“Like at the cinema, it’s ‘coming soon’, the next title is coming very soon.” Emerson Fittipaldi won McLaren’s first Formula 1 World Championship 50 years ago, and now the Brazilian believes we’re not far off number eight.

Emerson returned to the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) for the first time in six years after the British Grand Prix and said that it felt like the team were united again. During his visit, the Brazilian legend walked the factory floor and spoke with every department, and he says he came away impressed by what he’d seen.

“It's amazing the enthusiasm of the people,” he said. “I think McLaren is ready next year to be a very strong contender for the World Championship. The latest results show how close McLaren are now.

“They nearly won the British Grand Prix with both Lando and Oscar, which shows the effort they are putting into it. They have been doing a fantastic job since Zak Brown took over and re-united the team. It’s the motivation, the effort, and the working together that gives results, and that is what is happening now. I can feel the World Championship energy here.”

Lando and Oscar were at the front for large periods of the British Grand Prix before eventually finishing third and fourth, which brought us to within seven points of second place and extended our run of consecutive podiums to eight rounds.

Speaking from the MTC, Emerson says that McLaren’s form over the past 12 months reminds him of his time with the team. The Brazilian joined in 1974, with McLaren having finished third in the previous two seasons.

McLaren were still only eight years old, and the team had largely been learning on the job during that time. Bruce McLaren had built his team around very talented but young and inexperienced people. 

The group had grown together, winning eight times and even fighting for the title, and so when Emerson arrived as the reigning World Champion, they were ready to take that final step.

The Brazilian sees parallels between that period and now, with McLaren’s team and driver pairing having grown together over several years, and he now believes that we’re ready to take the next step.

“Very impressive,” he says of McLaren’s team as he walks the MTC Boulevard. “If you look at the history of McLaren, so many World Championships, so much effort, dedication and passion for the sport. When I was here, there were 28 people, now it’s closer to 1,000. I saw every department - the aerodynamic department, the performance department… and it's amazing the enthusiasm of the people, and you can see the results.

“It's very impressive to see what happens every weekend. All of the engineers at the track give so much effort and provide so many analytics at the track and back here and in the simulator. When I walked into Mission Control here, I thought the name was perfect because motorsport isn’t just sport now: it is science, and the combination of sports and science gives results.

“Lando and Oscar are very young, bright drivers, full of talent and with a desire to win. They help each other in competition because they are both very competitive and with the same level of performance. That helps the whole team because one pushes the other – they have to perform, which is a great combination.

“That’s why I think this is a very powerful McLaren team, more than ever, more than the last few years, which is now ready to conquer the next World Championship.”

Lando and Oscar go racing this weekend at the Hungarian Grand Prix, follow LIVE commentary and coverage on the McLaren App.