McLaren continues to dominate the 2025 Formula 1 season, yet the MCL39 has shown a minor issue that caused some initial difficulties for the Woking-based team. Despite their speed on track, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have described the car as “difficult to drive,” a problem that became evident during testing sessions in Bahrain.
McLaren’s championship position and intra-team rivalry
The team from Woking has already secured the Constructors’ Championship halfway through the season, highlighting the dominance of the MCL39. In the Drivers’ Championship, the battle is still tight between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with the Australian currently leading by just nine points. With fewer races remaining, each point is becoming increasingly crucial, and the possibility of intense on-track battles between the teammates cannot be ruled out, even though so far only glimpses of tension have been seen.
Oscar Piastri reveals the MCL39’s weakness
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Australian driver Oscar Piastri explained a specific flaw that affected McLaren’s early 2025 campaign. While the car performed strongly during races, particularly in the later events, qualifying sessions were sometimes more challenging for the team.
Norris had frequently raised concerns about the drivability of the car, and Piastri elaborated on the reasons: “During the Bahrain tests, there was concern that the car was difficult to drive at the limit. Race pace was very strong, but qualifying simulations caused us difficulties.”
The team invested significant effort to address this issue, which had influenced performance at several events during the season: “We worked hard to resolve this. Some situations became visible during the year, like in Canada, where driving at the limit was particularly difficult. This was probably the aspect we focused on the most, considering that everything else was performing very well.”
Suspension changes and driver preference
To tackle this problem, McLaren introduced a minor adjustment to the front suspension. The fundamental suspension design was not redesigned, but the team modified the fairings and the steering alignment to improve drivability. Interestingly, this upgrade was fitted only on Lando Norris’ car.
This particular modification did not provide any measurable lap-time advantage. It was aimed purely at improving driver feel and comfort, which is why Oscar Piastri chose to retain the older specification. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that since the Austrian Grand Prix, Lando Norris has won three out of four races, suggesting that this slight suspension change may have helped him regain optimal performance and confidence behind the wheel.
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