Lando Norris brought a drivers’ world championship back to Woking, a title McLaren had not claimed since 2008. This achievement was made possible in part by what was arguably the best car of the final year under the ground-effect regulations. The papaya team did not rest on its laurels after winning the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, but completely overhauled the previous car, introducing solutions that raised concerns ahead of the season. It is a reflection of a broad, solid, and above all, courageous technical department, giving McLaren reason to look to the future with optimism.
Recruitment and talent development
The drivers’ championship represents the culmination of a long restructuring and reorganization process at McLaren. Andrea Stella explains: “This journey started before the changes in 2022, which marked a new course coinciding with my role as Team Principal. We made further adjustments, but the truth is that McLaren already had a highly skilled technical resource base. For Zak and me, the most important work was reorganizing these resources and, in some ways, enhancing them. The clearest example is Peter Prodromou, to whom we entrusted the entire aerodynamics department without hesitation because it was very clear that Peter was the best aerodynamicist I had ever known.”
McLaren also strengthened the team through strategic hires from competitors, notably Rob Marshall, the architect behind many of Adrian Newey’s ideas at Red Bull, who laid the groundwork for the championship-winning MCL39. These external reinforcements provided not only technical input but also cultural and creative influence. As Stella notes: “We added top talents like Rob Marshall, who contributed not just technically but also in terms of courage. This year’s car required a significant amount of that in some of its innovative aspects.”
The boldness of the MCL39
McLaren could have simply evolved the car that won the 2024 Constructors’ Championship and was already a reference point on the grid in the second half of that season. Instead, Woking chose to take risks to avoid being outpaced by rivals, developing daring solutions on the MCL39. Stella recalls: “I always tell Rob and other technical leads like Mark Ingham (Head of Design) and Neil Houldey (Technical Director-Engineering) that they didn’t make it easy for me to have a peaceful Christmas, thinking that a world championship car had been so radically revised in certain areas, like the new steering box and front suspension.”
In 2025, the power steering was redesigned to advance the steering arm and align it with the lower suspension triangle, seeking a better balance between aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, and weight distribution. This caused Norris some challenges in feeling the front wheels under braking, though these were more than compensated by time gains on the track. The steering box and suspension were pushed to such extremes that Stella remained anxious until just weeks before the car hit the track, only to breathe a sigh of relief: “I have to say the car ultimately rewarded us, and the technical package allowed Oscar and Lando to win seven races each and fight for the world championship until the final race.”
A bright future
The power steering example is just one illustration of the creativity and boldness of McLaren’s technical department, reflecting a culture where taking risks is encouraged without fear of being penalized for mistakes. McLaren rests on solid foundations, giving Andrea Stella confidence heading into the new regulations: “The technical team is exceptionally strong. We benefit from contributions by Peter Prodromou, Rob Marshall, Neil Houldey, Mark Ingham, Giuseppe Pesce, Mark Temple… From this perspective, it is one of the strongest technical departments I have ever been part of in 26 years of Formula 1. Even if the specifics of these regulations may not apply in the future, the working methods, standards, development approach, and technical objectives will remain. This makes us optimistic heading into the 2026 season.”
The successful integration of top-tier talent like Rob Marshall alongside existing experts like Peter Prodromou has created a fearless engineering culture at McLaren that values innovation over safe evolution. As the team looks toward the 2026 regulation overhaul, this technical stability and willingness to take risks suggest that the Woking squad is well-positioned to remain at the front of the Formula 1 grid for years to come.
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