The 2025 Formula 1 season is about to begin. In less than a week, the cars will hit the track for three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, and on March 16, the first lights of 2025 will go out with the Australian Grand Prix. Looking ahead to the new year, McLaren CEO Zak Brown spoke about his car and pinpointed the main contenders for the title fight.
Considering how McLaren ended 2024, the team certainly starts as a favorite to repeat its strong performance. Both drivers are maturing significantly. Oscar Piastri, now in his third year in F1, secured his first career victory and continues to grow. On the other hand, Norris, judging by his performance in Abu Dhabi, may have finally made the step forward he was missing.
The MCL39 project is essentially an extreme evolution of its predecessor. However, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. In many cases, pushing a car’s design to the limit can backfire, leading to a significant loss of performance.
Zak Brown addressed this new project and identified the key rivals in the fight for both 2025 world titles. “Last year, we finished with an incredibly small margin. It was nothing. I think the same will happen this season.”
“I definitely expect Ferrari to be very competitive. Lewis will certainly be one of the contenders for the world title. But let’s not forget the others. Mercedes won four races in 2024, so I can’t rule them out as contenders.”
“Of course, Red Bull will also be in the mix. They had a very strong first half of the season. Unfortunately, by mid-year, they weren’t performing as well, but they still managed to finish in a more than positive way.”
Towards the end, Zak Brown also commented on the 2025 rookies. “Kimi Antonelli is a rookie, and I’d say that Liam Lawson, despite having already competed in a few races, is still somewhat inexperienced. From a constructors’ standpoint, this certainly presents a bigger challenge in a 24-race championship.” – the McLaren CEO concluded.
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