2025 McLaren F1 Team

[SilviuAgo]

Hello from Bahrain Some data for F1 fans who enjoy this kind of info. of course, courtesy to FormulaDataAnalysis:
PIA lost 0.25s to RUS in the first 2 straight due to much higher drag (7km/h top speed deficit)
His downforce advantage was insane, though: check out how much less he could lift in T5/6/7! He also reached much greater braking g's. To put things into perspective: the best non-McL driver (RUS, P3 in FP2) lost over 0.7s in sector 2 to PIA!


TOP SPEEDS
Two McL cars at the bottom. BEA reached 332km/h! (+14km/h vs NOR)
It seems that it was due to a higher engine mode (gaining on all straights vs his longer runs)


AERO PERFORMANCE
Most teams are close together, around the center of the graph (average characteristics)
McL is a total outlier

[De Wet]

Second, he should stop parroting McLaren PR teams' lines abput it being a "difficult" car. It simply isn't. It can't be, if it doesn't have a weakness in any kind of corner or the straight. It simply can't.

I don’t ever remember Norris locking up his tires, or missing corners, as much as this year. He might not be as fast as Max, but he always very smooth in his driving -until this year. Something is not right.

Norris:

“It’s my job to drive whatever car I get given, at the end of the day – that’s why I’m here, that’s why McLaren want me because they believe I can drive it in a better way than others can. [It’s] half and half, it’s similar characteristics and some of those characteristics I don’t like and do not suit the way I want to drive in an attacking way.

“It doesn’t suit me in terms of me wanting to push the entries and push the braking – it’s very weak from that point of view. So not what I like, but at the same time some of it is down to the adaptation of needing to change a little bit my driving style every year, because the McLaren I drive this year is very different to what the McLaren was a few years ago – clearly, because we were at the back and now we’re at the front.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... KO3ErVIQr9

[BMMR61]

Picture the (McLaren) drivers' scenario - all the media and George, Max etc are saying/implying the McLaren is a rocketship and the drivers aren't delivering on the car's potential. How would the McLaren drivers feel, well first Oscar, he's self contained, he doesn't care what (deluded or otherwise) notional statement the media and the opposition are making. He avoids any controversy and keeps his powder dry. Lando is a totally different character and he takes umbrage at the suggestion, direct or implicit that he should be winning easily. He took a lot of flak last year for racing stuff. He doesn't handle the media well, too open, not guarded or well considered. He blunders into stuff which the media of course love. Nobody's living rent free in Oscar's head but Lando, I'm not so sure. I feel for him. It's evident that Lando is his own man else he would have accepted some simple advice of how to handle the media, and he's in his SEVENTH F1 season!

[Emag]

Jesus, what kind of magic have they done to this car. It's the only car that doesn't give a sh*t about the high temps.

Also, props to Oscar, he has forced me to eat my words with these performances. Really impressive.

[Mcl_G10]

It seems that this mclaren fits Oscars driving style like a glove in comparison to norris. He is just able to muscle out more performance from it consistently than norris.

[Darth-Piekus]

If we count out Australia Piastri is the better driver in all the following GPs in terms of getting optimal performance out of the car.

[mwillems]

His trajectory was on the up continually last year. What he needed to do more than anything was to bring consistency across all the race weekends with the various track configurations that challenged him. Three races in he's doing well, bar trying to stay ahead of Max after going off in Australia. That's just a heat of the moment thing, his actual performances across all weekends have shown he is continuing to improve.

Thermal deg was one of his main issues and the car seems to be helping him with that, to be fair. But, as Lando says, you get the car you are driven and you have to drive it to the best of your ability, no excuses. Last year the car favoured Lando more, this year it favours Oscar, for now.

Still some work to do in Qualy for Oscar if he is to truly mount a challenge though. 2-1 to Lando so far (Not including sprint), but plenty of time to show that he's nailed the one lap pace too, but if you were to see one area so far this year that would go a long way to winning more races, it's there.

[Cs98]

Car looks awful. Slow, lethargic, kills the tyres. I'm sure the other drivers would be very disappointed if they got to try it

[IntrinsicVoid]

Car looks awful. Slow, lethargic, kills the tyres. I'm sure the other drivers would be very disappointed if they got to try it

You’ve been black pilled by Lando it seems

[Ben1980]

If we count out Australia Piastri is the better driver in all the following GPs in terms of getting optimal performance out of the car.

I prefere Norris, but like Puastri. And he has started off looking good. But, he's still 2-1 down in races amd qualifying. And he has made mistakes aswell.

[Avocado]

Holy crap, the car is FAST.

[Matt2725]

It's bizarre. You can just keep pushing it and it'll take it and hand out performance like it's going out of fashion.

I won't be surprised to see a fishing expedition by another team sooner rather than later.

[ringo]

The car seems to have the best aero design, almost behaving like the pre ground effect floors. The faster it goes the more load it gets without any instability underneath.

[Vettel165]

If Mclaren dont win this WDC, they are going to waste one of the best cars in the last 15-20 years. They are just dominant. If not Max I really hope Piastri takes it, as for me he is the better driver.

[Seerix]

these FP results seem to get some people going sooo much, it's funny