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McLaren MCL39

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McLaren MCL39
An MCL39 driven by Oscar Piastri during the Japanese Grand Prix
CategoryFormula One
ConstructorMcLaren
Designer(s)
PredecessorMcLaren MCL38
Technical specifications[1]
ChassisCarbon fibre composite
Suspension (front)Carbon fibre and titanium pullrod suspension legs operating inboard torsion bar and damper system
Suspension (rear)Carbon fibre and titanium pushrod suspension legs operating inboard torsion bar and damper system
EngineMercedes-AMG F1 M16 E Performance
1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout
Electric motorMercedes-AMG
Kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems
TransmissionMcLaren 8-speed + 1 reverse sequential seamless semi-automatic transmission operated via paddle shifters
BatteryLithium-ion battery
Weight800 kg (including driver, excluding fuel)
Brakes6 piston calipers, carbon ventilated discs/pads
TyresPirelli P Zero (dry)
Pirelli Cinturato (wet)
ClutchElectro-hydraulically operated, carbon multi-plate
Competition history
Notable entrantsMcLaren F1 Team
Notable drivers
Debut2025 Australian Grand Prix
First win2025 Australian Grand Prix
Last win2025 Spanish Grand Prix
Last event2025 Canadian Grand Prix
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
1071667

The McLaren MCL39 is a Formula One car constructed by McLaren and designed under the direction of Rob Marshall to compete in the 2025 Formula One World Championship. It is being driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, in their seventh and third seasons with the team respectively.

The MCL39 follows the World Constructors' Championship-winning MCL38. Favoured by commentators to defend McLaren's title, the MCL39 has won seven Grands Prix, Piastri having won five and Norris two. The car has also scored six pole positions, set seven fastest laps, and finished on the podium a total of sixteen times.

Background

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Development context

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Further information: 2025 Formula One World Championship § Technical regulations

The MCL39 follows the MCL38, McLaren's first championship-winning Formula One car since 1998.[2] Having won the Constructors' Championship in 2024, McLaren will be allowed only 70% the allocation of wind tunnel testing time baseline. Team principal Andrea Stella said he believed McLaren could overcome this disadvantage by improving efficiency elsewhere in the aerodynamic design process.[3]

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.[4] New restrictions to combat this use of wing flexibility were introduced, effective from the ninth race of the season (the Spanish Grand Prix).[4] 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.[5]

Initial design and development

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MCL39 being assembled in the pit building prior to the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
The MCL39 (pictured being built up ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix) made several improvements on the championship-winning MCL38.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said the team would take a "brave risk" approach to designing the MCL39.[2] 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 2026.[6] Stella said the team believed it had "maintained the rate of development" it had shown in 2023 and 2024 and that the MCL39 followed the same "linear trend" as the MCL60 and MCL38.[7]

The MCL39 was the first McLaren car that lead designer Rob Marshall oversaw from its beginning.[8] The car was a significant technical development over the MCL38, exhibiting substantial layout changes.[8][9] The MCL39 appeared to have shifted its radiators further up and backward compared to the MCL38.[7] It retained the front pullrod and rear pushrod suspension layout, but with increased anti-dive measures to better control the car's ride height.[7][10] Other visible changes included new sidepod inlet shapes, revised engine cover bodywork, and a new, wider airbox inlet shape.[8][10]

Stella said the team would deliver several early-season updates, consistent with McLaren's development plan in recent seasons.[8][11]

Liveries

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See also: Formula One sponsorship liveries § McLaren

The MCL39 used a one-off papaya orange and black geometric dazzle camouflage pattern for its pre-season filming day, as all teams had committed to launching their season liveries at a dedicated event.[12][13]

The car's season livery was substantially identical to that of the MCL38.[14] McLaren issued a statement explaining that the team had never changed its livery the season after a championship win and never substantially changed a livery during a period of sustained success.[14]

A special livery inspired by the McLaren M7A – the car that first featured McLaren's papaya livery – was used for the Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix.[15]

