Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: McLaren Racing

  • Round 12 – Dutch Grand Prix

    Lando Norris has taken his second consecutive victory of the season during an eventful Dutch Grand Prix, the Briton beating Kimi Antonelli to the win while home favourite Max Verstappen suffered a dramatic crash that resulted in the race being red-flagged.

    After Norris initially led away from pole position at the start, the race was halted just one lap later when Verstappen lost the rear of his Red Bull and hit the wall heavily. The Dutchman fortunately reported that he was okay.

    When the action resumed, Antonelli made a flying start to overtake Norris for P1 and from there stretched out a lead – but as the race entered its final third, Norris made ground and retook the position from the Mercedes.

    A late Virtual Safety Car – called due to Esteban Ocon’s Haas stopping out on track – resulted in a number of drivers pitting including Antonelli, setting up for a potential chase to the end as both Norris and George Russell in front of him had not stopped for fresh tyres.

    While the Silver Arrows inverted their cars to release Antonelli into second, Norris would prove unbeatable at the front and crossed the line with an 11.536s margin over the championship leader. Russell, meanwhile, just sealed the final spot on the podium, having fended off that chasing Ferrari’s to the very end.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Antonelli, P3: Russell, P4: Hamilton, P5: Leclerc, P6: Piastri, P7: Lawson, P8: Hulkenberg, P9: Alonso and P10: Gasly.

    What a result for Lando Norris! Fresh off summer break and started exactly how he would want! Makes it even more sweeter having the win before summer break. He really did no wrong in the race, so great to see him up on the top step.
    As for his teammate, not such an amazing race, Piastri finishing in sixth, but when your teammate wins, nothing will match up to that unfortunately.

    Double podium for the Mercedes duo, Antonelli seemed to have some pace it wasn’t enough compared to the McLaren. The same for Russell, he seemed to be putting right foot forward all weekend and then he couldn’t match up either.

    Good haul of points for the Ferrari’s, 4th & 5th. A shame they didn’t get on the podium, but was great to see a bit of fighting with Mercs and staying with them for a long period of the race.

    P7 for Liam Lawson in the Red Bull – a great race for him in the points, that drive may have just secured his future on the grid…
    Talking of Red Bull, Max Verstappen out on the first lap. First and foremost, so glad to see he was okay as it looked like a nasty crash but also I really can’t believe how he didn’t collect someone after the initial hit into the barriers. It was definitely not the home race he was expecting.

    P8 for Hulkenberg, a good race for the Audi man, little mention of I don’t know how he didn’t hit his teammate when he spun at the same time as Max…

    P9 for Fernando Alonso! Points! A good race for him and Aston Martin, there upgrades are finally getting somewhere and making it worthwhile.

    Rounding out the top 10 is Pierre Gasly, another point for the Frenchman.

    Now we have another week off! As we head to Itallyyyy, for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza from the 4th to 6th September.

  • Verstappen to McLaren? Breaking Down The Latest Rumours

    Max Verstappen’s future with Red Bull and in Formula 1 continues to be the subject of huge speculation.

    In recent weeks rumours surrounding Verstappen’s fate has only intensified after it emerged ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix that the four-time world champion’s representatives had met with McLaren to hold “preliminary talks” about a possible deal.

    Speculation about a potential bombshell announcement regard Verstappen has been rife ever since, particularly as F1 enters a key period of time when it comes to the driver market for 2027 and beyond.

    So… what is actually going on? Here is everything we know about Verstappen’s future and the McLaren rumours.

    Why did the meeting take place?

    The meeting took place amid the backdrop of a hugely frustrating campaign for Verstappen.
    It has been a difficult season for Red Bull, leaving the 28 year old Dutchman currently out of contention for wins in a car that has largely been fourth best.

    On top of Verstappen’s disappointment with Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness, he has been the biggest critic of F1’s new cars and engine regulations for 2026. Verstappen’s fierce attacks on the new rules left his future uncertain, though changes for 2027 and 2028 have led to him softening his stance after several threats to quit the sport altogether.

    While reports of the meeting have sent the F1 rumour mill into overdrive, it is commonplace for drivers and their management to assess the market as they weigh up their next move.
    Verstappen could simply be testing the waters, and using Red Bull’s struggles as leverage as a bargaining tool to strengthen his own position within the team.

    Alternatively, he could be seriously interested in a move and putting the early groundwork in place.
    Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2028 but has a performance clause in his exiting deal that could allow him to leave at the end of this year if he so wished.

    However, it has recently come about that the clause in question does not come into effect until October, but Verstappen is on course to be in a position to trigger it based on his current position in the world championship and deficit to the top two.

    Following the meeting, Red Bull took an encouraging step forward with a major upgrade at its home race in Austria. But two rear wing failures in the space of nine days have done little to improve the Dutchman’s mood.

    After ending the British Grand Prix stuck in the gravel at Stowe, Verstappen was at his most annoyed to date, stating he is “fed up” with the ongoing woes.

    How has McLaren responded?

    McLaren, meanwhile, has been doing everything possible to downplay the rumours linking Verstappen with the team, though it has not gone as far as denying the reports. 

    In several interviews, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has stressed he is happy with his current driver line-up and has no plans to make any changes, with both reigning world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri holding long-term contracts with the team. 

    Could a move to McLaren work?

    There are two things to consider here. Firstly, and arguably the most important, is the fact that both Norris and Piastri are tied down to big deals with McLaren.

    To facilitate a move for Verstappen, Brown would have to remove one of his drivers. It is hard to imagine he would let the reigning world champion go, leaving Piastri as the more likely candidate to be moved on in most people’s eyes.

    Many have suggested that Piastri could be used as part of a direct swap with Verstappen and replace the Dutchman at Red Bull. But there is no indication from Piastri that he is looking to leave, or move to Red Bull.

    It is generally accepted in F1 that driver contracts are not worth the paper they are written on. At the end of the day, if a team wants a driver badly enough, and has the financial might to make a deal happen, it will.

    And if a four-time world champion and the driver of Verstappen’s calibre is available, a team would be foolish not to explore the possibility.

    But McLaren must weigh up the pros and cons. It currently boasts a harmonious and successful driver pairing. Bringing Verstappen onboard would risk destabilising that, as well as threatening the policy of fairness that McLaren prides itself on.

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DaTOJd8gvdW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

  • Round 11 – Hungarian Grand Prix

    Lando Norris claimed his and McLaren’s first Grand Prix victory of 2026 in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix, taking the chequered flag ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli – after mid-race drama and a late retirement for team mate Oscar Piastri.

    Polestitter Norris spent the first half of the race in Piastri’s mirrors, having been jumped at Turn 2 on the opening lap – the latter doing just enough to hold onto the lead thereafter, and McLaren resisting Norris’ calls to be ushered through.

    However, the intra-team battle was flipped on its head just after the midway point when Piastri – fresh from his second pit stop – encountered traffic in the form of Carlos Sainz in the first sector, and dramatically made contact with the Williams.

    That moment, added to Norris’ sublime place in clear air ahead of his own second stop, swung the race in the reigning World Champion’s favour, before Piastri’s day ended in despair thanks to an apparent gearbox problem.

    A Virtual Safety Car triggered by Piastri’s stoppage led to more pit lane action, with Verstappen and Antonelli staying out to take second and third respectively, ahead of three-stopping Ferrari pair.

    Hamilton had initially emerged from that final stop ahead of Antonelli, only to cede the position after replays showed he had reached the relevant VSC white line at the end of the start/finish straight just behind the Mercedes.

    A five second penalty for speeding in the pits ended any hopes Hamilton had of finishing on the podium even if he pressed on and harried Antonelli to the flag, with Leclerc also edging ahead for P4 once the sanction was applied.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Verstappen, P3: Antonelli, P4: Leclerc, P5: Hamilton, P6: Hadjar, P7: Russell, P8: Lawson, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Lindblad.

