McLaren were the first team to show off their 2025 Formula 1 car when Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took to a freezing cold Silverstone track last week.
The Woking-based team showed off a very exciting camo-style look as their official livery can’t be revealed until Tuesday’s F1 75 event at The O2, but there were still plenty of exciting features on McLaren’s new car that experts have already started closely studying.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will be well aware of the opportunity in front of them in 2025.
Norris and Piastri gave position first impressions of the 2025 car, but only completed a handful of laps.
They won’t have a complete understanding of where the car is in the pecking order until pre-season testing finishes in Bahrain and even then, some teams may not reveal the true potential of their machines until they reach the Australian Grand Prix.
However, there are already several interesting innovations that have caught people’s attention.
Team principal Andrea Stella knew that McLaren couldn’t rely on the slender advantage they had last season to carry them into 2025 when the grid is expected to converge even further.
McLaren have made one bold change that they wouldn’t have been able to test properly, which highlights the confidence they have in their backroom staff.
Formula 1 technical expert Craig Scarborough took to social media to highlight another change he spotted on McLaren’s 2025 car that none of the team’s rivals have attempted yet.
McLaren have attempted front wishbone ‘trick’ on their 2025 Formula 1 car
Taking to X to discuss McLaren’s new car, Scarborough said: “That front wishbone inclination! [The] steering track rod [is] still behind the wishbone. No one’s copied that aero downwash trick yet.”
That front wishbone inclination! Steering track rod still behind the wishbone. No one’s copied that aero downwash trick yet. https://t.co/l6VPGZ77Q5 pic.twitter.com/EmkO3G2m2M
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) February 16, 2025
Former F1 aerodynamics engineer Patryk Sokolowski added: “MCL39 is hiding something in the front suspension, but I don’t know what yet.”
While a fan using the username brakeboosted also commented on the photo and said: “This is nuts. The upper wishbone is almost touching the leading edge of the floor.”
READ MORE: All you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
McLaren led the way in 2024 when it came to their update packages but were much more conservative than many of their rivals.
Their main update package that arrived in Miami proved to be the turning point, but Stella delayed a McLaren floor upgrade after seeing the struggles the team’s rivals were having when trying to add more downforce to their cars.
Nearly every change and update delivered in 2025 will be done so with next season’s regulation changes in mind and McLaren taking a few small risks at the start of the season when they know they can revert back to a winning formula appears to make a lot of sense.
Martin Brundle praises Lando Norris career decision after sticking with McLaren
When Norris made his debut at McLaren in 2019, he might not have expected to have to wait five years to win his first Formula 1 race.
McLaren’s reputation in the sport has always been as a championship contender, but it wasn’t until the middle of 2023 that it looked like they had finally solved the majority of their issues.
Norris has been touted as the favourite for the 2025 season, which puts him in a very different position than 12 months ago.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ life outside F1 from parents to celebration
However, the Brit had to be patient and Martin Brundle has praised Norris for sticking with McLaren.
Norris isn’t thinking about winning the F1 championship yet but it won’t take long for that to be on his mind if the Australian Grand Prix goes well.
His teammate Piastri will be desperate to win his home race, while the likes of Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari’s newest superstar Lewis Hamilton will all be hoping to topple the papaya team.
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