McLaren have lifted the covers on their 2025 car, the MCL39, with a first on-track appearance at Silverstone.

The reigning Constructors’ champions took to the British circuit on Thursday, becoming the first F1 team to launch their car ahead of the 2025 season.

McLaren launch MCL39 ahead of F1 2025 title defence

With F1 introducing a live event in London, all 10 teams have been asked not to unveil their new livery until that date meaning McLaren took to the track in a geometric camo design with shades of papaya and black.

The team conducted a promotional filming day with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sharing driving duties.

The MCL39 continues McLaren’s naming tradition with it being the 39th car the team has made since Ron Dennis’ company took over in 1981.

In the wild ⚡️#McLaren #F1 pic.twitter.com/LEXMrKWiaK

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) February 13, 2025

CEO Zak Brown said: “Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title. It’s great to get our Championship challenger, the MCL39, on track for the first time and to launch the culmination of the team’s hard work.

“We must be realistic that every team will have made progress over the winter. Last year highlighted just how much the grid has closed up, which is a brilliant thing for the sport. We believe we have made further steps forward since the Championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into Qualifying in Australia.

“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both Championships back to Woking.”

Team principal Andrea Stella said: “We are excited to see the MCL39 hit the track for the first time at Silverstone Circuit today. Whilst we finished last year as Champions, 2024 highlighted how highly competitive the grid is, which is something that will carry through
to this year’s Championship.

“We therefore must keep focused to compete at the front in this tight field. It’s going to be an exciting but incredibly challenging year ahead.

“The team have worked extremely hard to prepare as best as possible for the start of the season. We learned a lot from our battles last year, so we take this and use it to push our goal for the year.

“My thanks go to the entire team for their work to get the car ready for today, as well as our colleagues at Mercedes HPP for their continued collaboration. We now focus on the work ahead to ensure we maximise our time in testing before the first competitive session in Australia.”
Norris said: “It’s exciting to hop in the MCL39 for the first time and see what it can do on track, ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain. The camo livery is a fun one and it’s great to be able to showcase something different ahead of our full livery reveal at the official F1 75 launch.

“Thank you to the entire team for their work in getting us to this point. This year will be more competitive than ever, so we’ve got a lot to do to be able to retain our Constructor’s title and go for the Drivers’ as well.

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“I’ve been back at the MTC prepping for the season ahead and the mood is feeling positive but focused. We’re all looking forward to getting the car on track in Bahrain ahead of our competitive debut in Australia and to see where we net out amongst the other teams. It’s shaping up to be an exciting season.”

Oscar Piastri said: “It’s great to get behind the wheel of the MCL39 for the first time ahead of us putting it through its paces in Bahrain.

“The camo livery looks cool and I am excited to showcase what we’ll be racing in this season at the official livery reveal next week.

“I have been working hard in the off-season to ensure I am ready for the season ahead. The margins at the top are likely to be incredibly tight but I’m excited by the room for growth after two seasons in the sport. Winning grands prix early in my career has given me the taste for success and I want much more.

“As a team, we can take great momentum into 2025 after such a brilliant year in 2024. A big thank you to everyone back at base and trackside for all the hard work that’s been done so far.”

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