    What a result for the reigning World Champion! If they said at the beginning of the season that McLaren would’ve got a win before the summer break I think everyone would’ve laughed, but they did it! What an effort from Norris, he got the job done when it mattered the most, now they can go into summer break somewhat happy!
    As for his teammate, a BIG shame for Piastri, it looked like it was going to be a podium for him, but it will be interesting to see how he comes back from this after the summer break.

    A great result for Verstappen! Made up a couple of spots, in the race and finished the first half of the season. Two podiums in two races, he will be looking forward to the summer break and re-group with the team. As for Hadjar, another P6 for him! His been consistent so far this year, it’s been good to see.

    3rd for Antonelli, a decent result for him considering he didn’t have the best of weekend’s like his had previously. He also benefited from the Ferrari’s pitting when the VSC was out – in the end damage limitation.
    As for his teammate, Russell, not the best of races for him. A terrible start which saw him drop all the way down to back of the grid, he then had the battle of coming through the field – in the end he finished 7th, good result considering what happened, but it could’ve all been avoided and had a much better result.

    4th and 5th for Leclerc and Hamilton, obviously pitting under the VSC wasn’t worth it in the end, as they threw away a podium spot and then Hamilton ended up with a penalty again – so if they didn’t pit it all would’ve been avoided but you live and you learn.

    P8 for Lawson, another good race for him in the books, he will be happy with his performance so far this season. And the same goes for Lindblad, who finished in the final points position.

    P9 for Hulkenbergggg, points for Audi again and Hulkenberg’s first points again with no penalty added! The team have now jumped ahead of Williams in the standings with just 1 point between them.

    Another disappointing weekend for Cadillac – a double DNF for the team – they will be wanting this summer break now to gather all their information from the first half of the season and look at where to go from here.

    As for the next race, it is now the summer break, so we have a couple of weeks off due to the shut down – but we will be returning to the Netherlands for the Dutch Grand Prix on the 21st – 23rd August for Round 12!

  • Fornaroli to get FP1 run in Hungary

    McLaren have announced that Leonardo Fornaroli will make his second F1 practice outing in Hungary this weekend, with the team also set to run a batch of upgrades on the MCL40.

    A back-to-back F3 and F2 champion, Italian racer Fornaroli first appeared over an F1 weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last month, building on several private tests in older machinery by taking to the wheel of Lando Norris’ car through FP1.

    Fornaroli, 21, will this time replace Oscar Piastri for the opening 60 minute session around the Hungaroring, giving the McLaren Development Driver some more valuable mileage as he grows into the role.

    McLaren’s latest development including a new floor and other aerodynamic parts, which will be assessed throughout Friday practice.

    Meanwhile, during FP1 only, the team will trial a developed version of the experimental rear wing that was due to be tested on the Friday of the Austrian Grand Prix. However, it is not scheduled to be introduced fully in Hungary or the following race in the Netherlands.

    I’m looking forward to driving the MCL40 in this weekend’s Free Practice 1 at the Hungaroring. Every session is a chance to learn more, gain confidence and contribute to the team’s programme for the weekend. I’ve been very busy in Woking over the past few weeks preparing this session in both the simulator and at the Optimum Nutrition McLaren Performance Hub, to make sure I’ll be ready as I can. I’m really grateful to everybody at the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team for all the support they’ve given to me so far. I can’t wait to get out on track on Friday, have fun and make the most of every lap to help the team.
    Fornaroli on the news.

    Heading to Hungary, we’re looking forward to a very different challenge at the Hungaroring and the final race before the summer shutdown. It’s a circuit that demands a high-downforce package and rewards confidence under braking, strong corner entry and good traction, while the combination of hot temperatures, relentless corners and limited straights makes tyre management a key factor. As always this season, we’ll also be focused on getting the most from our power unit deployment across the lap and understanding how the revised overtaking characteristics influence strategy. We have an upgrade package arriving this weekend too, and in such a competitive season every development is important so it will be great to gather further understanding on how those parts perform throughout Free Practice. Our aim is to maximise everything we have available, carry positive momentum into the shutdown and put ourselves in the strongest possible position for the second half of the championship.
    Randy Singh, Senior Director of Racing at McLaren.

  • Norris set for grid penalty at Belgian GP

    Lando Norris will face a 10 place grid penalty at the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix, with McLaren opting to fit a new power electronics unit to his car in an attempt to tackle their reliability struggles.

    Mercedes’ engines have been subject to criticism in recent rounds due to retirements that were out of drivers’ control, such as Kimi Antonelli’s in Barcelona.
    As one of their customer teams, McLaren haven’t been able to avoid enduring similar problems.

    Norris has been held back on multiple occasions by issues with the power unit, which cause his failure to start the Chinese Grand Prix and further complications in Japan and Monaco.

    As per the regulations, if a driver uses more power unit elements than the permitted allocation, a grid penalty will be imposed at the first event where each element is used. In this case, McLaren are hopeful that the overtaking opportunities at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps make this weekend the best time to suffer the setback.

    McLaren’s numerous upgrades have helped Norris recover some lost ground in the Drivers’ standings, where he now sits in fifth place with 97 points, but they are still eager to use their refreshed power unit and continued development to take the fight to Mercedes and Ferrari.

    McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team will fit car Number 1 with a fourth power electronics [unit] this weekend in Spa, exceeding our permitted number of allocated power electronics units and incurring a 10-place grid penalty. Car Number 1’s first power electronics unit suffered a terminal issue in China, which meant Lando was unable to start the race. Lando’s second power electronics unit, fitted in Japan, needed to be withdrawn for remedial work after suffering issues in Free Practice, which necessitated moving to a third and final power electronics unit within the permitted allocation. While the second power electronics unit was able to be repaired after the Japanese Grand Prix, it suffered a terminal issue in FP2 in Monaco, and was withdrawn from our allocation once again.
    McLaren’s statement.

  • McLaren reveal heritage-inspired livery

    McLaren have unveiled an eye-catching livery for this weekend’s British Grand Prix, paying homage to their history with a heritage-inspired design.

    The team will switch out their usual striking papaya for a primarily white livery, as first seen on the McLaren M2B when they joined F1 in 1966 – in the same season, founder Bruce McLaren scored their maiden point at the British Grand Prix.

    Highlighting how much the team have evolved over the last six decades, the new look also builds on their milestone 1000th Grand Prix earlier this year in Monaco, where they ran a special orange and black colour scheme.

    Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will both be in white race suits for the weekend, too, with a ‘Bruce McLaren Motor Racing Team’ sticker added to the MCL40 in honour of the team’s founder.

    Our Silverstone livery is a celebration of where we began and everything we have built since. The McLaren M2B represents the start of a journey defined by relentless innovation and a belief in possibility, and this design brings that spirit to life. Our partnership with Google Gemini is grounded in those same principles.
    Louise McEwen, McLaren’s Chief Marketing Officer.

  • Rookies taking part in FP1

    After an intense start under the new regulations that made every lap in the new cars extra valuable for their full time drivers.
    Formula 1 teams have started to fulfil their required rookies outings at this weekend’s Barcelona Grand Prix.

    Here are the drivers who have already been announced as participating in FP1 in the seventh round.

    Leonardo Fornaroli – McLaren
    Replacing: Lando Norris

    Back-to-back Formula 3/ Formula 2 Champion, Fornaroli, was picked up by McLaren as its reserve this year – and is now getting his first practice outing.

    He could’ve hardly have done more in F3 and F2, but given he’s not racing this year, he faces the unenviable task of staying at the forefront of F1 teams’ minds, through impressing in practice will undeniably help.

    Frederik Vesti – Mercedes
    Replacing: Kimi Antonelli

    Vesti was the F2 runner-up three years ago, and his racing future now clearly lies in the endurance racing instead – where he has been forging a career with Cadillac.

