Read time: 13.2 minutes

After emerging as the surprise package in 2024, McLaren went into this season as the favourites among fans, chasing consecutive Constructors’ World Championships for the first since 1990 and ‘91.

On Sunday in Singapore, we achieved just that, holding our nerve to wrap up our 10th Constructors’ title with six rounds remaining. Following that success, we’ve looked back on the key moments that helped us to secure the landmark title.

On the right course 

Last year was a great one for McLaren, but this year has been even better. Mid-season performance upgrades made 2024’s MCL38 a potent car, and in many minds the fastest one in the field, but Lando’s challenge for the Drivers’ World Championship was a late one. However, his overall performances, backed so strongly by Oscar’s in his sophomore year, indicated firmly that we were on the right track.

The trick then became to build on that success, and to evolve the car into the MCL39 without, as happened to some of our rivals, losing things that made its predecessor so good. 

Our Technical Leadership team, led by Chief Operating Officer Piers Thynne, Chief Designer Rob Marshall, Technical Director Peter Prodromou, Technical Director, Engineering and Design Neil Houldey, and Technical Director, Performance Mark Temple, adroitly avoided that pitfall.

“In many aspects, we raised the bar again this year,” said Team principal Andrea Stella. “Obviously, in Formula 1, you try and improve in every possible area of going racing. But I would say if I had to pick one, that is from a technical point of view. I think the car itself is just a much better car. It's very innovative compared to last year.

“We decided to go for development in pretty much every single part. We required some bravery in some areas, for instance, in the front suspension and some other parts that are less visible. So for me, that's where the biggest step forward has happened. And the race team and the drivers themselves, we all developed.”

Starting strongly

While the team’s Championship success in 2024 had seen us labelled as favourites among fans heading in ’25, those in the paddock were actually expecting a four-way fight, with multiple teams in contention for the victory and ultimate honours.

A strong start was vital, and our season began well from a performance perspective - Lando and Oscar were quick out of the blocks in Australia and both fighting for the win until Oscar dropped to ninth following a grassy delay during a late-race rain shower, while Lando crossed the line in first. Although disappointed not to take a home podium, Oscar was at least buoyed by the speed of the MCL39. Further opportunities would follow. 

That opportunity came as soon as the next round. A 1-2 in China – our 50th in F1 - with Oscar ahead, saw us build an early lead in the Constructors’ Championship. However, in the following race, Max Verstappen and Red Bull delivered a reminder not to take anything for granted, showing their teeth in Japan, and leaving Oscar and Lando second and third.

In the following three races, Oscar truly hit his stride, taking the lead of the Drivers’ Championship, which he has yet to surrender, with a famous first victory in McLaren’s second home Grand Prix in Bahrain, which he followed up with two more wins, in Jeddah and Miami. After widely-praised and highly successful first and second seasons in F1, the Australian had found another gear in year three.

While Oscar was exhibiting his dominance out in front, Lando was showing his rigour and resilience as he maximised an MCL39 that didn’t play to his strengths. After finishing second to Verstappen in Imola, with Oscar in third, Lando claimed a famous victory around the streets of Monaco, with Oscar taking another P3 to demonstrate his own pragmatism, and the maxim: when you can’t win, maximise what you can achieve. 

Growing dominance

It was at this point that our grip on the Championship tightened. In Spain, Oscar and Lando spearheaded yet another McLaren 1-2, the team showing its strategic nous to navigate a surprise move from Red Bull to switch Verstappen from a two- to a three-stop strategy.

This purple patch wouldn’t be without its bumps in the road, but the way in which we reacted to them would be imperative to ensuring we didn’t falter, and instead maintained our form in the races after. Zak and Andrea had always maintained that they expected some contact between our drivers, and that moment arrived in Canada. Mercedes were dominant, leaving Oscar and Lando to fight for fourth place, and unfortunately, the teammates collided at Turn 1 on Lap 67. To the surprise of no one at McLaren, they reacted reassuringly, showcasing what Zak and Andrea believe is part of McLaren’s inherent strength: that both drivers respect one another and the team’s strong code of ethics.

That team culture would, and continues, to prove key.

