While the foundational strength of McLaren’s performance had been clear in the initial stages of the 2025 Formula 1 season, any vulnerabilities evident during that period seem to have disappeared due to ongoing improvements.
The squad has achieved 1-2 results in each of the past four grand prix events, giving them a significant advantage of 299 points over Ferrari in the constructors’ standings, with 10 events still remaining. If they can uphold this level of achievement, they may secure the constructors’ title at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Performance during races has not been a significant concern, owing to the MCL39’s mild impact on tyre degradation and its consistency over extended segments. The fluctuating form of their top-four adversary teams has also been a factor; Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull have all experienced ups and downs during the season.
Although both drivers have managed to take pole positions and secure front-row starting positions with the 2025 vehicle, qualifying runs have been its relative weakness. The MCL39 does not present the same handling challenges as, for instance, Red Bull’s RB21, but both drivers have indicated that they find it hard to extract optimal performance from the car on a single lap.
“During testing in Bahrain, I believe we had certain reservations, not necessarily about the steering or the front suspension specifically, but more generally that the car was quite difficult to control when pushing to its absolute limit,” Piastri explained in a detailed exchange with Autosport. “Our race simulations were consistently robust, but during qualifying simulations, we were honestly struggling.
“We needed to do a significant amount of work to address that. And I believe that we’ve still noticed some manifestations of that throughout the year. Canada, for example, and a few other circuits where it was particularly challenging to drive at the limit, and that’s possibly the aspect we’ve talked about most, partly because everything else has been of such high quality.”
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
Early in the season, Lando Norris articulated this point emphatically – and the lack of sensitivity that team principal Andrea Stella verified both drivers experienced was among the motivations for the team developing an alternate front suspension setup.
This modified suspension setup provides a revised overall caster angle (the angle between the upper and lower suspension connections, which impacts steering alignment), which, in turn, calls for a change in kingpin inclination (the angle between upper and lower suspension joints, but from a frontal view).
Subsequently, a self-aligning torque is generated with the wheels while the driver is steering, offering enhanced feedback. Norris, who arguably places greater emphasis on the feel through his hands as opposed to sensing the car through his lower back, has thus gained from this.
There are potential drawbacks; increasing caster also heightens the steering force needed to make turns – although this is somewhat mitigated by the power steering systems in F1 cars. Furthermore, consideration must be given to the dynamic effects on other kinematic variables; for instance, caster is not independent of camber during cornering, which could alter the vehicle’s handling.
Mclaren MCL39 technical detail
Photo by: AG Galli
While Norris has implemented this suspension package, Piastri has chosen not to. He believes he does not require the enhanced feedback at the steering wheel and has preferred not to alter the car’s feel in the same manner as Norris.
Although he has been less vocal on the topic, Piastri elaborated on his thoughts about the MCL39’s handling – and suggested that, unlike Norris, he was more able to address his primary concerns through setup adjustments.
“I haven’t really had difficulties with that feeling or sensation,” Piastri commented. “We’ve explored various options with the front suspension to determine if it makes much difference. However, I’ve generally been content with how it’s been.
“For me, it hasn’t been a significant issue, but I certainly shared the same initial impressions of the car being somewhat challenging to handle in specific situations.
“I think we’ve significantly improved how we address that through setup and also in terms of my own expectations and becoming more accustomed to the car. However, there isn’t a specific characteristic that I currently dislike.”
Watch: Oscar Piastri Exclusive: From Rookie to F1 Title Contender in His Own Words