    He has established himself as a significant player in Mercedes F1 programmed, described by Toto Wolff, as “an important part of our development work with the W17”.

    Ayumu Iwasa – Red Bull
    Replacing: Isack Hadjar

    The 24 year old is increasingly becoming Red Bull’s go to practice driver across its two teams having had considerable success racing in Red Bull colours in various category – but never truly entering the frame for an F1 call-up.

    He is the formal Racing Bulls test and reserve driver, and is currently working to defend his maiden title in the prestigious Super Formula category in Japan.

    Dino Beganovic – Ferrari
    Replacing: Lewis Hamilton

    Sixth – but only 20 points down on the standings leader – in F2 this year, 22 year old Beganovic will carry out his third practice outing with Ferrari in Barcelona.

    Ferrari has two juniors on the cusp of F1 readiness in Beganovic and Rafa Camara but it’s line-up doesn’t appear likely to change in the immediate future.

    Luke Browning – Williams
    Replacing: Alex Albon

    Williams reserve Browning, will be in Albon’s car at Barcelona and then in Carlos Sainz’s car at the Red Bull Ring.

    An outside F2 title contender last year in his rookie season, Browning has now switched to Super Formula this year and has been competitive.

    He is clearly the F1-readiest prospect on Williams’ books, but will need to make a big impression in FP1 sessions to be first in line for a future seat.

    Paul Aron – Audi
    Replacing: Nico Hulkenberg

    Aron, is an Alpine reserve – but was already loaned by the English-French team to what was then Sauber for a pair of practice outings last year.
    This arrangement will continue again, at the Red Bull Ring.

    After making waves as an F2 rookie in 2024, Aron didn’t race last year and has no full-time programme this year either – instead supporting Alpine’s efforts.

    His prospects of an Alpine seat look far from straightforward given this would likely require Alpine to move on from Franco Colapinto – who has been on a good run of form.

    Colton Herta – Cadillac
    Replacing: Sergio Perez

    Ex-Indycar star Herta, will dovetail a first F1 practice outing with the full F2 round at Barcelona.

    Cadillac and Herta have made no secret of their ambition to get him into an F1 seat, with the experience-gathering Indycar to F2 switch for this year aimed at no other goal but acquainting him with the tracks, the paddock and topping up his superlicence points tally.

    Adjusting to F2 has proven tough – not unexpectedly so given Herta had left the European single-seater scene in 2026 and he is only 13th in the Standings at present.

  • McLaren reveal livery for Monaco Grand Prix

    McLaren will be racing in a special livery to celebrate McLaren Racing’s 1000th Formula 1 Grand Prix.

    Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s MCL40 will take to the streets of Monaco in a livery adorned with metallic papaya complemented by anthracite.
    Across the livery there are nods to the rich history with hidden gems recognising important milestones, from their first race, victories and Championship wins, to the Triple Crown and their world record pit stop.

    Both drivers will also wear special overalls, carrying on the design language from the car.

    The livery symbolises the message that McLaren Never Quits. As the team approaches the 1000th Grand Prix milestone, it highlights the stories and the work it took to get to the anniversary, championing moments where the team was not only successful, but also the challenges it faced and how it came out stronger.

    The commemorative livery will run on the MCL40 for the 2026 Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.

  • Lambiase to leave Red Bull for McLaren in 2028

    Max Verstappen’s long-time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase will leave Red Bull when his current contract expires in 2028, with the Briton joining McLaren as Chief Racing Officer.

    Lambiase – known to many as GP – has worked alongside Verstappen since the Dutchman was promoted to the team from the then-named Toro Rosso outfit in 2016, the pair going on to experience many highs and lows together in the years since.

    Starting his F1 career as a data engineer for the Jordan team in 2005, Lambiase went on to become a race engineer during the squad’s guise as Force India before later moving to Red Bull in 2015.

    Initially acting in the same role for Daniil Kvyat, it was in 2016 when Verstappen joined that Lambiase’s partnership with the four time World Champion began.
    More recently he also took on the role of Head of Racing at Red Bull while continuing to race engineer Verstappen.

    However, his time at the team will soon be coming to a close with Red Bull first confirming he would be departing in 2028 before McLaren also confirmed he would be joining the Woking based team.

    Lambiase is not the only figure from Red Bull to join McLaren in recent times, with Rob Marshall becoming Technical Director, Engineering & Design, in 2024 while Will Courtenay started in the role of Sporting Director at the beginning of 2026.

    When Lambiase joins McLaren he will take on the role of Chief Racing Officer with a view to freeing up some of the duties managed by Team Principal Andrea Stella.

    Oracle Red Bull Racing confirms that Gianpiero Lambiase will leave the team in 2028, when his current contract expires. ‘GP’ is a valued member of the team, which he joined in 2015. Until his planned departure, ‘GP’ continues in his roles as Head of Racing and as Race Engineer to Max Verstappen. The team and he are fully committed to add more success to our strong track record together.
    A Red Bull statement read.

    McLaren Racing is pleased to announce that Gianpiero Lambiase will join the McLaren Mastercard Formula 1 Team as Chief Racing Officer, reporting into Team Principal, Andrea Stella. The role of the Chief Racing Officer already exists within the team’s structure with overall leadership of the race team. These duties are currently managed by Andrea Stella in addition to his role as Team Principal. Lambiase is the latest hire designed to strengthen and support the talent pool that exists at McLaren Mastercard, while also reaffirming the team’s long-term commitment to confirming its position as a Championship-winning team. The team’s ability to attract and secure top talent, like Lambiase, and previously Rob Marshall and Will Courtenay, alongside the retention and promotion of highly-talented people already within the team, is a testament to the strategic vision and culture that are integrally embodied in the McLaren Mastercard F1 Team under the leadership of Zak Brown and Andrea Stella, who are also both on long-term contracts. The team look forward to welcoming Gianpiero Lambiase when his existing contract ends, no later than 2028.
    A McLaren statement read.

  • McLaren unveil new livery for 2026

    McLaren have unveiled their new livery for the 2026 season in a live event broadcast from the Bahrain International Circuit.

    The Woking based team headed to the track early to showcase their striking livery, maintaining their papaya colour palette that adorned last season’s championship-winning MCL39.

    Their unchanged driver line-up of reigning World Champion Lando Norris and teammate Oscar Piastri spoke alongside Team Principal Andrea Stella and CEO Zak Brown at the launch event, while Chief Marketing Officer Lou McEwen and Chief Designer Rob Marshall showcased the new livery.

    McLaren have historically carried over a successful championship-winning livery through to the following campaign and this year is no different after the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship successes last year.
    Alongside the familiar papaya the design continues to have anthracite and small hints of teal.

    This design also carries over onto the drivers’ overalls for the season, with Norris and Piastri donning an all-papaya fronted fire suit.

    We’re delighted to present our 2026 challenger’s livery from our second home, Bahrain. The iconic papaya continues on the MCL40 as we keep our tradition of carrying championship-winning liveries through to the next season. Racing performance is also at the forefront of design when exploring creative routes, and we’ve balanced creative direction with aero considerations to create this striking 2026 competitor. Thank you to all our committed shareholders and partners, without whom we simply wouldn’t be able to go racing, to our fans for their continued support, and to our team of people who have worked tirelessly to get us to this point in the exciting new era of Formula 1. We’re all excited to see it hit the track.
    Zak Brown on the new car.

    It’s fantastic to reveal the livery for our 2026 challenger, the MCL40, as we reach an important milestone in our team’s incredible work and dedication before we begin racing this year. 2026 marks a new challenge as we take on a new era of Formula 1 regulations. We also go into the season as an independent challenger facing five top manufacturers who all want to beat us. While we have the benefit of the lessons learned from our success in the past few years, the whole grid is restarting from zero and our past achievements count for nothing. Our objective is to hit the ground running, and we have the best combination of team, driver pairing, collaboration with Mercedes HPP, partners, and fans to be able to do this. We will continue to focus on creating the conditions to succeed as we approach our biggest challenge to date. It should be a fantastic season of racing for the fans, and we’re excited to get going.
    Team Principal, Andrea Stella.

