McLaren has learned \u201cvaluable\u201d lessons from mistakes made during the F1 2025 title fight, as it aims to defend its back-to-back Constructors\u2019 Championships.<\/p>\n
McLaren\u2019s successful 2025 saw the Woking-based squad win its second consecutive Constructors\u2019 Championship, as well as adding a Drivers\u2019 Championship trophy courtesy of Lando Norris beating Red Bull\u2019s Max Verstappen to the crown.<\/p>\n
Zak Brown: S**t happens, and McLaren will learn from it<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for news you can trust.<\/p>\n While Norris secured the title courtesy of a third-place finish at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, it came under intense pressure as Max Verstappen hauled himself back into contention during the final third of the championship as he secured multiple victories and podiums.<\/p>\n Some of these results came about more easily due to McLaren<\/a> errors, such as a double-disqualification for the Woking-based squad at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, and a strategic gaffe in Qatar that left both Norris and Oscar Piastri chasing down a massive lead the team had handed to the Dutch driver.<\/p>\n It was a season in which, had fortune smiled upon Verstappen just a little more, McLaren could have lost the Drivers\u2019 Championship despite having the most consistently competitive car throughout the entire year.<\/p>\n These mistakes were acknowledged by McLaren CEO Zak Brown in an open letter published on the team\u2019s website this week, in which he said his squad will have taken on board some \u201cvaluable\u201d lessons.<\/p>\n \u201cRed Bull and Max Verstappen pushed us all the way to the final round,\u201d he said, paying tribute to the quality of competition the Milton Keynes-based squad threw against his in 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the final year before a major rule reset, the competition was fiercer than ever, but we relished the fight.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were challenging moments along the way, and we definitely made some mistakes that played into the hands of our competitors \u2013 which are important to acknowledge \u2013 but these were dealt with swiftly and provided valuable lessons that made us better as a team.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are racers and have been in this sport long enough to understand that s*** happens, and it\u2019s part of the game \u2013 what\u2019s important is how we react in these situations to help drive us forward. When we make mistakes, we take responsibility. We address difficult situations directly, openly, and constructively, ensuring we move forward stronger and more aligned.<\/p>\n \u201cThe lessons we learned last year \u2013 and there were many \u2013 are a part of our constant evolution as a team and will undoubtedly make us better prepared. We\u2019re a relatively young team, but we learn quickly, and we bounce back with vigour and purpose. Championships are won by how teams respond under pressure, and I am proud of how we handled those more challenging moments.\u201d<\/p>\n More on McLaren from PlanetF1.com<\/p>\n How Alonso\u2019s 2007 act of kindness saw McLaren staff threatened with the \u2018sack\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n