team began to regularly find podiums in the second half of the season. A trend which was confirmed in 1997 with three new successes for McLaren, the first for a long time, the first two for Coulthard, the third for Häkkinen who finally won in F1 after more than six years.

In addition to these good results, McLaren welcomed into its ranks a renowned engineer, Adrian Newey, who developed the MP4-13 for the 1998 financial year. The Finn immediately took precedence over his teammate, Coulthard, by winning four of the first six races of the year. Despite the almost heroic resistance of Ferrari and Schumacher, who returned to equal points with Mika Häkkinen at two F1 Grands Prix, the Finn showed composure to win twice and win his first championship title. world, at its first opportunity.

Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard at McLaren in 1998 © DPPI

McLaren versus Ferrari's dominance

The following year, it was repeated for McLaren and Häkkinen, who however failed in their quest for a new constructors' title, after several avoidable errors. But the Finn saved the honor by winning by two points, ahead of a surprising Eddie Irvine who gave in during the last round in Japan. In 2000, Michael Schumacher returned after suffering an injury which deprived him of the second half of the season last year. The duel between the two pilots resumes where they left off. If for a time, Häkkinen seemed to hold the rope again and offer himself a third in a row, the Red Baron won the last four races of the calendar, thus offering himself his first title with Ferrari. The beginning of a long hegemony for the Italian team, and the end of an era at McLaren.

In 2001, only Coulthard could challenge the far too strong Ferraris. Especially since Mika Häkkinen seemed plagued by bad luck, with seven retirements. It was too much for the Finn, who announced his retirement at the end of the season. To compensate for his departure, Ron Dennis signed another Finn, Kimi Räikkönen. Meanwhile, Ferrari was having a record-breaking season, dominating almost all the races. The Scot did manage a victory in Monaco, McLaren's only win of the season, and they were even overtaken in the championship by Williams. In 2003, Kimi Räikkönen came close to his first world title, staying close to Schumacher for a long time, thanks to a consistency that would eventually pay off, culminating in his first F1 victory in Malaysia. But the Finn finished two points behind his German counterpart. McLaren can still boast of having reduced the gap with Ferrari and Williams.

Kimi Räikkönen at the 2003 French GP / © GILLES LEVENT / DPPI

In the off-season, the British team announced the recruitment of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya. The Williams driver will take Coulthard's place at the end of the next financial year, which will once again see Ferrari crush the championship. Above all, the season will be nothing but torture for McLaren which presents an MP4-18 that is neither fast, nor reliable, nor efficient. She finished fifth among the constructors, unheard of in twenty-one F1 seasons. In 2005, the regulations introduced by F1 prohibited any change of tires during a GP, and allowed the cards to be redistributed. Despite Räikkönen's seven victories and valuable help from Montoya, reliability plagued the season for the British who finished vice-world champion behind the French team Renault.

While McLaren Racing finally resolved its reliability issues in 2006, it came at a price, somewhat compromising performance. For the first time since 1996, no McLaren finished the race, and Montoya was even dismissed after the first half of the season, unable to deliver the expected results, to be replaced by Pedro de la Rosa, previously a test driver for the brand.

The Alonso-Hamilton duo

In 2007, the British team underwent a makeover by securing the services of the reigning double world champion, Fernando Alonso, and the young debutant, Lewis Hamilton. The MP4-22 developed by McLaren is once again performing well and announces a dream duel between Alonso, Hamilton, and the Ferraris of Räikkönen and Massa. In the middle of the year, an announcement will shake the walls of McLaren after the revelation of a spying affair by the British team against its Italian rival. If it can say goodbye to the constructors' championship, from which it will be excluded, its two drivers can still hope to win. Hamilton is also in a very good position before the last two Grands Prix of the year, but an exit from the track in China and another retirement in Brazil will cost him the title in favor of Räikkönen, the two McLaren drivers failing by a small margin. point only.