  • Fornaroli signs to McLaren Driver Devleopment Programme

    Newly crowned Formula 2 Champion, Leonardo Fornaroli has become one of three new signings to the McLaren Driver Development Programme, with the Italian joining alongside fellow F2 racer Richard Verschoor and 2025 FIA European Karting Champion Christian Costoya.

    Fornaroli sealed the F2 title during the Feature Race in Qatar, the Invicta Racing driver taking P2 in the event to confirm his championship triumph following a season in which he has claimed four victories and five podiums.

    It also marks back-to-back titles for the 20 year old, who emulated the likes of Oscar Piastri and Gabriel Borotleto by winning the the F2 Championship off the back of doing the same in Formula 3 one year earlier.

    Now becoming part of the McLaren family, Fornaroli will take on a test and development role within the F1 team’s structure.

    Also joining the programme is Verschoor, who finished third this season in the Formula 2 Championship. The 24 year old from the Netherlands has won four races during the current campaign.

    Another signing by McLaren is 15 year old Costoya. The Spanish teenager has claimed multiple karting championships and is set to make his single seater debut in the 2026 F4 Middle East Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit on January 16th – 18th.

    McLaren Racing are delighted to welcome two of Formula 2’s current leading drivers in this year’s Champion Leonardo Fornaroli and former Championship contender and fellow front-runner Richard Verschoor, as well as proven karting champion, Christian Costoya, to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Programme. All three talented drivers have shown great race craft with multiple wins this season, alongside a number of impressive performances in their respective championships. By welcoming Christian to the programme alongside long-standing member, Dries Van Langendonck, we now also have two of the most promising drivers coming out of karting. It is a key priority that we continue to develop our talent pipeline to provide options for all of our expanding racing teams. We look forward to working closely with all our drivers in 2026 as they continue their individual development at various stages of their career with the support of the programme through a wide range of testing and progression opportunities across all of our racing series.
    Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Chief Business Affairs Officer, McLaren Racing.

  • R24 – Abu Dhabi

    Lando Norris soaked up the pressure of a nervy Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to finish on the podium and in turn secure the F1 Drivers’ Championship for the first time – following rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri home.

    Norris started the title-deciding race from second on the grid, between Red Bull racer Verstappen and McLaren teammate Piastri, knowing that finishing in the top three places would be enough to put the 2025 crown beyond doubt.

    A bold Piastri move demoted Norris to third on the opening lap, before attacks from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, a spell in traffic after his first pit stop and wheel-to-wheel moment with the other Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda put the Brit under pressure.

    Norris, though, dealt with everything that was thrown at him to cross the line in third and clinch the title over Verstappen and Piastri, who both delivered flawless races en route to the win and second position respectively.

    At the end of it all, just two points separated Norris and Verstappen at the top of the World Championship standings, given the 10 point swing at the Yas Marina Circuit, with Piastri finishing further 11 points back.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Alonso, P7: Ocon, P8: Hamilton, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Stroll.

    What a season for Mr Lando Norris aka the new WORLD CHAMPION!!!!! A really good race from the Brit, he kept it all cool, calm and collected exactly when he needed to, and most importantly trusted the process!
    A decent result from Piastri, unfortunately it wasn’t enough to get the championship but a really strong season he should be proud of!

    A lovely result from Max, a win to round out the season, which has been a tough one for himself and the team but they really did turn it round, but maybe it was a little too late in the end…
    As for his teammate, Yuki’s last race in F1, the team used him with orders to slow Norris down but they just made themselves look bad with the un-sportsman like behaviour….

    P4 for Leclerc, a good result to round out a difficult season, they seemed to have some pace during the race aswell. As for Hamilton a really good race up in the points again after a difficult starting position. It will be a season of lots of learning and where to go from here for next season for both drivers!

    A decent result for Russell, seems like he dropped off in the race compared to his pace in qualifying, but the points helped solidified P2 in the Constructors.

    P6 for Alonso, a great way to round out the season, especially with their performance over the last couple of races! The sames goes to Lance Stroll as he finished 10th so a double points finish for the team. Is this a sign of things to come in 2026?!

    Oh God! I’ve not cried in a while.  didn’t think I’d cry but I did. It’s a long journey. First of all, I want to say a big thanks to my guys, everyone at McLaren, my parents… I’m not crying! My mum, my dad, they were the ones who supported me since the beginning. It feels amazing. Now I know what Max feels like a little bit, and I want to congratulate Max and Oscar, my two biggest competitors all season. It’s been a pleasure to race against both of them, and I’ve learnt a lot from both of them as well. I’ve enjoyed it, it’s been a long year, but we did it, and I’m so proud of everyone.
    Norris on winning the Drivers’ Championship.

    Now, that was our last race of the year in the world of Formula 1 and we do not have another race now until 6th to 8th of March but keep coming back for more updates!

  • R23 – Qatar Sprint Qualifying

    Oscar Piastri claimed a crucial pole position for the Qatar Sprint, beating George Russell and McLaren team mate Lando Norris to the top spot.

    The Australian set the pace when it mattered most in Friday’s SQ3, sitting at the top of the times after both his flying laps, with his final benchmark of 1m 20.055s leaving him just 0.032s clear of Mercedes’ Russell.

    Norris who holds a 24 point lead over Piastri and Max Verstappen ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix, which means he can claim a maiden Formula 1 title this weekend, finished two-tenths further back after running wide at the last corner on his final effort.

    The full top 10 are – Pole: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Norris, P4: Alosno, P5: Tsunoda, P6: Verstappen, P7: Antonelli, P8: Sainz, P9: Leclerc and P10: Albon.

    What a result for Piastri! Exactly what he would’ve wanted going into this weekend, this will give him the momentum to continue the weekend strongly.
    A very good result for his teammate, Norris in P3, they both did well to beat Verstappen.

    As for the Dutchman, he had been out-qualified by Tsunoda. The four time world champion qualified 6th and Tsunoda finished 5th. A decent result, but still a lot of work to do for Verstappen.

    A great result for Russell, P2 for the Mercedes man, as for his team mate 7th for Antonelli, not the best result for the Italian but still a good enough result to get some good points!

    P4 for Alonso! A great result for the Aston Martin driver, some good performances from Aston Martin over the past few race weekends!

    A day to forget for Ferrari, Leclerc qualified 9th and Hamilton 18th. A horrible result for Hamilton, a lot of work for the Brit to do, whereas for Leclerc still in a good position to make some moves and be rewarded with points.

    It’s been a good day, which is nice for a change. It’s been a day where things have clicked from the start and I think the Sprint Qualifying session went really well. I had a pretty big moment on my lap but it was just enough in the end so thanks to the team – it’s a great car and it’s looked really good this weekend so far. I’m pretty happy with that.
    Piastri on pole position.

  • Norris & Piastri disqualified from Las Vegas

    McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix after both their cars were found not to comply with the technical regulations.

    Post-race, the rearmost skid wear on both Mclaren MCL39 machines was found to be below the minimum 9mm thickness by technical delegates on inspection.

    The matter was referred to the stewards, who subsequently disqualified both cars from the official result, with Norris having finished second and Piastri fourth.

    As a result, race winner Max Verstappen has made a significant gain with regards to the 2025 Drivers’ Championship, as the Red Bull man now sits level on points with Oscar Piastri on 336.
    Lando Norris is 24 points ahead on 390 at the top of the standings with just two rounds of the season to go.

    McLaren are not the first team to fall foul of skid block infringements this season, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Hulkenberg also disqualified from the Chinese and Bahrain Grand Prix respectively for similar transgressions.

