Why McLaren hasn’t won outside Europe: understanding the MCL39’s braking weaknesses. McLaren has struggled to win on non-European tracks.

It has been almost two months since McLaren last celebrated a victory, a dry spell that coincides almost exactly with the end of the European season. This may not be a coincidence, as away from the sweeping corners of the Old Continent, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have once again faced the MCL39’s braking weaknesses. So far, Red Bull has been quick to exploit these flaws, with their impressive technical comeback helping to dramatically reopen a championship that seemed already heading towards Woking.

Clues from Austin

The work done by Red Bull rightly gets the spotlight, with the team significantly improving the RB21 through upgrades and refinements in setup and front wing flexibility. McLaren’s last substantial development, by contrast, was focused on the floor from Spa onwards, leaving the MCL39 without major updates. The on-track battle between Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri has become increasingly close, highlighting issues that remained under the radar during the summer.

When McLaren runs in clean air, the car still shows an advantage in tyre degradation management, but this cannot be fully exploited, as it has not started on pole since the Dutch Grand Prix. Qualifying has become decisive in this Formula 1 season, and drivers have described the MCL39 as difficult to push to the limit. At Austin, Oscar Piastri struggled the most, citing a recurring problem in the car: “It all seemed normal, but today the behavior we saw in a couple of occasions this season reappeared,” he said post-qualifying, according to PlanetF1.

The suspicion is that he was referring to braking performance, reinforced by Andrea Stella’s comments reported by The Race. Both drivers found that at Austin they had to push the car to the limit of locking all four wheels, requiring a very aggressive approach to braking. “If you drive too gently because you can’t handle a gust of wind or want to be cautious, you won’t set a good lap,” said Stella. “You need to push close to the limit, and to do that you need rhythm and confidence.”

McLaren’s weak spot

The Circuit of the Americas rewarded aggressive braking, an area where McLaren has struggled since the start of the season. The issue lies in the forces and feedback transmitted through the steering wheel, preventing a clear reading of the wheels’ grip limit under braking. In spring, Woking worked on mechanical updates to the front suspension to improve this, with Stella explaining: “We wanted to give the drivers better perception of the front tyres under braking near lock-up, as that is where you want the car to work. Drivers normally estimate this from multiple sources, including the wheel, and we wanted to improve the feedback from the front suspension to the steering wheel.”

The updated suspension debuted at the Canadian Grand Prix, but only Lando Norris opted to use it. The Brit repeatedly said he could no longer drive the McLaren as he had in previous years, as he relies heavily on steering feedback. Piastri, however, refused to test the changes, claiming he never experienced major issues. Yet his qualifying performances in Baku and Austin raise questions about whether he, and McLaren overall, now struggle with this aspect more than on European tracks.

Calendar evolution

F1 teams study corners in five or more phases, each highlighting different car qualities. The first two phases involve straight-line braking and entry into a combination, where the driver brakes and turns simultaneously. Traditional European circuits feature flowing curves with high-speed corners, where the first phase is shorter and the second longer, emphasizing lateral car dynamics and benefiting McLaren’s rear stability. After the European calendar, the focus shifted to straight-line braking, as noted by Mercedes technical director James Allison after the Azerbaijan GP: “Baku has many corners where braking is almost in a straight line. The corner is slow, sharp, and 90 degrees, so there’s little overlap between steering and braking. Essentially, you brake first, then turn.”

This principle also applies to Singapore and Austin, tracks where McLaren has struggled.

Key statistics

The MCL39 challenges drivers in corners with delayed turn-in, low entry speed, and long aggressive braking. Brembo data shows a rise in brakes slowing below 100 km/h after the European season. From Imola to Monza, the average per track was 0.9, rising to 4.6 in Baku, Singapore, and Austin, partly due to two street circuits. In Mexico, this will slightly improve, with just 2 brakes under 100 km/h.

Additional factors

McLaren’s absence from the top step of the podium in the past two months also stems from other factors. Monza and Baku highlighted the MCL39’s inefficiency in low-downforce setups, an issue that will persist in Las Vegas. Red Bull’s technical recovery has also increased psychological pressure on Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and the team. For McLaren, defending the championship against Max Verstappen will require mastering braking quirks, giving drivers the confidence to attack and fully exploit the MCL39’s strong race pace.