Hanna Ifri
Over the past decade, McLaren Racing have experienced the full spectrum of highs and lows in Formula One – going from the depths of despair to the heights of resurgence. From what used to be a dominant team, to struggling to stay competitive, it hasn’t necessarily been an easy journey for McLaren. The evolution of this team has been nothing but fascinating and inspiring to witness.
Exactly 10 years ago marked the beginning of the hybrid era which was when McLaren’s decline began. 2014 was going to be a season to remember but not for the reasons they’d expected. While they managed to sit in the top 5 of the Constructors’ Championship that year, it was obvious that the team wasn’t what it used to be. Working with the Mercedes-Benz engine, the team thought it was time to part ways with them and rekindled their legendary partnership with Honda at the start of the 2015 season.
Drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were left fighting for scraps
With the new partnership, fans were praying for a better season, but the team managed to finish lower than the previous season with a total of 28 points landing them in 9th. Drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button were left fighting for scraps as there were chronic reliability issues and a general lack of power.
It wasn’t long before McLaren chose to part ways with Honda and move onto their next best shot, Renault. The French engine marked the beginning of a recovery as they finished 6th in the 2018 season. The revitalisation of the team didn’t just happen overnight with a new engine, no. With a well-balanced car and two new drivers, fresh talent Carlos Sainz and rookie Lando Norris, this resurgence was in full swing as both drivers brought the team up to 4th in 2019 and 3rd in 2020. The climb was slow, but happening nonetheless.
In 2021, McLaren parted ways with Renault and returned to their Mercedes engines. While it caused some confusion amongst fans, it was clear that the papaya team knew what they were doing. Having Australian driver, Daniel Ricciardo, and Lando Norris on their team, they knew they were only going to go up. Although they had narrowly missed out on 3rd that season, the team had a race to remember as both their drivers finished 1-2 in Monza with Ricciardo leading the team onto the top step of the podium.
As the 2022 season began however, new technical regulations were imposed which initially made things difficult for the team. Briefly falling back down the table into 5th, the team made sure to focus on laying the groundwork for long term competitiveness rather than short term glory which seemed to pay off. With the 2023 season around the corner, McLaren signed rookie Oscar Piastri to drive alongside Lando Norris and started off with a car that couldn’t bring them into the points. But as the season continued, there were significant mid-season upgrades that transformed a lacklustre car into a podium contender. By the end of the season, McLaren found themselves back in 4th, celebrating the small win.
Oscar Piastri proved himself as a rising star, delivering crucial performances under pressure
And 2024 was the season that the papaya team managed to return to glory. Building on the momentum of 2023, McLaren delivered a car that consistently challenged at the front, combining cutting-edge aerodynamics and top-tier reliability. Lando Norris emerged as a team leader with multiple race wins, while Oscar Piastri proved himself as a rising star, delivering crucial performances under pressure. The team’s investments in infrastructure and personnel paid off spectacularly, culminating in their first Constructors’ title since 1998.
Now, as the season wraps up, we wonder whether McLaren can turn this into a streak and bring home the 2025 Constructor’s Championship.
Hanna Ifri
Featured image courtesy of Alban via Unsplash. Image use license found here (Unsplash). No changes were made to this image.
In article image 1 courtesy of @landonorris via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
In article image 2 courtesy of @f1 via Instagram. No changes were made to this image.
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