    With two Grand Prix and one Sprint remaining, there are 58 points on offer over the next two weekends to determine the outcome of the 2025 title.

    Confirming the disqualifications of the McLaren pair, the stewards’ document stated that the skid blocks on both cars were “measured and found to be below the minimum thickness of 9mm specified under Article 3.5.9 of the Technical Regulations. The rear skids were re-measured in the presence of the Stewards and the three McLaren representatives, and those measurements confirmed that the skids did not comply with the regulations. The relevant measurements were even lower than those measured originally by the Technical Delegate. It was also confirmed that McLaren had argued “mitigating circumstances existed in that there was additional and unexpected porpoising at this event, limited opportunity to test due to the weather on Day 1, and shortened practice sessions. While the stewards dismissed this, they added “the FIA noted that it strongly held the view that the breach was unintentional and that there was not a deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations”.
    The Stewards’ document.

  • R21 – Sao Paulo

    Lando Norris has further extended his championship lead after claiming victory in a gripping Sao Paulo Grand Prix, with the McLarn driver leading Mercdes’ Kimi Antonelli home while Max Verstappen put in a remarkable comeback to finish on the podium after starting from the pit lane.

    After making a good start from pole position, Norris continued to lead amid a hectic first few laps, with a Safety Car being deployed following a crash into the barriers for Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto at the Brazilian’s home race.

    A Virtual Safety Car was then deployed after the restart due to another incident in which Oscar Piastri locked up and hit Antonelli, sending the Mercedes into Charles Leclerc who was forced to retire his damaged Ferrari from the race.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Antonelli, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Piastri, P6: Bearman, P7: Lawson, P8: Hadjar, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Gasly.

    What a dominant weekend for Norris, P1 across all the sessions this weekend, no-one came close to challenging him. If he wins this championship it will be down to this weekend, as he excelled, whereas the other contenders had a lot of work to do.
    A bit of a meh result for Piastri, P5 not a great result at all, especially when his teammate done so well.

    What a result for Antonelli, his stepped up this weekend and as a result got his career best finish! He will be happy with this weekend and so will the team in the battle for P2 in the Constructors!
    As for his teammate, Russell finished 4th, a great result again this weekend, lots of points grabbed.

    P3 for Verstappen, what a drive for the Dutchman, from starting in the pitlane to finishing on the podium, a big championship drive and it could make all the difference in where he finishes at the end of the season.

    P6 for Bearman, a lovely drive from the Haas driver, two really good weekends in a row for the Brit. Very good for Haas in the constructors, they are two points away from Aston Martin and 12 points away from Racing Bulls in 6th.

    Talking of Racing Bulls, a double points finish for them! A really good showing from the team after a couple of rough race weekends in a row.

    A weekend to forget for Ferrari… Leclerc DNF as he got the repercussions from the Antonelli/Piastri fumble at the restart. Hamilton was a DNF too as he had some damage from early on in the race and retired in the pitlane.

    Now we only have three races left of the 2025 season and our next stop is Las Vegas! On the 20th to 22nd November…

  • R21 – Sao Paulo Sprint Qualifying

    Lando Norris put in an impressive lap to take pole position during Sprint Qualifying at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Brit beating Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri to seal P1.

    After setting a benchmark with his banker lap during SQ3, Norris went even quicker with his final effort of 1m 09.243, a time that proved unbeatable to his rivals. Antonelli was the closest challenger, the Silver Arrows racer 0.097s behind as he took the other spot on the front row.

    Despite showing good pace during Friday, Piastri had to settle for third, while George Russell added to a decent day for Mercedes in fourth.
    The full top 10 are- Pole: Norris, P2: Antonelli, P3: Piastri, P4: Russell, P5: Alonso, P6: Verstappen, P7: Stroll, P8: Leclerc, P9: Hadjar and P10: Hulkenberg.

    A lovely result for Norris! Just what he would’ve wanted going into this weekend and the best place to start considering the ever changing weather at São Paulo. As for Piastri, a decent result in P3 still lots to play for!

    P2 for Antonelli!! Love to see it! The Mercedes is known for being good around this track so it’s not that surprising but a great result for the Italian! George Russell added to their great result with a P4! They will be looking to score big points and a few podiums this weekend.

    P5 for Alonso! I didn’t expect that going into this weekend, but with the past few cars I’ve mentioned, they’ve all got one thing in common… Mercedes Powertrains. So clearly they are doing very well, and have good performance at the minute.

    Not the best result for Verstappen but still in the fight, P6 for the Dutchman a little bit further back than his title contenders but anything can happen at São Paulo!

    Not the best day for the Ferrari’s, Leclerc P8 and Hamilton P11. It was said that they have set their car up differently to more focus on overall performance and not just one lap.

  • Dunne departs from McLaren’s Development Programme

    McLaren have announced that they have ended their contract with Driver Development Programme member Alex Dunne.

    Irish racer Dunne – who is currently competing in his debut Formula 2 campaign for Rodin Motorsport – joined McLaren’s programme in May 2024 and went on to participate in two Free Practice 1 sessions for the squad at this year’s Austrian and Italian Grand Prix.

    However, McLaren have now confirmed that the partnership has come to an end, with the Woking-based team realising a statement on the news.

    Dunne currently sits in fifth place of the Formula 2 Drivers’ Standings with two rounds of the championship remaining.

    The 19 year old claimed his debut win in the category with victory at the Sakhir Feature Race in April before following this up with a second triumph at Imola during Round 4.

    From today I’ve mutually decided to part ways with the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’d like to thank every individual at McLaren that has helped me develop and improve as a driver, To have my first opportunity to drive an F1 car followed by two FP1 sessions is something I’ll always hold very close to my heart, I wish them all the best for the future. Thank you Papaya family. Still two important rounds left to focus on this year, very excited for what’s to come.
    Dunne on the news.

  • Alex Dunne to take part in FP1

    Ireland’s Alex Dunne will return to drive for McLaren in first practice at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on Friday.

    Dunne, 19, starred in his debut practice outing earlier this year in Austria when he was fourth in the session and within one tenth of Oscar Piastri in equal machinery.

    The teenager was the first Irish driver to compete in an F1 weekend in 22 years and will also continue his Formula 2 campaign in Monza, where he is fifth in the standings.

    All 10 Formula 1 teams must run a rookie in at least four practice sessions this season.
    McLaren have already announced IndyCar star Pato O’Ward will get an outing at his home event in Mexico City in October and are likely to complete the rookie requirements in Abu Dhabi with a driver yet to be confirmed.

  • R15 – Zandvoort

    Oscar Piastri has taken a victory in a hugely dramatic Dutch Grand Prix that saw McLaren teammate Lando Norris retire from the race due to a mechanical failure in the closing stages, marking a potentially seismic moment in the championship battle.

    Piastri had made a good start from pole when the race got underway, the Australian going on to build a lead from Max Verstappen after the Red Bull had overtaken Norris early on in Lap 1. Norris, however, went on to retake the position and the pair settled into a 1-2 formation.

    The race then faced a potential turn when the Safety Car was deployed after Lewis Hamilton hit the barriers on Lap 23, leading to a flurry of action in the pits. McLaren double-stacked their drivers and despite a slight delay for Norris, both cars maintained position.

    Norris continued his chase of his team mate from there and – despite a second Safety Car after a collision between Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli that put the Ferrari out of the race – the fight looked to still be open as the race entered into its final stages.

    However, everything changed when smoke started to emerge from Norris’ McLaren with just a few laps to go, forcing him to retire at the side of the track.
    A Safety Car phase played out which saw Piastri hold onto P1 from Verstappen in P2, and rounding out the top three is a first time podium sitter, Isack Hadjar!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Verstappen, P3: Hadjar, P4: Russell, P5: Albon, P6: Bearman, P7: Stroll, P8: Alonso, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Ocon.

