Helmut Marko saw one issue at McLaren last year that gives him ‘hope’ for the 2025 Formula 1 season

McLaren secured their first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years in 2024 as they enjoyed a surge in performance with their MCL38.

Red Bull looked to continue their dominance from 2023 after Max Verstappen won seven of the opening 10 races. But after Lando Norris grabbed his maiden win at the Miami Grand Prix, it was clear that McLaren had found a competitive edge over their rivals.

As the Milton Keynes-based outfit regressed with their RB20 – and with Sergio Perez’s woeful form not helping – McLaren and Ferrari caught up and beat Red Bull in the constructors’ standings. The two teams took the title fight to the final race in Abu Dhabi, with the Woking-based squad winning by just 14 points.

But despite winning their first title since 1998, many could argue that 2024 was a missed opportunity for McLaren, as while their advantage over Red Bull was clear, Norris was unable to catch Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship as he finished 63 points behind in second.

Norris made several mistakes that cost him in his bid for the title, but the Brit was also not helped by his team, who made many questionable strategy calls that ultimately hampered his championship hopes.

Helmut Marko given ‘hope’ for 2025 by McLaren’s team orders in 2024

When talking about mistakes from McLaren in strategy, the Hungarian Grand Prix will come to mind straight away, Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri had been leading the entire race, but the Woking-based outfit allowed the Aussie to be undercut by the Brit at the final pit stops.

Subsequently, McLaren asked Norris to hand the position back, which he eventually did after many laps of persuasion from his race engineer, costing him seven points. The team would intervene in their drivers’ battles on track with ‘papaya rules’, which meant Piastri would take a step back and support his teammate’s bid to win the title.

McLaren’s intervention would ultimately fail as Norris could not capitalise on Red Bull’s drop in performance. McLaren made a huge mistake not prioritising Norris sooner according to Marc Surer, as the championship could have looked a lot different had they done so.

READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine

Naturally, the team orders did not go down well on the other side of the garage. Piastri’s manager Mark Webber ‘certainly wasn’t happy’ with McLaren after they told the Aussie to back off, and Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko thinks there will be a shake-up between the two papaya drivers in 2025.

Speaking with sport.de, Marko thinks Piastri will make a step up as he is “mentally stronger” than Norris, who showed “some weaknesses and a weak start” in 2024. He added: “And Piastri is a guy who absolutely wants to get to the top. Next year there will certainly be no team orders from the start”.

The Austrian has also been given ‘hope’ by McLaren’s team orders by the fact that Red Bull’s rivals could take points off each other. He said: “This gives me hope that the drivers of the other top teams will take points away from each other and hopefully that will work out in our favour”.

Can McLaren challenge Max Verstappen for the title in 2025?

Marko says McLaren made strategic mistakes that Red Bull didn’t, which ultimately cost them the drivers’ title in 2024. But with everything set back to zero in 2025, Norris and Piastri will be free to battle and take the fight to Verstappen.

Norris is a clear favourite for the championship as he boasts the fastest car and proved he can battle for the title with his impressive performances this season.

But Verstappen is a tough opponent to beat, evidenced by the duo coming together numerous times in 2024. McLaren will have learned a lot from battling the Dutchman this year, as CEO Zak Brown has advised his drivers to race Verstappen differently in 2025.

It will also be interesting to see who will win the McLaren battle. Everyone in the paddock thinks Piastri is ‘really special’ and with no team orders for the start of the season, the Aussie will be looking to impose himself and battle for the title next year.