GrandPrix247 2024 Team of the Year: McLaren

After years in the doldrums following the Ron Dennis era, McLaren, under the leadership of Zak Brown, finally found their way back to the top.

It was a long trip with many setbacks on the way—Andreas Seidl and James Key leaving or being fired an example—but in the end, with one extra year over Brown's five-year plan, the goal was achieved.

While Red Bull Racing started the 2024 F1 season with the best car on the grid, McLaren quietly worked on their MCL38, delivering a major upgrade for the Miami Grand Prix, which turned their fortunes around.

Lando Norris took his maiden F1 win in Miami with the upgraded McLaren and from there on, set out chasing Max Verstappen for the drivers' title, a mission he ultimately failed in for several reasons, some he was accountable for, others the team.

While Norris was outraced by Verstappen, we have to discuss the chink in McLaren's armor in 2024: race execution.

While their car was the best for most of the season, McLaren did not possess the winning mentality in the way they managed their races and their drivers.

Norris should've been given #1 status over Oscar Piastri as soon as he became Verstappen's sole challenger. That did not happen.

There were also situations when the team did not capitalize fully on the opportunities that came their way in the manner with which their pitwall ran the races.

However, that does not take anything away from McLaren's achievement. They have clawed their way back to the front of the grid in a season where four different teams were in contention for victories as they were able to maintain their performance advantage over Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull.

While the others had fast cars at times, McLaren's car was consistently the best, and that was proof of the quality of work delivered by the team Brown assembled at Woking under the leadership of the low-profile yet extremely efficient Andrea Stella.

For all this, McLaren is GrandPrix247's pick for the 2024 F1 Team of the Year. 2024 will serve them as a major stepping stone to try and win the F1 title double in 2025.

They will be a force to be reckoned with next year, and we look forward to seeing what they achieve.