What sets McLaren apart in F1 2025, explained by Max…

With 10 grands prix still to go, McLaren is all but certain to walk away with both Formula 1 world titles in 2025.

The Woking-based team enjoys a commanding lead in the constructors’ standings, while Max Verstappen – the first non-McLaren driver in the drivers’ championship – trails Oscar Piastri by 97 points. This means McLaren is on track to secure its first drivers’ title since 2008, with Piastri and Lando Norris left to fight it out between themselves.

For Verstappen, the most realistic scenario is the ‘best of the rest’ position – though he admitted in Hungary that even winning a single race in the remainder of the season is a tall order.

That is, logically, because McLaren has set the benchmark with the MCL39, with Verstappen identifying a few aspects that stand out in particular.

“First of all, the McLaren car is definitely better on its tyres,” the Dutchman said. “It keeps the tyres alive a lot nicer than all other cars on the grid. You can clearly see that in the wet, especially on the intermediates. If you have good tyre management, it comes out even more on that tyre because it's more fragile. It overheats even faster, and they definitely have that very well under control.”

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing (Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / LAT Images via Getty Images)

This is exactly why Verstappen no longer sees rainy races as an obvious advantage this season. In a fully wet race – where it comes down more to the driver than the actual machinery – he could still have an edge, but in mixed conditions McLaren’s tyre advantage, according to Verstappen, only becomes more apparent.

“At the same time, I think their medium-speed performance is incredible compared to, I would say, everyone else on the grid,” he added. “The rotation they have on the front axle without losing the rear is something that is also quite incredible to see. That's something that we are trying to achieve as well, of course.”

However, Verstappen knows that this is virtually unattainable this year. Although Red Bull, according to Helmut Marko, will still bring a few upgrades to Zandvoort, the focus in all factories – including Red Bull’s – has long since shifted to 2026's new technical regulations.

Why Stella agrees with Verstappen

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agreed with Verstappen’s assessment of the MCL39: “That's an easy answer because it can be answered by just looking at the GPS data. When you look at the speed comparison with some other teams, the data says that McLaren can generate the highest mid-corner speed in medium-speed corners. So, I think the assessment of Max is correct.”

However, Stella still doesn’t believe that McLaren’s MCL39 is the ultimate all-rounder in F1.

“We still have our weak points,” the Italian insisted. “If you look at a very high-speed corner like Copse, for instance, or Pouhon, we are not the fastest car. Likewise, probably in the very low-speed [corners], we are not the fastest car. But the majority of corners in the championship happen to be medium-speed corners, and certainly in that range, our car is, data in hand, the best.”