    What a result for Piastri! His first grand slam aswell and he done it in a mighty fashion! This is exactly how he would want his second half of the season to start!
    As for Norris, very gutting as he was edging closer to catching Piastri, he will be wanting to move onto the next race weekend.

    A good result for Verstappen! P2 at his home Grand Prix, I think that was the best he was going to get, but he will be happy with that result.
    As for Tsunoda, he managed to get in the points in P9, so a semi decent result.

    Now the star of the show, Isack Hadjar, he started P4 and finished P3, the Frenchmans very first podium in his rookie season! Thoroughly deserved, if I do say so myself. He should be very proud of how far his come this season already.

    A good result for Russell, P4 for him, not a bad result, shame he couldn’t get on the podium, but still a very good result. As for Antonelli it was a race to forget after he tangled with Leclerc and his race was basically over from there as he finished 16th.

    P5 for Albon! A great result for Williams, a good chunk of points for the team which was needed as the mid-field battle is heating up!

    Double points for Haas! P6 for Bearman which is his career best finish and Ocon finished in P10, a great result for the team.

    Double points for Aston Martin too! P7 for Stroll, and P8 for Alonso, quite a good weekend for the team, they’ve had some good pace this weekend will be interesting to see if they can carry it on.

    A weekend to forget for Ferrari, a double DNF which is unfortunate as they looked like they had pace this weekend too, they will be looking forward to the weekend as its their home Grand Prix.

  • R14 – Hungary

    Lando Norris won the Hungarian Grand Prix after holding off a thrilling late-race challenge for the lead from McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri, the Briton having made an alternative strategy work in his favour to take the victory.

    Polesitter Charles Leclerc had made a strong start to hold P1 when the race got underway, allowing the Ferrari driver to build up a steady lead over Piastri in P2 during the opening stages of the race – a position he maintained amid the first round of pit stops, despite Piastri’s attempt to undercut his rival.

    However, the picture started to evolve as different strategies played out amongst the frontrunners, with Leclerc and Piastri – both on two-stop plans – finding themselves behind the one-stopping Norris in the final phase of the race.

    While Leclerc’s pace fell away in the latter stages, a fast Piastri set about chasing down Norris for the lead – leading to a gripping conclusion as the Australian was hot on the tail of his team mate in the final laps.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Piastri, P3: Russell, P4: Leclerc, P5: Alonso, P6: Bortoleto, P7: Stroll, P8: Lawson, P9: Verstappen and P10: Antonelli.

    What a result for Norris, he would’ve set out to achieve this, but him taking a charge of his strategy with the one-stop effectively won him the race which resulted in a lovely race for the Brit.
    A good result for Piastri, I think he was annoyed a bit by Norris’ strategy as it worked out perfectly for the Brit. The gap between teammates is now down to 9 points as we head into the summer break.

    A lovely result for Russell, P3 for the Mercedes driver, a good result for him, after a few bad weekends they had a good result and back on the podium since Canada.

    A decent result for Leclerc, unfortunate he didn’t get a podium but Ferrari sometime’s doesn’t have the best strategy in the races… However, still a really positive weekend for Leclerc.
    A weekend to forget for Lewis Hamilton, out in Q2 for Qualifying and then finished 12th in the race. Hopefully the summer break will give him some to recover and get back to the Lewis we know!

    A lovely result for Alonso, P5 for the Spanish driver, a really good weekend for Aston Martin overall as Lance Stroll finished P7. A good points haul for the team, they will be wanting to continue on this form back from the summer break.

    P6 for Bortoleto, another good result for the Brazilian, his been lapping up the good results lately and he gets rewarded with decent points.

    A race to forget for Verstappen too, he finished P9. Definitely not the result he would’ve wanted at all.

    Now we are into the summer break officially, the next race is Round 15 and it is the Dutch Grand Prix on the 29th – 31st August!

  • R13 – Belgium

    Oscar Piastri claimed victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, holding off McLaren team mate and title rival Lando Norris in a wet-dry affair at Spa-Francorchamps to extend his Drivers’ Championship lead to 16 points.

    Heavy rain ahead of the 44 lap race delayed proceedings by almost 80 minutes but once racing got underway on Lap 5, the crucial moment came immediately as Piastri got a better run on his team mate and polesitter through Eau Rouge.

    The Australian’s run was so great he completed the pass along the Kemmel Straight well before the braking zone of Les Combes and thereafter managed a margin of roughly one second in the early running.

    With the circuit having substantially dried and with track position, Piastri pitted on Lap 12 for the medium tyres with Norris forced to compete another lap, and after making his own stop the following tour for hard rubber, the Briton found himself nine seconds adrift.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Verstappen, P5: Russell, P6: Albon, P7: Hamilton, P8: Lawson, P9: Bortoleto and P10: Gasly.

    What a result for Oscar Piastri, he set his sights on the win and grabbed with both hands and didn’t look back, was a superb race from him.
    As for Norris, P2 for the Brit, a good result but I think he would be gutted not to get the win, however his teammate had the pace.

    P3 for Leclerc, a lovely result from the Ferrari driver, felt like that podium was well deserved, he did have a bit of pressure from Verstappen but he kept him at bay.
    As for Lewis Hamilton, what a drive! Pitlane to P7 wow, he was on a mission, it was great to see and he got rewarded with some points.

    As for Verstappen P4 for the Dutchman, a decent result, a shame he couldn’t get on the podium, but still a decent points haul.

    P5 for Russell, nothing amazing from the Mercedes driver, apart from a little fight with Alex Albon over the position.
    As for Antonelli, a weekend to forget for him, P16 unfortunately, he seemed like he had no pace at all really which is a shame.

    Points for Bortoleto! P9 for the Brazilian driver, he done well this weekend as Spa is a tricky circuit, especially more so in the rain.

    Now not too long to wait until the next round as we have been treated to a double header, so this weekend we head to the Hungaroring for the Hungarian Grand Prix!

  • R12 – Silverstone

    Lando Norris has taken victory in an eventful wet-dry British Grand Prix, the McLaren driver leading home team mate Oscar Piastri on an action-packed afternoon that also saw Nico Hulkenberg finally clinch his maiden F1 podium.

    With the race starting in dry conditions, polesitter Max Verstappen initially led away from Piastri- but the Australian soon got ahead just as the rain started to fall heavily.

    While the McLaren quickly built a strong lead, this was neutralised when the Safety Car was deployed, marking the first appearance for the vehicle during the event.

    An action-packed event ensued from there, with Piastri receiving a 10 second time penalty for slowing too much when preparing to lead the pack away following another Safety Car restart, while a spin for Verstappen moments later saw the Dutchman drop back.

    As conditions changed and drivers started to switch to slick tyres on, Piastri served his penalty during his pit stop and Norris took over the lead of the race – and from there Norris maintained his advantage to seal the win in front of a cheering crowd, crossing the line 6.812s ahead of Piastri.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Piastri, P3: Hulkenberg, P4: Hamilton, P5: Verstappen, P6: Gasly, P7: Stroll, P8: Albon, P9: Alonso and P10: Russell.

    What a result for McLaren! Lando Norris has won his home Grand Prix!!! This is the one he really wanted, and he absolutely smashed it out of the park.
    As for Piastri, a good result for him too, unfortunate for the 10 second time penalty but sometimes it is just racing…

    Nicoooo Hulkenbergggggg!!! P3! He finally got his podium!!! What a result for the Stake driver, he and the team will be ecstatic, and it is fully deserved, they smashed it out of the park with strategy.

    P4 for Lewis Hamilton, a good result for the Ferrari driver! It’s a shame he wasn’t on the podium at his home race, but still a very good result! As for his teammate, Leclerc took the gamble and pitted before lights out (like some of the other drivers) and put the slicks on and it just didn’t work in his favour he ended up a shocking 14th…

    An okay result for Verstappen, obviously not what he would’ve wanted starting on pole, but still in the points which is good, it didn’t help that he had a spin on the safety car restart which did not help at all.
    As for Tsunoda he finished a disappointing 15th, the last of the runners.

