McLaren MCL39
McLaren's first double champion since the MP4/13 of 1998.
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The McLaren MCL39 was built by McLaren for the 2025 Formula One season, with Rob Marshall leading the design. It was driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, marking their seventh and third years with the team, respectively. The car successfully retained the Constructors’ Championship and secured the Drivers’ title for Norris, making him McLaren’s first champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008. It was also the first McLaren to claim both championships in the same year since the MP4/13, designed by Adrian Newey in 1998.
Mid-season rounds
Pre-season pundits expected the MCL39 to defend McLaren’s title, and it proved to be the fastest car on the grid. The Constructors’ Championship was clinched at the Singapore Grand Prix, while Norris sealed the Drivers’ title at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Over the year, the MCL39 won fourteen Grands Prix—seven each for Norris and Piastri—scored thirteen pole positions, set twelve fastest laps, and achieved a record thirty-four podium finishes. Norris also set the fastest race lap by average speed at the Italian Grand Prix.
Development context
The MCL39 was the successor to the MCL38, McLaren’s first championship-winning car since 1998. Because McLaren won the Constructors’ title in 2024, it received only 70% of the baseline wind tunnel testing allocation.
Team principal Andrea Stella believed the team could compensate by improving efficiency elsewhere in the aerodynamic design process. McLaren’s use of a flexible front wing during 2024 was seen as key to overcoming Red Bull’s ground-effect dominance, but new restrictions targeting such flexibility took effect from the Spanish Grand Prix, the ninth race of 2025. Stella said the team had planned a “small adjustment” for the new rules but denied it would hurt performance.
Initial design and development
McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the team took a “brave risk” approach to the MCL39’s design. Engineering director Neil Houldey stated that McLaren would not sacrifice 2025 development despite an entirely new technical regulations and engine formula arriving in 2026. Stella said the team believed it had “maintained the rate of development” shown in 2023 and 2024, with the MCL39 following the same “linear trend” as the MCL60 and MCL38. The MCL39 was the first McLaren car that lead designer Rob Marshall oversaw from the start.
Lore & Background
The MCL39 follows the MCL38, McLaren's first championship-winning Formula One car since 1998. Having won the Constructors' Championship in 2024, McLaren was allowed only 70% of the baseline allocation of wind tunnel testing time. Team principal Andrea Stella said he believed McLaren could overcome this disadvantage by improving efficiency elsewhere in the aerodynamic design process.
McLaren's success in developing a front wing that could flex significantly under aerodynamic load during the 2024 season was considered instrumental in overcoming Red Bull's dominance in the ground effect era. New restrictions to combat this use of wing flexibility were introduced, effective from the ninth race of the season (the Spanish Grand Prix). Stella said the team had planned for a 'small adjustment' that would be implemented with the new restrictions, but denied they would negatively impact the team.
The MCL39 was the first McLaren car that lead designer Rob Marshall oversaw from its beginning. The car was a significant technical development over the MCL38, exhibiting substantial layout changes. The MCL39 appeared to have shifted its radiators further up and backward compared to the MCL38. It retained the front pullrod and rear pushrod suspension layout, but with increased anti-dive measures to better control the car's ride height.
Other visible changes included new sidepod inlet shapes, revised engine cover bodywork, and a new, wider airbox inlet shape. Stella said the team would deliver several early-season updates, consistent with McLaren's development plan in recent seasons. After the United States Grand Prix, Stella announced that the team would no longer bring upgrades to the car.
Reader's Guide
The MCL39 was consistently the fastest car in the field throughout the 2025 season. Favoured by commentators in the pre-season to defend McLaren's title, it won fourteen Grands Prix, with each driver winning seven apiece. The car scored thirteen pole positions, set twelve fastest laps, and finished on the podium a record total of thirty-four times. In the hands of Norris, it also set the Formula One record for fastest race lap by average speed at the Italian Grand Prix.
The car successfully defended the World Constructors' Championship, securing it at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix, while Norris secured the World Drivers' Championship at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The MCL39 was the first McLaren since the Adrian Newey-designed MP4/13 of 1998 to win both titles in the same season. Its development followed a 'linear trend' from the MCL60 and MCL38, and the team believed it had maintained its rate of development despite reduced wind tunnel time. The car's design took a 'brave risk' approach, according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, and engineering director Neil Houldey said McLaren would not compromise any of its 2025 development despite an entirely new set of technical regulations and engine formula being introduced in a later year.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: McLaren MCL39 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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