After two Grand Prix weekends that did not suit the MCL39, Singapore seemed like the perfect opportunity for McLaren to return to the top. The team had dominated at Marina Bay in 2024, thanks to several characteristics that, on paper, should have worked in their favor again this season. However, with the soft compound tyres, the MCL39 failed to perform where it was expected to, remaining far from its rivals. But why?
Following two difficult races on circuits that exposed the weaknesses of the MCL39, the Singapore Grand Prix appeared to be the ideal chance for McLaren to reassert itself and fend off the threat posed by Max Verstappen. Compared to Monza and Baku, Marina Bay was supposed to highlight the car’s strongest qualities — the very traits that, last year, had allowed the team from Woking to dominate in spectacular fashion.
In the 2024 season, those qualities had given McLaren a commanding victory in Singapore, finishing more than twenty seconds ahead of its closest competitors. Considering how the current championship has developed, the British team seemed perfectly positioned to once again fight for the top spot this year.
High ambient temperatures, soft tyres requiring careful management due to heavy thermal degradation, and a layout full of corners demanding a sharp and precise front end — all these factors should have favored McLaren. Team principal Andrea Stella himself had identified Marina Bay as a prime opportunity for the team to bounce back and aim for victory.
This time, however, things did not go according to plan. While in the race the MCL39 confirmed its well-known superiority in tyre management — a quality that would likely have helped it close in on its rivals at a different circuit — the lack of victory left a bitter taste on a night when McLaren was officially crowned Constructors’ Champion. So, what went wrong?
Singapore’s mystery: what went missing for McLaren
To understand the anomaly behind McLaren’s lack of dominance in Singapore, one must look back to Friday’s second free practice session and Lando Norris’s comments afterward. The British driver admitted that he did not have the right feeling with the car, particularly with the softer tyres, and that he had lost the sensations that had allowed him to dominate both qualifying and the race in 2024. The main issue was a lack of confidence in the car’s front end.
Andrea Stella later explained after qualifying: “Lando spoke about struggling to feel the front end. We’ve seen comments pointing out that the change in tyre characteristics compared to last year has had a certain impact. Last year, both our drivers felt very comfortable in Singapore, whereas this time, from FP1, they noticed abnormal behavior from the front tyres. This effect was less evident with the hard and medium compounds, but it became very clear with the softs.”
This was a crucial point in understanding what the MCL39 was missing over the weekend — not so much in race pace, but rather in qualifying and the overall handling balance across the Grand Prix. Analyzing the Marina Bay layout, while it’s true the track is dominated by braking zones and traction areas over bumpy sections typical of a street circuit, many corners are not as sharp as those in Baku, where braking happens in a straight line.
In fact, the sequence of close, flowing corners and bends not always at 90 degrees makes front-end precision essential. Drivers often brake while already turning, known as trail braking, and must maintain balance to ensure a clean exit and strong traction. On shorter corners, McLaren usually gains less time, as its advantage in front-end stability becomes less decisive. Nevertheless, that sharp and predictable front end has been one of the MCL39’s biggest strengths at other circuits where compromises are needed.
When the soft tyres became a limitation
At Singapore, however, this advantage disappeared — especially with the soft compound. Data from qualifying revealed that both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris lost time in the same section of the lap, specifically the middle sector, where carrying speed through corners and closing the line for a clean exit are critical. In that area, Mercedes built the foundation for its pole position.
In terms of minimum corner speed, both McLaren drivers tried to make the difference, which supports Andrea Stella’s observation that in the mid-corner phase, the MCL39 still managed to gain ground on its rivals, though with a smaller margin than usual. The real limitation emerged in the exit phase, where the drivers struggled to rotate the car and apply throttle early — penalized by the lack of front-end confidence.
The core problem was that with the softest compound, McLaren’s drivers could not exploit the extra grip available. What should have been an advantage turned into a weakness. The soft tyres appeared to fall out of their operating window too quickly, struggling to maintain stability through corners. Their narrow temperature range and increased movement generated excess heat, compromising the balance of the MCL39. With the medium and hard compounds — more stable and predictable — the car regained balance and consistency, especially during the race.
Lando Norris himself admitted that he felt far more comfortable with the harder tyres than the softer ones. “The medium tyres gave me better grip at the front, which suits my driving style better,” he said. “I can extract more lap time from them. They remind me more of last year’s car and the sensations I’m looking for. Then when we switch to the softs, I start struggling again. It feels like the same front-end issues that have plagued me this season reappeared during this weekend.”
A reminder that details still matter
Singapore ultimately revealed the other side of McLaren’s dominance. Despite achieving the technical maturity needed to clinch the Constructors’ Championship well before the end of the season, the team still faces specific challenges in optimizing the MCL39 under certain conditions — even at circuits that should, in theory, suit it perfectly. When margins against rivals shrink, small details can still make all the difference.
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