    A lovely P6 result for Pierre Gaslyyy! He kept out of trouble and kept it on track and was rewarded with another lovely points finish.

    Double points for Aston Martin at their home Grand Prix! P7 for Stroll and P9 for Alonso, a great result for the team!

    A disappointing result for George Russell who finished in P10, again he took a gamble and pitted and it just didn’t work at all. As for his teammate, Antonelli was one of five DNF’s, a few bad weekends to forget for the young driver.

    Now we have a little break before the next round, it is on the 25th-27th July and we head to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian Grand Prix!

  • McLaren reveal Chrome livery for Silverstone

    McLaren have unveiled a new iteration of their chrome livery, to be used by Lando Norris and championship leader, Oscar Piastri at this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

    The livery pays homage to the iconic chrome look of McLaren’s of the mid-2000s and early 2010s, as raced by the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Juan Pablo Montoya and current Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton.

    The livery was revealed to fans in a special McLaren Racing Live event held in London’s Trafalgar Square, with Norris and Piastri both in attendance, along with development driver Alex Dunne, and several other team members.

    The team previously used a chrome livery at the 2023 British Grand Prix, while other special liveries used in recent times include the team’s ‘Triple Crown’ paint job for the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix, and their ‘Riviera’ look for this year’s Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.

  • R11 – Austria

    Lando Norris returned to winning ways at the Austrian Grand Prix after getting the better of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a head-to-head scrap for victory.

    Norris converted pole position into the lead at Turn 1 but soon came under intense pressure from championship leader Piastri, who launched several attacks and at one point muscled his way past, only for the positions to be swiftly reversed.

    After a particularly close call under braking for Turn 4, which saw Piastri lock up and almost run into the back of Norris, the Australian went slightly longer on his starting set of tyres in attempt to build an advantage for the remainder of the race.

    While Piastri lit up the timesheets in phases across the second and third stints, Norris had just enough pace in hand to hold onto P1 and take the chequered flag – marking his third win of the season and first victory since last month’s Monaco Grand Prix.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Piastri, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell, P6: Lawson, P7: Alonso, P8: Bortoleto, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Ocon.

    What a result for McLaren! P1 for Norris and P2 for Piastri, their pace was unmatched and no-one got anywhere near the two drivers, however, I think they need to set boundaries between the two drivers, as much as we love seeing them battle it out for the lead, one of the moves Oscar done almost ended Lando’s race, just doesn’t seem to be any boundaries set…

    A lovely result for Ferrari, a podium for Leclerc and 4th for Hamilton, a decent amount of points for the Italian team, seems like they had a strong weekend and things are starting to look up for the team.

    P5 for Russell, he was kind of in no mans land, the pace just didn’t seem to be there to battle with the Ferrari’s which is a shame but still a decent points haul for the Brit.
    As for his teammate, Antonelli’s race was over on the first lap as the young driver carried too much speed into Turn 3 and took out Max Verstappen which saw both of the drivers out.

    P6 for Liam Lawson, a lovely result for the New Zealander, his best career finish so far! A very good points haul for the Racing Bulls, this will all help for the midfield battle.

    A double points finish for Kick Sauber, which means first career points for Gabriel Bortoleto! This will be the same as above, and really help in the midfield battle towards the end of the season.

    A weekend to forget for Williams, a DNS for Sainz as his rear brakes were on the fire in the pitlane as he struggled to get started on the grid for the first formation lap. Not only this, Albon retired in the pit lane to an unknown issue at the time.

    Now next up, we have Silverstone this weekend for Round 12 of 24!

  • R11 – Austria Qualifying

    Lando Norris has sealed a commanding pole position in Qualifying at the Austrian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver recording a time that was half a second clear of nearest challenger Charles Leclerc to mark the biggest pole margin of the season so far.

    After setting the pace in Q1 and Q2, Norris continued that theme by claiming provisional pole during the initial runs of Q3 – but the McLaren man went even better on his next effort, pumping in a 1m 03.971s.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Norris, P2: Leclerc, P3: Piastri, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell, P6: Lawson, P7: Verstappen, P8: Bortoleto, P9: Antonelli and P10: Gasly.

    What a lovely result for Lando, exactly what the Brit would have wanted! Last time he was on pole, it was the Monaco Grand Prix, which he went on to win… However, the Red Bull Ring is a very different track compared to Monte Carlo, there’s lots of overtaking spots here so McLaren’s strategy has to be perfect.
    As for his teammate, Piastri qualified 3rd, unfortunate for him as his last flying lap got ruined due to a spin from Pierre Gasly, but still a good position for today’s race.

    A lovely result from Ferrari! P2 for Charles Leclerc and P4 for Lewis Hamilton, the whole team will be happy with that result, hopefully they can turn it into a potential win/podiums!

    A decent result for Russell, P5 for the Mercedes driver, it seems like the Silver Arrows have got some pace underneath them this weekend, so it will be interesting to see where they finish. As for Russell’s teammate, Antonelli qualified 9th, not the best result for the rookie driver but he can still make up decent positions.

    A little shout out for Liam Lawson, P6! The best result out of all the Red Bull cars! A lovely result for the Racing Bulls driver, hopefully he can score some points this weekend.

    As for Verstappen, he qualified 7th, not the best result at all for the Dutchman, he also got hindered by the late yellow flag in the session, he has a lot of work to do if he wants to get on the podium at least.

    Another little shout out for Gabriel Bortoleto! P8 for the Kick Sauber driver, his best qualifying result so far, he will be hoping to score some points aswell.

  • Alex Dunne to take part in FP1

    McLaren have confirmed that Formula 2 standings leader, Alex Dunne will take part in Free Practice 1 at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix.

    Dunne, a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme since May 2024, will get behind the wheel of the MCL39 in the weekend’s opening session in place of Lando Norris, in which he becomes the first Irish driver to take part in an F1 weekend for 22 years.

    The 19 year old currently races for Rodin Motorsport in F2, as he sits three points ahead of second placed Richard Verschoor in the standings, while he also serves as Reserve and Development Driver for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

    Dunne began karting at eight years old, and secured his first European karting title in the 2019 WSK Champions Cup OKJ Category.
    He then made his single-seater debut in the 2021 Spanish F4 Championship, securing pole position and a podium on his debut.

    In his 2022 season, he picked up a combined 16 race wins whilst competing in the British, UAE and Italian Formula 4 Championships, earning him the British F4 Championship, before going on to earn the vice-champion title in the GB3 Championship the following year.

    Dunne then moved onto Formula 3 for 2024 with MP Motorsport, where he finished 14th in the Drivers’ Standings, before stepping up to F2 this season.

    It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to drive during FP1 in Austria. I’m really looking forward to getting laps in behind the wheel of the MCL39 and supporting the team with the setup for the race weekend ahead. I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in Testing of Previous Cars tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience. Thank you to Zak [Brown], Andrea [Stella] and Alessandro [Alunni Bravi] for their faith in me. It’s a great step within my development with the McLaren Driver Development Programme, and I’m really excited to join the team trackside.
    Dunne on the news.

    It’s great to be able to give Alex the opportunity to run in Free Practice 1, and for him to get valuable time behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as part of his development. The team are pleased to be working with him more closely, and for his support across the weekend, where he will be providing useful feedback to help with the car’s set-up. The rookie sessions are fantastic for seeing the talent of tomorrow and enabling that rare chance to get time in a current car, so we look forward to seeing him on track.
    McLaren Team Principal, Andrea Stella.

  • R9 – Spain

    Oscar Piastri has further strengthened his championship lead by clinching a commanding victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, the Australian leading teammate Lando Norris in a McLaren 1-2 amid a dramatic end to the race.

