With ten grands prix still left in the 2025 Formula 1 season, McLaren holds a commanding advantage. The Woking-based team leads the constructors’ standings, while Oscar Piastri enjoys a 97-point cushion over Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. This puts McLaren on track to secure its first drivers’ crown since 2008, leaving Piastri and Lando Norris to contest the title.
For Verstappen, the reality is chasing the “best of the rest” spot. Speaking in Hungary, he admitted that even one race win looks difficult. The reason is clear: McLaren’s MCL39 sets the benchmark in tyre management and mid-corner performance.
Verstappen Explains McLaren’s Strengths
“First of all, the McLaren car is definitely better on its tyres,” Verstappen said. “It keeps the tyres alive a lot nicer than all other cars on the grid. You can clearly see that in the wet, especially on the intermediates. If you have good tyre management, it comes out even more on that tyre because it’s more fragile. It overheats even faster, and they definitely have that very well under control.”
The Dutchman also highlighted McLaren’s strengths in medium-speed corners. “At the same time, I think their medium-speed performance is incredible compared to, I would say, everyone else on the grid,” he added. “The rotation they have on the front axle without losing the rear is something that is also quite incredible to see. That’s something that we are trying to achieve as well, of course.”
Stella Responds to Verstappen’s Assessment
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agreed. “That’s an easy answer because it can be answered by just looking at the GPS data. When you look at the speed comparison with some other teams, the data says that McLaren can generate the highest mid-corner speed in medium-speed corners. So, I think the assessment of Max is correct.”
However, Stella insisted the MCL39 is not unbeatable. “We still have our weak points,” he said. “If you look at a very high-speed corner like Copse, for instance, or Pouhon, we are not the fastest car. Likewise, probably in the very low-speed [corners], we are not the fastest car. But the majority of corners in the championship happen to be medium-speed corners, and certainly in that range, our car is, data in hand, the best.”
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