Competition and development history

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Pre-season

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McLaren were considered favourites to win a second consecutive World Constructors' Championship in 2025.[16][17][8] Norris was the favourite to win the World Drivers' Championship,[17][8] although Piastri also said he was a serious contender for the title.[18] The MCL39 was first run on track in a private filming day at Silverstone in February 2025, driven by both Norris and Piastri.[12] Stella stated that this version of the car was substantially the same as that which would be run in the official pre-season test.[9][8]

During the test, Norris said the car handled similarly to its predecessor; he also said the rear end of the car was less stable than the team wanted.[19][20] Other teams widely considered the MCL39 to have a performance advantage over the rest of the field.[21][22][23]

Opening rounds

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Norris qualified on pole and Piastri second for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.[24] The race was held in mixed conditions, and was interrupted by several safety car periods.[25] Piastri lost second place to Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing on the opening lap but regained the position later on and ran in second behind Norris.[25] Shortly after switching to slick tyres as the track dried, both drivers went off at the same corner when rain returned.[26] Although Norris managed to continue and pit to return to intermediate tyres, Piastri was stranded on a grass run-off.[26] Piastri rejoined the race a lap down after slowly reversing off the grass.[27] Norris won the race and set the fastest lap, and Piastri recovered to finish ninth.[26] The result placed McLaren first in the World Constructors' Championship, and the drivers first and ninth in the World Drivers' Championship (WDC).

The Chinese Grand Prix was the first round of the season to use the sprint format. Piastri qualified for the sprint second,[28] and Norris, who made an error in his final lap, qualified sixth.[29] Piastri finished the sprint second.[30] Norris made another error at the start, losing positions and finishing eighth.[29] Piastri qualified on pole for the Grand Prix for the first time in his career and Norris qualified third.[31] Piastri won the race and Norris – whose brakes began to fail in the closing laps of the race – finished second, moving Piastri up to fourth and allowing Norris to retain his lead in the WDC.[32] Media and other teams speculated throughout the weekend on the prospect of McLaren being negatively affected by stricter rear wing regulations introduced ahead of the round, which did not eventuate.[33]

Norris qualified second and Piastri third for the Japanese Grand Prix,[34] and they finished the race in those positions. Piastri improved to third in the WDC, while Norris' rival Verstappen, who won the race, trailed one point behind him.

McLaren introduced a new front brake duct winglet at the Bahrain Grand Prix.[35] Piastri qualified on pole and Norris sixth. Norris overshot his grid-box at the race start and received a five second time penalty. Piastri won the race, moving him to second, and Norris made up places during the race to finish in third place, narrowly retaining his WDC lead with Piastri just three points behind.[36]

Piastri qualified second for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, but Norris crashed during the final stage of qualifying, leaving him tenth.[37] Piastri won the race, and Norris recovered to finish fourth.[38] Piastri took the lead of the WDC from Norris.

North American and early European rounds

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Piastri and Norris qualified second and third, respectively, for the Miami Grand Prix sprint event. Norris won the sprint ahead of teammate Piastri after a well-timed safety car allowed him to jump his teammate.[39] Norris qualified second for the main race, while Piastri qualified fourth; Piastri made up three places to win the race ahead of Norris.[40]

Piastri qualified on pole at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and Norris qualified fourth. Piastri lost position to Verstappen on the opening lap, and Norris improved to second. Piastri finished third.[41]

McLaren ran the MCL39 in a special livery at the Monaco Grand Prix (see § Liveries).[15] Norris qualified on pole and Piastri third, and they finished the race in those positions.

Stricter front wing tests were introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix; McLaren had previously tested its revised design in practice at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and concluded the MCL39 would not be affected.[42][43] The car was again run in its special livery (see § Liveries).[15] Piastri qualified on pole and Norris second, the same positions they finished the race in. Piastri set the fastest lap of the race.