Lewis Hamilton-Fernando Alonso: explosive partnership at McLaren in 2007! © GILLES LEVENT / DPPI

If Alonso turns back during the offseason, Lewis Hamilton is not left out, far from it. The Briton sets off again at the same pace as last year, still facing the Ferrari of Massa. He was on a par with the Brazilian throughout the season, and while the title seemed to elude him in Brazil as was the case in 2007, he managed to take fifth place in the last corner of the last lap of the season. synonymous with title. Hamilton was crowned world champion in his second season in F1, although the constructors' championship eluded McLaren. This is the last coronation of a driver from the British team.

Because after this episode, McLaren will never again be able to return to the top. At the end of 2009, after a difficult season ending in third place in the championship, Mercedes announced that it would buy back the shares of the Brawn GP team. However, the contract linking McLaren to the German manufacturer is extended until 2015. The arrival of Jenson Button, reigning world champion, allows McLaren to aim for the first places on a regular basis with its duo of British drivers, and thus to consolidate his second place in the championship, despite the appearance of Red Bull at the head of the peloton. The following two seasons were more or less the same for McLaren, which managed to snatch victories here and there when Red Bull allowed it. At the end of a year 2011 which revealed some tensions in the Hamilton-Button tandem, the younger of the two Britons announced his departure for Mercedes. Sergio Pérez is brought in to replace him.

Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton formed a solid duo between 2010 and 2012 / © FREDERIC LE FLOC'H / DPPI

A complicated modern era

While the team decides to start from scratch in 2013, Martin Whitmarsh, general manager of the team, is worried about the future. Rightly so, since for the first time since 1980, McLaren will not achieve the slightest podium. A real blow for the team now relegated to fifth place. One year before the end of his engine contract with Mercedes, McLaren announces the return of Honda in 2015. Sergio Pérez is replaced by Kevin Magnussen, after a disappointing season to say the least, Éric Boullier is called upon to take charge of the competition department, in from Lotus. If the young Danish driver manages to climb onto the podium of the Australian Grand Prix, ahead of his teammate Button, McLaren gradually falls into line, and regains its fifth place, for the second year in a row.

The return of Honda is accompanied in 2015 by the arrival of Fernando Alonso, supposed to bring back the good (sporting) memories of 2007. However, it is a calamitous season that McLaren is preparing to experience, while Button manages to mark the first points for the team in Monaco only. McLaren will finish in ninth place among the constructors, recalling the team's debut in F1 in 1980. The 2016 season, concluded without the slightest podium still, allows the team to move back up to sixth among the constructors, thanks to a more reliable Honda engine. In November 2016 after the Brazilian Grand Prix and following differences within the McLaren Technology Group, Ron Dennis was forced to resign and sell his shares. Zak Brown appointed executive director of McLaren Racing.

The arrival of the new generation

On track, Stoffel Vandoorne stepped in to support Fernando Alonso, while Jenson Button bowed out, but the team's results only worsened. McLaren found itself second-to-last in the constructors' championship and announced the arrival of a new engine supplier, Renault. Fernando Alonso, in turn, announced his retirement from F1, and the British team took the opportunity to overhaul its roster. Carlos Sainz joined McLaren, accompanied by the young and talented Briton, Lando Norris, runner-up in Formula 2 in 2018, behind George Russell.

It was ultimately thanks to its new drivers that the team experienced its best season of the hybrid era, highlighted by a podium finish for Sainz in Brazil and fourth place in the constructors' championship. Both drivers were retained for the following season and confirmed the positive trend seen the previous year. Lando Norris climbed onto the podium in the very first race in Austria, despite the calendar being disrupted by the health crisis. McLaren even managed to snatch second place in a completely chaotic Italian Grand Prix, with Carlos Sainz at the wheel. The consistency and brilliance of its two drivers allowed McLaren to reach the constructors' podium, benefiting in the process from Ferrari's struggles.

