After 4 consecutive seasons dominating the world F1, Maxverstappen and Red Bull must hand over the throne to Lando Norris and McLaren- Mercedes in 2025. And while Norris has been widely celebrated, his success has a real foundation from the remaining members of McLaren, with the greatest achievement being in controlling behind-the-scenes problems.
Internal culture
In fact, while Norris had to reach the final to overcome verstappen and Oscar Piastro, McLarren won the Constructors' Champions category (for the racing team) with 6 stages left in the season. It is worth mentioning that Norris and Piastri - his teammates, when they reached the finish line in a state of... still being friendly to each other. McLaren's ability to keep 2 races of equal age, same age, same stage of career development, competing for the first title in the team jersey without falling into a dispute is almost unprecedented in modern F1.
Circumstances like this can easily become toxic. Not only is it a famous story between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at McLaren itself in 1989, but there are also Nigel Mansell - Nelson Piquet at Williams in the period of 1986 - 1987; Lewwis Hamilton - Fernando Alonso at McLaren in 2007; Sebastian Vettel - Mark Webber at Red Bull in 2010; or Hamilton - Nico Rosberg at Mercedes from 2014 to 2016.
This list shows how difficult it is to keep 2 strong personalities living in harmony throughout the year, both competing for the highest prize and driving the same cars, starting from the same garage. It's hard to prevent things from getting worse even with two opponents from two different teams, such as Hamilton andverstappen in 2021. Therefore, when the two are put in the same technical meeting room, sharing strategies, the pressure is even greater.
Before the season, CEO Zak Brown and captain Andrea Stella had foreseen risks. They proactively built an internal culture to prevent Norris- Piastris relationship from falling into conflict. McLaren operates based on the principles of fairness, trust and transparency - the core is to allow 2 riders to compete freely without crossing each other.
Stella said: "We are McLaren Racing. We came here to compete. We want the two runners to have the opportunity to show their talents and achieve their ambitions, but it must be within the framework of the principles of fairness, sportsmanship and mutual respect - the values that we and the runners build together.
core philosophy
To create this optimal operation, Stella must rely on 25 years of experience in Ferrari and McLaren. The starting point is the recognition that the only place where teams cannot completely unify is the individual title race. So let's put that on the table from the start and work from there. Stella said: "We talked straightforwardly. If there is anything wrong, the reason can only be that we have not thought about it, but never because of lack of transparency and dishonesty. The formula for getting into trouble is to avoid it.
If the problem is not resolved immediately upon arising, it will flare up during the next tense moment, easily turning into a negative and uncontrollable conflict. The success of Stella is to make Norris and Piastri believe that such operations serve their own interests, as well as that of the whole team. Perhaps this is supported by the fact that both have spent their entire careers at McLaren, grew up with the team and thanks to their relationship with the board, they believe in what the team is trying to create and achieve.
The finishers reflected the culture that Stella built, when continuously bringing out the two main points this year. First, fair competition and openness create motivation for McLaren to progress, bringing an advantage over opponents who do not have that. Second, they want this to be their first championship campaign with McLaren, not their one
Norris said: It is essential to have two runners who respect the team and are not selfish. We help the team in a very positive way. There are many examples in the past that show that when things are not going well, the team will go down. That is something we have to avoid. I always get along with my teammates. That makes life easier, happier, and I do this job because I love it. But we understand our responsibility towards McLaren. When we got out of the car, we could still joke and laugh in the technical meeting room.
Outside the track, Norris and Piastri are not too physical, but are comfortable enough to chat and eat together at events. When they broke up, they didn't need to text. Both believe that they would rather accept being overtaken by their opponents than being forced to be given priority. Piastri said: "We want to win with our strength - both against the world and against our teammates. That gives Lando and I the best chance to become champions, and at the same time help the team achieve the biggest goal, the Constructors.
practical operation
A small group of McLaren leaders discussed directly with the finishers about how to approach the races. They meet after each stage, learn from experience and apply it to the next stage. The work is repeated continuously, constantly refined. In theory, everything is fine, but it will only last in practice if everyone follows the principles when problems arise.
The 2025 season has tested that harmony many times. In Hungary, Norris was allowed to switch to a one-pot strategy after starting poorly and dropping to 5th, then overcame Piastri - a 2-pot strategist - to win the stage. In Italy, McLaren took the lead in the pit-stop, just when Norris was running a slow pit, forcing Piastri to return to his position. In Singapore, Norris overtook Piastri in the corner of the head, touching the cake, causing Piastri to ask on the radio: "Are we okay with Lando hitting me like this?". And in Austin, they hit each other in the top corner of the sprint, giving up together.
From the outside, many people say McLaren favor Norris or intervene too deeply. But inside, the problem was handled with caution and professionalism, and the result was everyone's satisfaction. McLaren's own source confirmed that the meetings took place exactly as they described: flavorful, constructive, calm. If there is a problem, it is resolved right at the end. Piastri dismissed any suggestions of favor. Norris said: We always have the right to question. I understand that many people have different opinions and think that there may be other things that are true. But I believe Andrea, Oscar and I are all confident that this approach is better than many other teams.
Zak Brown called the accusations of favoring Norris meaningless. He explained in Hungary, when Norris changed tactics, We all thought it was ineffective, but it was a free opportunity, and Lando did so well. As for Monza, he reiterated the same incident before Norris gave up Piastri to win after changing the pit order. If the top finisher is willing to sacrifice tactical priority to support his teammates who are directly competitors for the title its a great team spirit, said Brown.
What about 2026?
Will this be maintained in the next season? It's hard to know. Norris and Piastri are calm, humble, but also extremely ambitious. Becoming a champion can change people. Success comes with higher requirements, especially in issues off the track. McLaren has handled Norris and Piastri flexibly and efficiently, but the challenge will not be reduced.
Alonso, who worked with both Stella and Brown (Stella at Ferrari, then McLaren from 2010 to 2018, and Brown when the American racer joined McLaren in 2016), commented: They created a winning structure and a winning car, but more importantly, they managed the two races for the common good of the team. Less drama may not be attractive to the media, but we should look at the direction that they have done extremely well.
