Reigning constructors’ champions McLaren have become the first Formula 1 team to reveal their 2025 car ahead of the start of the new season.
McLaren ran the MCL39 in a shakedown at Silverstone on Thursday morning, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sharing 200 kilometres of permitted track time.
With all 10 of the sport’s teams obliged to reveal their 2025 liveries at F1’s special 75th anniversary launch event at The O2 arena in London next Tuesday, McLaren ran the car with an alternative ‘geometric camo design’ in shades of papaya and black.
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McLaren ended a 26-year wait for a constructors’ title by coming from behind to finish ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull, and will go into pre-season testing later this month – ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on March 16 – as the favourites to retain their crown.
McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown said: “Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title. It’s great to get our championship challenger, the MCL39, on track for the first time and to launch the culmination of the team’s hard work.
“We must be realistic that every team will have made progress over the winter. Last year highlighted just how much the grid has closed up, which is a brilliant thing for the sport. We believe we have made further steps forward since the championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into qualifying in Australia.
“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both championships back to Woking.”
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McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “We are excited to see the MCL39 hit the track for the first time at Silverstone Circuit today. Whilst we finished last year as champions, 2024 highlighted how highly competitive the grid is, which is something that will carry through to this year’s championship. We therefore must keep focused to compete at the front in this tight field. It’s going to be an exciting but incredibly challenging year ahead.
“The team have worked extremely hard to prepare as best as possible for the start of the season. We learned a lot from our battles last year, so we take this and use it to push our goal for the year.”
Norris ‘positive but focused’ ahead of title tilt
The next key milestone for McLaren would be to win a first drivers’ title since Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 triumph, with Britain’s Norris set to lead that charge after claiming the first four victories of his career last season as he finished second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Norris said: “It’s exciting to hop in the MCL39 for the first time and see what it can do on track, ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The camo livery is a fun one and it’s great to be able to showcase something different ahead of our full livery reveal at the official F1 75 launch.
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“Thank you to the entire team for their work in getting us to this point. This year will be more competitive than ever, so we’ve got a lot to do to be able to retain our constructors’ title and go for the drivers’ as well.
“I’ve been back at the McLaren Technology Centre (MTC) prepping for the season ahead and the mood is feeling positive but focused. We’re all looking forward to getting the car on track in Bahrain ahead of our competitive debut in Australia and to see where we net out amongst the other teams. It’s shaping up to be an exciting season.”
Thursday’s running saw McLaren use one of their two permitted filming days for the 2025 season, which all the teams are expected to do at some point before three successive days of official pre-season testing begin in Bahrain on February 26.
Along with collecting material for promotional purposes, filming days give teams the opportunity to check that their car and its systems are working as expected.
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The cars are not run at maximum speed and with the aim of assessing performance in huge detail, but rather in an attempt to avoid any issues at testing that could result in a loss of crucial track time.
Piastri, who claimed the first two grand prix victories of his career in 2024, said: “It’s great to get behind the wheel of the MCL39 for the first time ahead of us putting it through its paces in Bahrain.
“I have been working hard in the off-season to ensure I am ready for the season ahead. The margins at the top are likely to be incredibly tight but I’m excited by the room for growth after two seasons in the sport. Winning grands prix early in my career has given me the taste for success and I want much more.
“As a team, we can take great momentum into 2025 after such a brilliant year in 2024. A big thank you to everyone back at base and trackside for all the hard work that’s been done so far.”
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