As the team looked to bounce back, Lando went to Spielberg seeking redemption, but also payback for the previous year’s controversial loss to Verstappen. He got both, holding his nerve as he led yet another dominant McLaren 1-2.

McLaren went into its home race having not won on British soil since 2008, and although Oscar narrowly missed out on Pole to Verstappen, he overtook the Red Bull for first at the start of the race. However, a 10-second time penalty for Oscar put Lando on course to win his home race, with Oscar recovering to second. It was another strong performance, and another landmark win - was our first home 1-2 in 25 years.

This impressive trend continued, and in the following round, Lando started a rain-delayed Belgian Grand Prix from Pole, but Oscar took the lead after the rolling start behind the Safety Car. The duo maintained their positions and once again, finished first and second.

Heading into Hungary, we had the chance to make history, with a milestone 200th Grand Prix win on the cards. After Charles Leclerc had initially led for Ferrari before fading, Lando gambled on a bold one-stop strategy, finishing first ahead of Oscar, to secure not just our 200th victory, but also our seventh 1-2 of the season, and our fourth in a row – both matching records last achieved in 1998. It was a victory that sent us into the summer break on a high, with an astonishing, near-insurmountable, 299-point lead over second.

Increasing competition

While we hadn’t been short of challengers in the first half of the year – this is arguably the most competitive grid in F1 history – it would doubtlessly be even tougher in the second half of the season, as we approached tracks that - like Imola and Montreal - wouldn’t necessarily suit the strengths of the MCL39, while those around us improved further, working to fix any shortcomings.

However, in Zandvoort, in the first race after the summer break, our winning streak continued, as Oscar led from Pole from start to finish. Although, Lando was unfortunate to retire from second with an issue on Lap 65. In Monza, though, Red Bull and Verstappen did display their capabilities, taking Pole with the fastest Qualifying lap in F1 history, before winning ahead of Lando and Oscar.

Nevertheless, we headed to Azerbaijan with the possibility of clinching the Constructors’ World Championship with a record eight races remaining. We had won 12 of the preceding 16, with seven 1-2s, and had scored 617 points.

Going into the race, we were 337 points ahead of second and needed a gap of 346 by the finish. But while the maths were simple, the reality was not. It proved a tricky weekend for Lando and Oscar, and in difficult conditions, on a track that played to our weaknesses, we were never in a position to show our true pace.

After starting from seventh and ninth, an early, uncharacteristic error from Oscar ended his race early, but Lando managed a damage-limitation race, trapped in a DRS train, and maintained a seventh-place finish, where he started, and the best available on the day.

Finishing the job

Having dominated rounds ahead of the summer break, the gap in performance had expectedly closed a little following the break. In Baku, the bumps and kerbs created challenges for the MCL39. The team weren’t surprised to see others cope slightly better on such circuits - we had experienced similar in Canada – but remained confident of getting the job done on a track in Singapore that presented similar challenges. We arrived needing just 13 points to clinch the title, so knew a podium finish would get the job done.

Lando and Oscar did just that, finishing third and fourth, Ending the weekend with 650 points, 325 more than our nearest challenger, it put the Championship beyond the reach of any of our rivals. In doing so, we secured successive titles for the first time since 1991, and surpassed Williams’ tally of nine titles - only Ferrari has won more.

In the end, it came down to clear leadership, design excellence, strategic diligence, and two drivers who exhibited a mutual respect while racing hard, combined with the strength of dedicated teamwork in both the factory and out in the field.

“An important part of the way Zak and myself are trying to shape the team, create the right values, has to do with the sense of affiliation,” Andrea summarised. “The sense of being willing to keep improving yourself, to keep improving the team, because we want to see this team winning. And you need to make sure that you instil these values within each of the 1,000 people here at Woking. So when it comes to passion, when it comes to bringing emotions into the game, when emotions are diverted in the right direction, they are actually a great resource.

“To win back-to-back titles for the first time since 1991 is incredibly emotional, and we share this success with the whole team and thank them for their incredible work, because it is all thanks to such dedicated teamwork from every member that we are rewarded like this. And will continue to strive to repeat such excellence and success when the regulations change again for 2026.”