After the Hungarian Grand Prix, the McLaren Formula 1 team leads the Constructors’ Championship standings with a total of 559 points, the result of an extraordinary season that includes 11 victories from 14 races and 24 podium finishes out of a possible 28. These results have been made possible thanks to the exceptional performances of the team’s two drivers, British driver Lando Norris and Australian talent Oscar Piastri.
The 2025 season so far has been nothing short of dominant for the team from Woking. They have already achieved seven one-two finishes in key races including the Chinese Grand Prix, Miami, Spain, Austria, Great Britain, Belgium, and Hungary. Their form has left rival teams trailing far behind.
Currently, Scuderia Ferrari holds second place in the standings with 260 points, which places them a significant 299 points behind McLaren. Other top teams like Mercedes-AMG Petronas and Oracle Red Bull Racing are even further adrift. With 475 points still up for grabs across the remaining 10 rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship season—including three Sprint Race weekends—McLaren finds itself in a commanding position to clinch its tenth constructors’ title. Achieving this would see them move ahead of Williams (which holds nine titles) and place them second in the all-time rankings behind Ferrari, which has won 16 constructors’ championships.
When can McLaren win the 2025 constructors’ title?
Mathematically, McLaren could secure the constructors’ title at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, scheduled for September 21 on the streets of Baku. This would be the 17th round out of the 24 races on the 2025 calendar. If successful, this would mark a historic milestone, breaking the record set by Red Bull Racing in the 2023 season, when the Milton Keynes-based team clinched the championship after 16 races out of 22 (with six races remaining). Should McLaren wrap up the title in Baku, there would still be seven races left—equal to 29.1% of the season—making it one of the earliest championship wins in modern Formula 1 history.
What needs to happen for McLaren to seal the title in Baku?
In order to mathematically guarantee the title at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the McLaren team would need to secure maximum points—43 per weekend—by achieving consecutive one-two finishes in the next three Grands Prix: the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and then in Baku. That would bring their total to 688 points (559 current points + 129 points from the next three races).
At the same time, Ferrari would need to score no more than 27 points per race, equivalent to a third and fourth place finish, bringing their total to a maximum of 341 points after Baku. This would result in a gap of 347 points between the two teams. As only 346 points would remain available after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, such a margin would mathematically guarantee the title for McLaren.
This scenario would require not only perfection from the McLaren duo but also a significant dip in performance from Ferrari. However, considering the consistency shown by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri—24 podiums in 28 possible finishes—and the strong technical package of the MCL39, this outcome, while ambitious, is not beyond reach.
Can McLaren break the all-time points record?
Another target for McLaren is the all-time record for most points in a single Formula 1 season, currently held by Red Bull Racing with 860 points in 2023. With 559 points already in the bag and 475 more still up for grabs in the remaining races, McLaren could theoretically end the season with a total of 1,034 points if they win every race and Sprint Race from now on. Even if they fall short of maximum points, maintaining their current average of 37.91 points per race weekend would still see them challenge or potentially surpass Red Bull’s record.
Clinching the championship in Baku would also allow McLaren to set a new record for the most races remaining after securing the constructors’ title, surpassing Red Bull’s 2023 achievement. However, it would not break McLaren’s own historical record from the 1988 season, when the legendary duo of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost won the constructors’ title with 31.25% of the season still to go—five races out of 16.
The performance of the MCL39 and McLaren’s driver lineup
The MCL39, the latest evolution of the MCL38 that secured the constructors’ title in the 2024 season, has proven to be the most competitive car on the grid. It has consistently demonstrated superior pace and excellent tyre management—two key performance indicators in modern Formula 1. Highlights include Lando Norris’s impressive victory at the Monaco Grand Prix and the commanding one-two finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The partnership between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has emerged as one of the strongest and most balanced on the 2025 grid. Norris has claimed five race victories so far, while Piastri has taken six. Despite their internal rivalry, both drivers have maintained remarkable consistency and worked effectively as a team, helping McLaren dominate the standings. Their results speak volumes: only one Grand Prix out of the first eight ended without a McLaren on the podium.
While securing the championship in Azerbaijan is mathematically possible, it remains more likely that McLaren will confirm the title in one of the following rounds—potentially at the Singapore Grand Prix or the United States Grand Prix. Nonetheless, the possibility of making history in Baku will undoubtedly serve as added motivation for the Woking-based team as the season resumes.
Leave a Reply