At Woking, the celebration continues for McLaren’s second consecutive Constructors’ Championship, even after missing out on a third win in a row. “The race pace was excellent, but we paid the price for our starting positions, a result of qualifying sessions that didn’t go as hoped,” the team reflected. Oscar Piastri maintained a professional relationship with Lando Norris after their contact at the start, keeping the team united.
“We are the champions” rang out across Marina Bay as the McLaren team celebrated. After the podium ceremony, all members of the papaya team present in Singapore joined the podium celebrations. Many were new faces who had joined the team after the COVID period, but longtime team members showed the most emotion. Success doesn’t come easy, especially after years in which podiums and even points finishes were rare, often making the team’s future seem uncertain.
Winning a second consecutive Constructors’ Championship confirms McLaren’s current cycle, proving that last year’s title was not a one-off. In 2024, the championship was secured at the chequered flag, while this year the mathematical certainty arrived with six races and three sprint events to spare — a testament to a dominance already evident by mid-spring. “If I had to summarize the MCL39 project in one word, it’s ‘innovation,’” Andrea Stella said during the Marina Bay night celebrations. “We introduced many innovations on the car, which required a good dose of courage.”
It was a bold decision. Not an easy one, given McLaren had finished 2024 with the Constructors’ Championship, but a key step in fending off rivals’ attacks. Interestingly, the 2025 mathematical confirmation came after a three-race stretch in which McLaren did not win. “Our race pace was excellent,” Stella explained, “but we suffered from our starting positions, a consequence of qualifying sessions that did not go as hoped.”
A strong team culture under Andrea Stella
The McLaren cycle under Andrea Stella’s leadership (with CEO Zak Brown overseeing commercial aspects) is defined by many strengths, converging into a solidity that feels almost old-fashioned. There’s no excess talk, great internal communication, and zero politics. Problems exist, as in every team, but they are openly addressed and resolved. Those unwilling to follow these rules are out. Tomorrow, the team will meet for the usual post-race debrief, which will include reviewing the start incident between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
“We will review the situation with our drivers,” Stella confirmed. “We’ll discuss it as we did after the Canadian Grand Prix, when Norris and Piastri clashed, and we came out stronger. We will see if there’s anything to learn or adjustments to make, but I believe in this case it will just be a clarifying conversation.”
After the race, Piastri stayed measured: “I need to review the replays carefully to understand exactly what happened. The main point is that our two cars should never touch; it’s not what we want. I will watch the footage and draw my conclusions.”
It’s likely the post-race briefing will last longer than it did in Montreal. Piastri may have felt the impact, but after reviewing the images, his initial nervousness should subside. Over the course of this season, he has already faced moments where he had to swallow a tough pill, including Budapest strategy decisions and team orders in Monza, all of which reinforced his reputation as a team player.
He expects the same integrity from the team moving forward. Even though the Singapore start incident doesn’t qualify as Norris showing disrespect, Piastri is preparing for a heated final phase of the season, especially if the championship fight returns to the front of the grid.
Maintaining performance despite a winless streak
The three-race winless stretch should not be misleading. Red Bull at Marina Bay confirmed the progress made since Monza, while Mercedes hopes to replicate it in Austin (a less likely scenario). Unlike Baku, Piastri and Norris demonstrated excellent race pace in Singapore.
As soon as tyre degradation set in, catching teams by surprise, the pace of the two McLarens became dominant. “These situations highlight some of our strengths,” Stella concluded. “It’s an important confirmation for the rest of the season.”
McLaren will return to the front soon.
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