Assessment and characteristics

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The car was recognised early in the season for its high aerodynamic downforce, efficiency, and balance, whereas its immediate competitors often struggled to maintain balance through corners and maintain efficiency at different speeds.[44] Defending World Drivers' Champion Max Verstappen said of McLaren's advantage that "Oh, it's big", and the RB21 comparatively lacked balance and especially grip.[45] McLaren found that the car struggled on new tyres, which partly explained some early qualifying difficulties, which required some adjustments to car set-up.[46]

The MCL39 attracted significant attention for its rear brake duct designs, especially from rival constructor Red Bull Racing who filed protests with the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).[47] The FIA investigated and confirmed the design was fully compliant.[47][48] Although the details of its design are not publicly known, the MCL39's ducts allow it to manage rear tyre temperatures far better than the rest of the field, especially noticeable at circuits that place high thermal stress on the rear tyres.[47] Gary Anderson suggested that alternatively, the advantage could be partly attributed to car's rear suspension better controlling lift, giving the car a higher rear roll centre and improving traction out of low-speed corners.[49]

Complete Formula One results

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Key
Key
Colour Result
Gold Winner
Silver Second place
Bronze Third place
Green Other points position
Blue Other classified position
Not classified, finished (NC)
Purple Not classified, retired (Ret)
Red Did not qualify (DNQ)
Black Disqualified (DSQ)
White Did not start (DNS)
Race cancelled (C)
Blank Did not practice (DNP)
Excluded (EX)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Withdrawn (WD)
Did not enter (empty cell)
Annotation Meaning
P Pole position
F Fastest lap
Superscript
number 		Points-scoring position
in sprint
Year Entrant Engine Tyres Drivers Grands Prix Points WCC
AUS CHN JPN BHR SAU MIA EMI MON ESP CAN AUT GBR BEL HUN NED ITA AZE SIN USA MXC SAP LVG QAT ABU
2025 McLaren F1 Team Mercedes-AMG
F1 M16 E Performance
1.6 V6 t 		P United Kingdom Lando Norris 1PF 28 F 2 3 4F 21 F 2 1PF 2 18† 374* 1st*
Australia Oscar Piastri 9 12 P 3 1PF 1 12 3P 3 1PF 4
Source:[50]

