TEAM PREVIEW: Can McLaren build on their title success and claim the Drivers’ Championship in 2025?

The 2024 season ended in dream style for McLaren, with the squad securing a long-awaited Teams’ Championship – their first since 1998. But can they build on that even further in 2025 to take the Drivers’ title with Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri? Here’s the lowdown on the papaya team and their goals for the campaign ahead…

Drivers for 2025

Lando Norris #4: 4 Grand Prix wins, 26 podiums, 9 pole positions, 1007 points, 128 starts
Oscar Piastri #81: 2 Grand Prix wins, 10 podiums, 389 points, 46 starts

Lando Norris enters into his seventh season in F1 – and as a McLaren driver – in 2025. But things look a little different for the Briton this time around, who not only became a race winner for the first time last year but also turned into Max Verstappen’s closest rival for the title.

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Norris admits that he has taken great confidence from knowing that he can bring the fight to Verstappen – marking quite a step for the 25-year-old, who has never been one to sing his own praises.

On the other side of the garage is Oscar Piastri, heading into his third campaign in the sport. Like Norris, the Australian claimed his debut Grand Prix victories in 2024 and has stated that he feels ready to become a World Champion this season.

SAO PAULO, BRAZIL - NOVEMBER 02: Sprint winner Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren and Second — Piastri and Norris will enter into their third season as team mates at McLaren in 2025

Last season

Things went from good to great for McLaren as the 2024 season unfolded, with their promising early form soon translating into results as Norris claimed his maiden win at Round 6 in Miami.

As their strong performances coincided with Red Bull no longer looking to have the strongest car, the Woking outfit closed in and Norris in particular seemed ready to battle Verstappen – resulting in some nail-biting moments including their dramatic late-race collision in the Austrian Grand Prix.

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It was not always smooth sailing for the squad; there were some strategy mishaps, with one seeing Norris miss out on a potential victory at Silverstone, while team orders also sparked confusion at times. But after snatching the lead in the Teams’ standings at Round 18 in Singapore, McLaren were determined to win that long-awaited title.

And win they did, with the Woking-based outfit taking the crown by 14 points from Ferrari at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. While Verstappen’s lead was too great for Norris to overcome in the Drivers’ Championship, both the Briton and team mate Piastri look ready to take the fight in 2025.

How McLaren won the 2024 Constructors' Championship

History

McLaren are the second-oldest team in Formula 1 – having competed in the next highest number of races behind Ferrari – and with that comes an illustrious history. Bruce McLaren founded the team in 1963, before taking their debut championship race win himself at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix.

After McLaren was tragically killed in a testing crash at Goodwood in 1970, the team continued to race in his honour and experienced great success in the years that followed. Emerson Fittipaldi brought the squad their first Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles in 1974, while further championships came in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Alongside the accolades – which included a famously dominant campaign in 1988 that saw the team win 15 out of 16 races – there have been some tense moments for McLaren, with that era in particular being remembered for the fierce rivalry that played out between team mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost.

To date the Woking-based outfit have notched up 12 Drivers’ Championships and nine Constructors’ titles – the most recent of the latter being achieved in 2024, a campaign that saw McLaren overtake the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull to take the crown.

Third placed Emerson Fittipaldi (BRA) has adjustments made to his McLaren M23 whilst giving set-up — Emerson Fittipaldi helped McLaren to achieve their first championships in 1974

Greatest achievement

As previously mentioned, McLaren are one of the most decorated constructors in F1 history, which means that selecting one greatest achievement is a tough ask.

Scoring their first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years at the close of 2024 has to be up there as one of the most special moments for the outfit, with it marking the latest step on an impressive recovery journey after some tough times in the mid-2010s.

But on paper it is hard to ignore that legendary 1988 season, where the combination of the Honda-powered MP4/4 and the team’s iconic line-up of Prost and Senna brought unprecedented levels of success. Their stunning win percentage of 93.8% remains one of the highest ever recorded during a single campaign.

13 Nov 1988: McLaren Honda driver Alain Prost of France celebrates his victory with team-mate — Senna and Prost led the charge during McLaren's dominant 1988 season

One key goal for 2025

McLaren’s 2024 season was not without its mistakes, and perhaps one of the main goals entering into 2025 will be to iron these out.

The team had not expected to be in championship contention at the start of last year – but this time they arrive into the campaign not just in with a chance but with a long-awaited title under their belts.

This should give the papaya squad the confidence they need in terms of challenging for both titles this season, with Norris also voicing his belief that he is now readier than ever after going toe-to-toe with Verstappen last time out.

And with Piastri similarly confident that he too can win the World Championship in 2025, McLaren could potentially find themselves with an intra-team battle on their hands, a situation that Team Principal Andrea Stella is viewing as an “opportunity” rather than a “problem”. As such, securing the drivers’ crown this time around will be a key target in 2025.