McLaren became the first team to unveil their 2025 Formula 1 challenger, the MCL39, at Silverstone Circuit today, taking to the track for the first time in a promotional filming day.
The McLaren MCL39 featured a striking geometric camo livery in shades of papaya and black, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sharing driving duties.
Following a successful 2024 campaign in which McLaren secured its ninth FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, the team is now focused on its title defence in the upcoming season. McLaren will reveal its official 2025 race livery at F1 75 Live on Tuesday, 18 February, featuring branding from the team’s key partners.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown emphasised the significance of the MCL39’s debut on Thursday, acknowledging the competition will be fiercer than ever: “Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title. It’s great to get our Championship challenger, the MCL39, on track for the first time and to launch the culmination of the team’s hard work.
“We must be realistic that every team will have made progress over the winter. Last year highlighted just how much the grid has closed up, which is a brilliant thing for the sport. We believe we have made further steps forward since the Championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into Qualifying in Australia.
“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both Championships back to Woking,” 53-year-old Brown explained.
Stella: We must keep focused to compete at the front
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella echoed Brown’s sentiments, acknowledging the increased competitiveness of the field and the challenges that lie ahead: “We are excited to see the MCL39 hit the track for the first time at Silverstone Circuit today. Whilst we finished last year as Champions, 2024 highlighted how highly competitive the grid is, which is something that will carry through to this year’s Championship.
"We therefore must keep focused to compete at the front in this tight field. It’s going to be an exciting but incredibly challenging year ahead. The team have worked extremely hard to prepare as best as possible for the start of the season. We learned a lot from our battles last year, so we take this and use it to push our goal for the year.
“My thanks go to the entire team for their work to get the car ready for today, as well as our colleagues at Mercedes HPP for their continued collaboration. We now focus on the work ahead to ensure we maximise our time in testing before the first competitive session in Australia," added Stella.
As of the end of the 2024 Formula season, McLaren has participated in 970 Grands Prix, achieving 189 wins, 164 pole positions, and 524 podium finishes, solidifying its status as one of Formula 1's most successful and storied teams.
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