If the team returns to fourth place in 2021, it nevertheless confirms its return to the forefront. McLaren Racing enters into yet another engine partnership with Mercedes, Lando Norris climbs onto the podium three times, while Daniel Ricciardo, who came as a reinforcement in place of Carlos Sainz, achieves the unthinkable by winning another daunting Italian Grand Prix, in front of his teammate, Lando Norris. The brand's first double in almost ten years.

Daniel Ricciardo signs McLaren's first victory in 9 years at Monza in 2021 / © Florent Gooden / DPPI

McLaren's revival

The revolution that Formula 1 begins in 2022 has not upset the plans of McLaren, which is still fighting in the same category asAlpine, for fourth place in the championship. If Daniel Ricciardo seems to have more difficulty adapting to the British single-seater, Lando Norris carries all the hopes of the team on his back. The Piastri affair at Alpine, during the season, however, seems to concern McLaren. Indeed, the Australian driver refused the seat offered to him in the French team in place of Alonso, who was leaving. And for good reason, he reached an agreement with McLaren for the 2023 season, pushing Daniel Ricciardo to find a way out.

The young rookie has a magnificent first year in F2023 in 1. If Lando Norris easily finished ahead in the championship, the Australian surprised everyone by signing his first two podiums in F1, and especially by winning the pole and the sprint victory in Losail (Qatar). The two young men fit the bill since they were both extended from winter 2024 for several seasons.

Double podium in 2023 for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in Qatar © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

McLaren continued its spectacular turnaround in 2023 to create a single-seater that was effective on all types of circuits. While the previous year was synonymous with Red Bull's dominance, the duel between Constructors in 2024 was rather between the English firm and Ferrari. Thanks to the modifications of a completely restructured chassis and aerodynamic improvements sometimes at the limit of the regulations (such as the mini DRSThe Papayas had one of the best cars on the grid. Add to that brilliant driving from Norris and Piastri, and the Constructors' title was simply the logical outcome. For 2025, the Woking-based team aimed for the double: Constructors' and Drivers' Championships.

Celebration of the 2024 Constructors' title in Abu Dhabi © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

As expected, McLaren dominated the 2025 season with a consistency and overall performance that left little hope for the competition, securing the title at the Singapore Grand Prix, proof of their sustained dominance. While the hierarchy seemed clear among the teams, the battle for the drivers' championship proved much more unpredictable: Oscar Piastri, who led for much of the season, saw his chances erode during a second half marked by too many inconsistencies, allowing Lando Norris to gradually climb back into the title race.

The Briton finally sealed his comeback, clinching the title by just two points over Max Verstappen, an unexpected contender in this internal duel. The Dutchman capitalized on Piastri's weaknesses to hold on until the very end and finish as runner-up, transforming what was expected to be a two-way battle into a three-way contest that went down to the wire. In 2026, McLaren fully intends to defend its title, despite the challenges of adapting to the new regulations.

Lando Norris will be crowned World Champion at the end of 2025 after a long battle for the Drivers' title. © DPPI

In 2026, the official McLaren Racing drivers in F1 are: Lando Norris, present in the British team since its debut in 2019 and Oscar Piastri who arrived in 2023.

The McLaren drivers in 2025. © Eric Alonso / DPPI

Without a doubt, McLaren is among the most historic teams in Formula 1. This is a fact in terms of Grand Prix participations, victories, and Drivers' and Constructors' titles. Like Ferrari and Williams, it is now synonymous with the sport and has experienced very few periods of difficulty. On the contrary, its commitment has never seemed to be questioned, and it is thanks to figures like Ron Dennis that we witnessed one of the golden ages of F1, pitting Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost against each other for several seasons. Thanks to cars that are as ingenious as they are high-performing, McLaren has built a reputation as a winner, and the recent challenging years only confirm this. Despite a fragile financial situation, exacerbated by the global health crisis, the British team has managed to bounce back to become one of the attractions of the grid again, driven by talented drivers like Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who contributed to winning the Constructors' title in 2024 and again in 2025, with the drivers' crown also going to the Briton.

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