McLaren has been the benchmark team in 2025 and the recent Miami Grand Prix showed just how far ahead they are of their rivals.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris finished over 30 seconds ahead of George Russell, their largest margin since the Bahrain GP when Piastri finished 15 seconds ahead of Russell.
Suspicions over their blistering pace have been raised by Red Bull after they reportedly ‘bombarded the FIA’ with questions over the legality of their car and used thermal imaging cameras.
McLaren made bold design choices over the winter break, which is what has partially been attributed to their success early this year. So far, they have won five of the six races, with Piastri taking his fourth win in Miami.
Questions over what makes their car superior to the rest has been raised, but a report in AMuS appears to shed light on a ‘clever solution’ that the team is using to solve a problem Red Bull is currently trying to fix with their car.
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McLaren using brake solution to cool tyres
One of the big problems in F1 2025 has been the change in tyre specification and how teams are coping with thermal degradation.
The tyres are effectively overheating quickly, which is causing them to slide more and in turn, impact their pace in the race. Red Bull encountered a problem with thermal degradation last year and it has carried over to the RB21.
McLaren’s advantage was negated in Japan due to the resurface at Suzuka, which contained high levels of bitumen, leading to Red Bull’s only win of the season.
They have not suffered from tyre degradation as much as their rivals because they have come up with a clever solution. According to the report, engineers at Woking have found a ‘clever solution’ for how air circulates in the brake ventilation drums, so that the brakes maintain temperature but the tyres are cool.
The outer shape of the brake drums is a standard part, but inside that teams are allowed to use their own materials for cooling.
One insider claimed: “Maybe they let the air circulate in such a way that it stays cool at the crucial points and shield the heat by using certain materials. Supposedly, chief technology officer Rob Marshall is supposed to be the father of the system.
“He has been carrying the concept with him for years, but has only now made it work. That would be bitter for Red Bull.”
Marshall joined McLaren midway through the 2023 season and has been part of the exodus of their inner success circuit in the last couple of years, which also includes Adrian Newey.
Red Bull continue to question legality of McLaren
Red Bull is set to continue questioning the legality of certain elements of the McLaren, having successfully argued their case to the FIA regarding their rear wing last year.
McLaren was told to change their rear wing by the FIA, after they found it was bending too much under aerodynamic load during last year’s Azerbaijan GP.
Red Bull also accused McLaren of using water to cool their tyres last year, claming they were injecting water in a bid to keep their temperatures low.
With changes to the front wings set for the Spanish GP, which are aimed at preventing excessive flexing, McLaren is set to face further scrutiny from rivals.
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