McLaren’s 2024 Formula 1 season marked a spectacular return to the front of the grid. Zak Brown has been rebuilding the team for a number of years, and with team principal Andrea Stella at the helm McLaren secured their first Constructors’ Championship since 1998.
Lando Norris emerged as a genuine title contender, pushing Red Bull and Max Verstappen to the limit. Though he ultimately fell short in the Drivers’ Championship, his consistency and demonstrated that McLaren was once again a force to be reckoned with.
Oscar Piastri, Lando’s young Aussie teammate, also delivered a strong season, securing multiple podiums and his first F1 victory, proving himself as a future star of the sport and one who could challenge Lando for the top spot this season.
With momentum on their side after a successful pre-season test, McLaren heads into 2025 with high expectations.
The team aims to build on their success and challenge for both titles. Their new car, the MCL39, is expected to be an evolution of its incredibly fast predecessor.
As McLaren looks ahead, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on the cars that shaped their legacy. Here’s a look at six key McLaren machines from the last five decades.
1975: McLaren M23
The McLaren M23, introduced in 1973, continued its campaign into the 1975 season. Driven by Emerson Fittipaldi and Jochen Mass, the M23 was a proven race winner.
Fittipaldi had claimed McLaren’s first Drivers’ Championship in 1974, but in 1975, the team faced strong competition from Ferrari’s Niki Lauda. Despite this, the M23 still managed to secure two victories, with Fittipaldi finishing second in the Drivers’ standings.
While McLaren fell short of the Constructors’ title, the M23 remained one of the defining cars of its era.
1985: McLaren MP4/2B
A decade later, McLaren had cemented itself as a dominant force in Formula 1. The MP4/2B, an evolution of the MP4/2, was powered by a turbocharged TAG-Porsche engine.
Alain Prost and Niki Lauda spearheaded the team, with Prost finally claiming his first Drivers’ Championship after coming close in previous years.
McLaren won the Constructors’ title with ease, securing six victories across the season. The MP4/2B exemplified McLaren’s technical excellence during the turbo era.
1995: McLaren MP4/10
The mid-1990s marked a transitional period for McLaren. The MP4/10 was the first McLaren to feature a Mercedes-Benz engine, signaling the start of a long-term partnership.
However, the car struggled with performance and reliability. Initially driven by Mika Häkkinen and Nigel Mansell (who was later replaced by Mark Blundell), the MP4/10 failed to secure a single victory.
The team finished fourth in the Constructors’ standings, showing glimpses of potential but ultimately falling short of the front-runners.
2005: McLaren MP4/20
By 2005, McLaren was back at the sharp end of the grid. The MP4-20 was driven by Kimi Räikkönen and Juan Pablo Montoya, (as well as Pedro de la Rose and Alexander Wurz who each sat in for Montoya for a couple of rounds). The car was one of the fastest cars of the season.
Despite its blistering pace, reliability issues plagued the team, preventing them from mounting a sustained title challenge. McLaren secured ten Grand Prix victories, with Räikkönen finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship behind Fernando Alonso.
The MP4-20 remains one of the most iconic McLarens never to win a title.
2015: McLaren MP4/30
The MP4-30 represented McLaren’s much-anticipated reunion with Honda. However, the season turned into a nightmare as the car suffered from persistent reliability and performance issues.
Driven by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, the MP4-30 was consistently uncompetitive, finishing ninth in the Constructors’ Championship with no wins. The project proved disastrous, leading to McLaren’s eventual split from Honda in 2017.
2025: McLaren MP4/30
With the MCL39, McLaren looks to build upon its 2024 success and cement its return to the top. They’ll want to return their constructor’s title and with their strong driver lineup of Norris and Piastri, they’ll be aiming to challenge for the Drivers’ Championship as well.
Their performance at the pre-season Barcelona testing seemed to indicated McLaren had picked up where they left off at the end of last season, and seem very much the favourites.
Lando was the clear #1 driver in 2024 after his early-season got off to a better start, but his teammate Piasti seems a force to be reckoned with. This could be the year we see the driver’s relationship strained as they each battle for the top spot.
