McLaren unveiled their new car for the 2025 Formula 1 season with a shakedown at Silverstone, and one area of their MCL39 ‘immediately’ stood out to Gary Anderson.
The Woking crew hit their home circuit on Thursday as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri shook off any cobwebs from the winter off-season. McLaren were the first team to unveil their car for the 2025 campaign with a surprise launch of the MCL39 running a one-off cameo livery.
McLaren will likely unveil their race livery for the 2025 Formula 1 season at the F1 75 season launch event on February 18. Although it is unlikely that the papaya crew will reveal the car in its full race-spec that Norris and Piastri will be trying to win the F1 drivers’ championship in.
McLaren MCL39’s suspension ‘immediately’ caught Gary Anderson’s attention at Silverstone shakedown
The version of the MCL39 that McLaren took to Silverstone for a shakedown with Norris and Piastri this Thursday may also not be the version the Woking team take to pre-season testing in Bahrain on February 26-28 or the 2025 Australian Grand Prix season-opener on March 16.
Nevertheless, Anderson ‘immediately’ spotted the changes McLaren have made to the front and rear suspension geometry after the MCL39’s Silverstone shakedown. The ex-Jordan and Jaguar technical director feels the changes will deliver what team boss Andrea Stella wants.
“There’s one area that immediately grabbed my attention – McLaren have gone to town on their front and rear suspension geometry,” Anderson has told The Race.
READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
“As far as the front suspension is concerned, the upper wishbone rear leg inboard pickup point has been lowered to increase the anti-dive. Some of this change is mitigated by McLaren also lowering the rear leg inboard pickup point.
“Andrea Stella said most of the changes on the 2025 car are to optimise the aerodynamic package. This overall increase in anti-dive using the top wishbone will achieve that, whilst critically still giving the driver reasonable feel for the braking potential of the front tyres.”
McLaren will target the 2025 drivers’ and constructors’ titles
McLaren will hope their changes that Anderson has spotted with the MCL39’s front and rear suspension geometry prove beneficial and allow the papaya crew to maintain their spot at the front of the field. McLaren won the team’s first constructors’ title since 1998 last season.
But while McLaren won the crown, Ferrari ended the season strongly to close to within only 14 points. The Scuderia with Charles Leclerc and new driver Lewis Hamilton will now look to rival McLaren in 2025, even if Norris is the pre-season favourite for the 2025 F1 drivers’ title.
McLaren’s slow start to a season still concerns Norris, as well, having failed to win his debut drivers’ title in 2024 after losing too much ground to Max Verstappen early on. Norris came 63 points shy and was 60 back after the Red Bull star won five of the first seven Grands Prix.
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