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ "What is the technical specification of our 2025 Formula 1 car?". McLaren. 18 February 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  2. ^ a b Noble, Jonathan (10 December 2024). "McLaren reveals "brave risk" approach to 2025 F1 car design". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
  3. ^ Noble, Jonathan (13 December 2024). "Why McLaren thinks it can overcome its 2025 wind tunnel deficit". Motorsport.com Australia. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  4. ^ a b Hughes, Mark (April 2025) [24 February 2025]. Dunn, Joe (ed.). "Could 2025 be the best F1 season… Ever?". Motor Sport. Vol. 101, no. 4. London. p. 50-56. ISSN 0027-2019. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. ^ Noble, Jon; Anderson, Gary (22 February 2025). "McLaren's design change that could counter FIA's late U-turn". The Race. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  6. ^ Cleeren, Filip (7 June 2025). "McLaren thinks it can grab 2025 F1 chance without sacrificing 2026". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 10 January 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Hughes, Mark (13 February 2025). "How McLaren's MCL39 has benefitted from an 'aggressive' evolution approach". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Mitchell-Malm, Scott; Noble, John; Straw, Edd; Hughes, Mark (13 February 2025). "What we learned from F1 2025's first car launch". The Race. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
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  15. ^ a b c "McLaren reveal tweaked 'Riviera-inspired' livery for Monaco and Spanish Grands Prix". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. 22 May 2025. Archived from the original on 24 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
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  20. ^ Baldwin, Alan (27 February 2025). Written at Sakhir. Davis, Toby (ed.). "New McLaren feels similar to last year's, says Norris". Reuters. London: Thomson Reuters. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
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  25. ^ a b Davis, Tony (16 March 2025). "Accursed rain sends Piastri slip-sliding away". Australian Financial Review. Sydney: Nine Entertainment. ISSN 1444-9900. OCLC 1131035760. Archived from the original on 16 March 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
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  28. ^ Khorounzhiy, Valentin (21 March 2025). "Lewis Hamilton takes shock first Ferrari pole for China F1 sprint". The Race. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  29. ^ a b Mann-Bryans, Mark (22 March 2025). "Norris suffers "worst nightmare" in Chinese GP sprint race". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  30. ^ Coch, Mat (22 March 2025). "Incredible Hamilton wins Chinese GP Sprint from Piastri". Speedcafe. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  31. ^ Suttill, Josh (22 March 2025). "Piastri on pole, Ferrari fades, Lawson disaster - F1 China qualifying". The Race. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  32. ^ Linden, Julian (24 March 2025). "Piastri's perfect drive from pole to victory". Sport. The Australian. Sydney: News Corp Australia. p. 24. ISSN 1038-8761. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
  33. ^ Harrington, Alex (21 March 2025). "McLaren director shoots down flexi wing speculation ahead of Chinese Grand Prix". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  34. ^ Wade, Stephen (6 April 2025) [5 April 2025]. "Max on pole". Sport. The Sunday Times. Perth: Seven West Media. Associated Press. p. 50. ISSN 1442-9527. OCLC 427972890.
  35. ^ Boxall-Legge, Jake (11 April 2025). "Ferrari brings upgrades to Bahrain to overcome poor start to F1 2025". Motorsport.com Australia. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 11 April 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  36. ^ "F1 - The Official Home of Formula 1® Racing". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Archived from the original on 14 April 2025. Retrieved 16 April 2025.
  37. ^ Bellwood, Owen (20 April 2025). "Norris suffers costly crash in qualifying for F1 Saudi Arabian GP". Autosport. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  38. ^ "Piastri clinches victory in Saudi Arabia from Verstappen and Leclerc as McLaren driver becomes new championship leader". Formula 1.com. 20 April 2025. Archived from the original on 20 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  39. ^ "Norris wins chaotic Miami Sprint from Piastri and Hamilton after late Safety Car and multiple incidents". Formula 1.com. 4 May 2025. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  40. ^ "Piastri wins from Norris and Russell as McLaren seal commanding 1-2 in Miami Grand Prix". Formula 1.com. 5 May 2025. Archived from the original on 19 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  41. ^ van Leeuwen, Andrew (19 May 2025). "Verstappen beats McLarens to win Imola F1 race". Speedcafe. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  42. ^ Cleeren, Filip (30 May 2025). "McLaren trialled Spanish GP stiffer F1 front wing in Imola, shrugs off flexi-wing impact". Motorsport.com Australia. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  43. ^ Boxall-Legge, Jake (30 May 2025). "How F1 teams have modified front wings for Spanish GP flexi-wing tests". Motorsport.com Australia. Motorsport Network. Archived from the original on 30 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  44. ^ Hughs, Mark; Piola, Giorgio (22 April 2025). "How McLaren are making the difference in F1's intriguing 2025 aerodynamic race". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  45. ^ Hughes, Mark (11 April 2025). "What gives McLaren such a big Bahrain advantage". The Race. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  46. ^ Giuliana, Rosario; Noble, Jonathan (28 March 2025). "What's stopped McLaren from crushing dominance so far". The Race. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  47. ^ a b c Hughes, Mark; Piola, Giorgio (20 May 2025). "McLaren's ingenious rear brake duct design". Formula1.com. Formula One Administration. Archived from the original on 25 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  48. ^ Noble, Jonathan (19 May 2025). "FIA intervention prompts fresh intrigue in Red Bull vs McLaren battle". The Race. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  49. ^ Anderson, Gary (27 May 2025). "McLaren's key advantage might be simpler than you think". The Race. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  50. ^ "McLaren MCL39". StatsF1. 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
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