Max Verstappen believes he\u2019s pinpointed the secret to McLaren\u2019s success, and it\u2019s not tyre water or flexi wings, it\u2019s the MCL39\u2019s medium corner speed that is \u201cincredible\u201d compared to the rest of the grid.<\/p>\n
McLaren entered the F1 2025 championship as the clear favourite for the titles after last year\u2019s progress saw the Woking team not only challenge for the Drivers\u2019 title, but win its first Constructors\u2019 crown since 1998.<\/p>\n
Has Max Verstappen uncovered the secret to McLaren\u2019s success?<\/p>\n
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher<\/p>\n
Building on that success with this year\u2019s MCL39, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have won 11 of 14 grands prix<\/a>, seven of which have been 1-2 results.<\/p>\n The team has the Constructors\u2019 title in the bag, bar the shouting, with 559 points to nearest rival Ferrari\u2019s 260, while Piastri and Norris are in a two-driver race for the World title. Piastri is leading by nine points ahead of his team-mate, who in turn is 88 clear of Verstappen.<\/p>\n McLaren\u2019s key to success has been the subject of many rumours in the last 18 months, with rival teams \u2013 notably Red Bull \u2013 questioning its ability to keep the MCL\u2019s tyres alive longer than any rivals could.<\/p>\n Throwing out suspicions that McLaren<\/a> was injecting a small amount of water into its tyres to aid cooling and thus performance, fingers were also pointed at uncovered holes in the brake drum. Red Bull also reportedly resorted to using thermal cameras to capture the temperatures of the McLaren MCL39 tyre cooling ducts during pit stops.<\/p>\n According to Verstappen, though, while McLaren\u2019s minimal tyre degradation does play a role, it is the MCL39\u2019s medium cornering speed that sets the car apart from any other on the grid.<\/p>\n F1 2025: The season\u2019s winners and losers<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49\u00a0The results of the F1 2025 championship <\/a><\/p>\n