McLaren Believe Rival Teams are 'One Upgrade Away' Gaining Car Advantage

McLaren F1 CEO Zak Brown understands how quickly the dynamics of the fastest car on the grid can shift, particularly given the competitiveness of the pack.

So far in the 2025 season, the McLaren MCL39 is the class of the field, though their advantage seems to be somewhat marginal above competitors like Mercedes and Red Bull.

There are only hundreds of seconds separating most of the grid, with pole position sometimes being as close as a few thousandths of a second.

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Although McLaren's advantage isn't substantial, the team holds a 77-point lead, with both drivers in the top two spots of the Drivers' Championship.

Brown, however, is aware that the advantage that the team has could tighten up.

“I think you saw what was it four teams there within five seconds, in a flat-out race,” Brown told Channel 4.

“There was no Safety Car that bunched everyone back up.”

Unreal three-week stint from the papaya team 🧡#McLaren pic.twitter.com/t5k03OTqmT
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 23, 2025

“So I kind of feel like everyone’s just one upgrade away from being that lead car."

“You saw what we did last year from Miami. Probably the lead was bigger this time last year with Red Bull and yet they finished third in the championship."

“So we’re well-grounded in the reality of how quickly the sport can change.”

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In 2024, McLaren took a massive step at the Miami Grand Prix, where the team started to chase down the front-runners Red Bull which eventually led to a Constructors' Championship win.

Flying around Jeddah with OP81 ⚡️#McLaren | #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/f4D4eK54q2
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) April 22, 2025

Brown is well aware that another team could take a similar step-up at this years race in Miami.

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The McLaren drivers are split on whether or not they have a very strong car.

Lando Norris believes that the car is not as strong as people believe and that the other teams are very close to the Papaya team.

Oscar Piastri, on the other hand,

“I think our car was still quicker,” Piastri told media after the Saudi GP.

“I think our car is still very good, but when you look at the layout here compared to Suzuka, it’s the most similar so far, and it’s been the two where Max and Red Bull have been closer."

“I think we still have an advantage. I don’t think it’s as big on surfaces like this and layouts like this, but we still have a very strong car at the moment.”

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