McLaren vs Red Bull

Lore & Background

Favoured by commentators in the pre-season to defend McLaren's title, the MCL39 was consistently the fastest car in the field and successfully defended the WCC, securing it at the 2025 Singapore Grand Prix. Norris secured the WDC 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. The MCL39 won fourteen Grands Prix in 2025, 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. The car, in the hands of Norris, also set the Formula One record for fastest race lap by average speed at the Italian Grand Prix.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the MCL38 cockpit was thick with static as Lando pulled out of the pits, his eyes locked on the red halo of the RB20 ahead. The roar of the engines drowned out the crowd at Monza, but he could feel the pressure radiating from the car in front. It wasn't just a lap; it was a statement. For years, the red cars had dictated the pace, but today, the orange livery was hunting. As they approached the Variante Ascari, Lando saw the gap shrink by a fraction of a second. The history books were written in Woking and Milton Keynes, but this corner would decide who wrote the next chapter.

Reader's Guide

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.

Did You Know?

• The MCL39 was the first McLaren since the Adrian Newey-designed MP4/13 of 1998 to win both the World Constructors' Championship and the World Drivers' Championship in the same season.
• The car set a Formula One record for fastest race lap by average speed at the Italian Grand Prix, driven by Lando Norris.
• The MCL39's season livery was substantially identical to that of the MCL38, as McLaren stated it had never changed its livery the season after a championship win.