The Latest Breaking News from McLaren

Over the past three races, Russell took a fifth and two sixth-place finishes, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton grabbed a podium and two fourth-place results, as Mercedes battled McLaren and Ferrari for the status of second-fastest team.

One of the standout characteristics of the dominant RB19 is the DRS advantage that has helped Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez often be unstoppable on the straights. 

One of the standout characteristics of the dominant RB19 is the DRS advantage that has helped Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez often be unstoppable on the straights. 

From testing in 2022 until May's Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes pioneered the use of its size-zero sidepod car architecture. It then switched the W14 to run a downwash philosophy, as favoured by Red Bull, but with the addition of a 'waterslide' akin to that of McLaren and Aston Martin.

While former team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane both reckoned that it would realistically take a few more years for the Enstone-based squad to hit its victory targets, the French car manufacturer’s senior management believed it could be done quicker. 

With Fernando Alonso having helped breathe some excitement into the early races as he emerged as the shock main challenger to Red Bull, the squad even came close to victory in the Monaco Grand Prix.  

While former team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane both reckoned that it would realistically take a few more years for the Enstone-based squad to hit its victory targets, the French car manufacturer’s senior management believed it could be done quicker. 

With Fernando Alonso having helped breathe some excitement into the early races, as he emerged as the shock main challenger to Red Bull, the squad even came close to victory in the Monaco Grand Prix.  

Twelve races down there's a lot of data available to explain where Red Bull is so good, how McLaren and Aston Martin changed throughout the season, where Mercedes and Ferrari need to improve, and how far back the midfield teams really are this season.

F1 fans can look forward to a thrilling second half of the season with plenty of storylines to follow. Max Verstappen is on course for a third title, but there's still plenty to watch out for in the battle for second-best team, McLaren's revival, and Daniel Ricciardo's return.

Kirkwood finished 0.7633s ahead of Team Penske’s polewinner Scott McLaughlin and series dominator Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing). The race was red-flagged in the closing stages for a multi-car pileup, but Kirkwood kept his cool for his second win of the season.