McLaren has revealed that it is taking some ‘brave risks’ with its 2025 car design, as it sets its sights on a Formula 1 title double.
The Woking-based team has just ended a 26-year wait for the constructors’ championship, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri helping it secure the crown at last weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
However, after seeing Norris beaten to the drivers’ crown by Max Verstappen, the focus is clearly on going one better on that front next season.
Off the back of a year that far exceeded its initial expectations, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has explained that the approach to 2025 will be completely different – both in terms of its ambition and its mindset.
Speaking exclusively to Autosport, Brown said that the team was not complacent about the pace of its current car and had elected to push the boundaries next year in chasing some ambitious design ideas.
“We're going into next year at full strength,” said Brown.
“I think we're in a different mindset now in terms of the confidence of the team and the amount of bravery that the team is prepared to take in the development in next year's car.
“The team is not: 'let's just tweak a little here and there. The car is pretty good.' We've got some stuff on next year's car that is like ‘brave risk’.
“I think you only get to the front if you try and beat everyone, as opposed to the mindset when we started this year which was like ‘let’s just be as good as them.' The mind shift is now: ‘let's beat everyone'."
Brown explained that McLaren knows it must be on the front foot in 2025 if it is stave off the threat of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, with all four squads having won races in the closing stages of the campaign.
“We’ve got to out-develop them, out-drive them, and out-strategise them - as opposed to this mindset of, ‘just don't make any mistakes.' That's just not competitive enough.
“Commercially we are now super strong, and we’ve got two great drivers. That's a huge strength.
“But damn the competition is good. Mercedes is right there, and the Ferraris and Red Bulls too, right?
“Just as you kind of feel like they're starting to slide a bit, they smash it. So I think you have got four teams next year, and any of them could be winning both championships.”
Off the back of a year where McLaren had to learn to win again, and admits to letting some opportunities slip through its fingers, Brown says the squad has gained a lot of confidence through everything it has been through.
“I think we'll be much more prepared next year, because I think we came into this year thinking not in a million years are we going to be where we are,” he said.
“We were almost even mentally not prepared. We weren't unprepared, but we just didn't go in with this mindset that we have right now.
“I think we'll go into next year knowing how damn hard it's going to be, but wanting to win the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships.
“This year it was, ‘let's be top three and see if we can get Lando his first win.’ We've moved on from that. Now it's we've got two drivers that can compete for the world championship, and let's go for both.”
