McLaren have been the team to beat in Formula 1, having taken wins in five of the first six races of the season.
It is unthinkable considering where they were last season compared to Red Bull, having only achieved one victory and two podiums with Lando Norris.
Key to McLaren’s success this year has been the developments they have made over the winter to their car off the back of their title success in the Constructors’ Championship. Red Bull have raised concerns with the FIA over McLaren’s car, with suspicions over what they are doing with the brakes and tyres.
The Milton Keynes outfit also claimed they were using water to cool their tyres last season, while Red Bull successfully managed to get McLaren to change their rear wing after last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Discussing what makes the MCL39 such a successful package, F1 technical expert Gary Anderson has highlighted one thing McLaren have achieved that no other team has when speaking on The Race F1 Tech podcast.
Gary Anderson says McLaren have focused on tyres with 2025 car
Tyres have been a big talking point in F1 since Pirelli joined as a supplier in 2011 and for 2025 they are even more critical, as most teams have been finding thermal degradation a massive issue.
The 2025 McLaren can make their tyres last much longer than rivals in the races, something Anderson thinks is a big strength that other teams will struggle to replicate.
“When Piastri got past Verstappen, I think it was lap 14 or something, that’s when Verstappen was starting to get into a bit of trouble, and Piastri was starting to stretch his legs. And the minute he got past him, he was a second per-lap faster, which is all the tyres. That is what you’ve been looking after. That’s not the car,” said Anderson.
“It makes a massive, massive difference if you’ve got a philosophy within your design group and an entire understanding, and you design your car to accommodate those four bits of black rubber that connect the car to the ground. I think McLaren are the first team to do it.
“The race in Miami was the first time that I think McLaren were able to show their true legs, show the fact that they weren’t on pole, they didn’t lead in at the first corner, they had to do the overtakes to get through, and they still succeeded in what was their first weekend of two 1-2s.”
Red Bull might have a solution to McLaren’s brake cooling trick
McLaren’s impressive race pace has not gone unnoticed by rivals, after they finished over 30 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen at the Miami GP.
Now, Red Bull are suspecting that McLaren are using a brake cooling trick to help them in the races and have begun work on a similar solution for their car.
A report in German media suggests that Red Bull have been trialling a system in recent races, which might explain the braking problems experienced by Verstappen in Miami.
Christian Horner was also spotted looking around McLaren’s front brake ducts on the grid in Miami, further fuelling speculation that the team is doing something in this area to help with their tyre life.
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