    Piastri made an excellent start from pole position, allowing the 24 year old to build an early lead from Verstappen who had overtaken Norris into Turn 1.
    Norris later retook the position – only for Verstappen to leapfrog both McLaren’s after the first pit stops, putting himself into P1.

    This proved to brief, as the Dutchman pitted early for a second stop, handling the lead back to Piastri all of which triggered much intrigue over whether Verstappen would opt for a three stop strategy.

    Verstappen did indeed embark on a three stop – but the whole picture was dramatically shaken up when a Safety Car was deployed in the latter stages after Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes pulled off track with a mechanical issue prompting most of the frontrunners to pit again.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Russell, P5: Hulkenberg, P6: Hamilton, P7: Hadjar, P8: Gasly, P9: Alonso and P10: Verstappen.

    A lovely result from McLaren, a 1-2 for the Papaya team, I don’t think they had anything to worry about as their pace was just incredible. Piastri kept it cool, calm and collected as always and produced a lovely drive.

    P3 for Leclerc, an unexpected podium for the Ferrari driver, but sometimes being there when another driver makes a mistake is sometimes a good thing.
    As for his teammate, Hamilton finished 6th he didn’t have the best race, he seemed to struggle a lot but still managed to get some decent points.

    P4 for Russell, a good result for the Mercedes driver finally after two bad race weekends. Unfortunately for his teammate, it was a horrible weekend, he went into the gravel with a mechanical issue saw him out of the race.

    P5 for Hulkenberg! A lovely result for him and the team, a massive points haul! Hulkenberg was pulling off some lovely overtakes and that result is very well deserved.

    P7 for Hadjar, another points finish for the young driver. As for his teammate, Lawson was just outside of the top 10. He finished in 11th.

    Points for Fernando Alonso finally! P9 on home soil for the Spanish driver. He was also the only Aston Martin car on the grid yesterday, so a good result for the team.

    Now we have a little break after a triple header, for Round 10, we are heading to Canada!

  • R9- Spain Qualifying

    Oscar Piastri has grabbed his fourth pole position of the season during Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the championship leader beating McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the dying moment of the session.

    After setting the pace across Q1 and Q2, Piastri lost out to Norris when the opening runs of Q3 took place, the Briton having snatched provisional pole.
    But it was advantage Piastri as the final flying laps came in, the Aussie putting in a 1m 11.546s to go 0.209s quicker.

    Max Verstappen put in another solid performance to slot into third for Red Bull, while Mercedes’ George Russell set an identical lap time to the Dutchman but had to settle for fourth after crossing the line later.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Hamilton, P6: Antonelli, P7: Leclerc, P8: Gasly, P9: Hadjar and P10: Alonso.

    A lovely result for McLaren, a 1-2 finish in qualifying for the team, which is the best result they would of wanted going into this weekend. They will want to grab another 1-2 in the race today, but who is favoured to win? And will team orders come into play?

    A great result for Verstappen, keeping himself in the top 3. The Dutchman will be keeping close going into Turn 1 to see if he can go into the lead and try and grab as many points as he can for both championships.
    As for his teammate, Tsunoda qualified 20th… not a good result at all and no where near his teammate either, this is going to really hurt Red Bull in the Constructors’ if he doesn’t score points.

    Lewis Hamilton qualifies 5th, a good result for the Ferrari driver, in a decent position to score a good amount of points too, maybe even a possible podium depending on strategies. As for his teammate, Leclerc qualified 7th, could’ve been a lot better but still in the top 10.

    Russell had a much better qualifying compared to last week in Monaco, P4 for the Brit, he will be aiming for a podium today. So watch out for the battles from the Mercedes driver.

    P9 for Isack Hadjar, the rookie driver loves a top 10 start! I feel like this is just expected now from the Racing Bulls driver.

    A little mention to Gabriel Bortoleto, qualified in his highest position so far in P12, hopefully (fingers crossed) he can score his first points this weekend.

  • R8 – Monaco

    Lando Norris expertly converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, leading home Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.

    Norris survived a massive lock-up at the first corner before working through Virtual Safety Car phases, spells of traffic and the mandated two-stop rule to score his second win of the season and slash Piastri’s championship lead.

    Leclerc applied plenty of pressure at various stages of the race, including that initial run to Sainte Devote and late on when Verstappen backed the pack up, but ultimately had to settle for second with Piastri – now just three points clear of Norris in the standings – completing the podium.

    Verstappen ran an off-set tyre strategy that saw the Red Bull driver go much longer across his stints, giving him the race lead into the very closing stages, but he dropped to fourth after completing his required second stop with a lap to go.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Leclerc, P3: Piastri, P4: Verstappen, P5: Hamilton, P6: Hadjar, P7: Ocon, P8: Lawson, P9: Albon and P10: Sainz.

    What a result for Norris and McLaren!! This is exactly what Norris would’ve wanted this weekend, a win to boost his confidence as he has struggled in past weekends but this was a lovely drive by the Brit! As well, Piastri on the podium too, a big points haul for the Papaya team and boosting their lead in the Constructor’s Championship.

    A lovely result for home hero, Charles Leclerc, P2! His second podium of the year too, it’s a shame he didn’t have that bit extra for the win, but McLaren are just so quick and its Monaco unfortunately there’s not many overtaking places where your not gonna risk it. As for his teammate, Hamilton finished P5, a good points haul for the Italian team which has now brought Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari all within 5 points of each other…

    P4 for the reigning World Champion, he struggled with the car a lot this weekend, however he still managed to grab P4, a shame he didn’t get on the podium but a decent strategy from the team, it just didn’t pay off with the red flag they hoped for.

    P6 for Isack Hadjar, what a lovely drive for the rookie, he stayed out of trouble and was rewarded with a decent amount of points! As for his teammate, Lawson also comes home with points finishing 8th, a decent weekend for the team overall.

    P7 for Ocon in the Haas which we love to see! As for Bearman he made a few places up, finishing just outside the points in P12, but a decent effort from the Brit who started P20.

    Now onto Mercedes, a horrible weekend for the team, both drivers out in Q2, they knew from there that it wasn’t their weekend, Russell finished 11th and Antonelli finished 18th.

    Double point finish for Williams too, Albon 9th and Sainz 10th. The smaller teams have really benefited from both Mercedes not being in the top 10 this weekend, and honestly, this is what is going to matter closer to the end of the season when they’ve grabbed points as and when they can.

    Now we don’t have to wait too long, as the next race is this week! For Round 9 we are headed to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix!

  • McLaren reveal tweaked livery for Monaco

    McLaren have revealed a special ‘Riviera-inspired’ livery enhancement that will run on their Formula 1 cars at the upcoming Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.

    In collaboration with team partner OKX, the livery change is a nod to McLaren’s iconic M7A race car, while “drawing inspiration from the elegance of the Riviera”.

    The M7A was the car with which founder Bruce McLaren claimed the team’s first F1 victory at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix – as well as being the machine that debuted their now legendary papaya livery.

    McLaren’s new design will run on both MCL39s throughout the entirety of the Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix weekends, with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also sporting fresh overalls in Monaco.

    It is not the first time McLaren have run a bespoke livery in Monaco, with the squad unveiling an Ayrton Senna-inspired design for last year’s Grand Prix on the streets of the Principality.

    Before that, they ran a one-off ‘Triple Crown’ papaya, white and black livery at the 2023 event as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations and in 2021 they brought the blue and orange colours of then partner Gulf Oil back to F1.

    We’re always proud to be able to celebrate our storied legacy. Working with OKX on this latest livery enhancement is a great way to not only celebrate this history, but also the innovation and forward-thinking nature that inspires both McLaren and OKX brands. I can’t wait to see the cars on track over the next two race weekends.
    Louise McEwen, Chief McLaren Officer at McLaren Racing.