With the 2025 F1 season marking the final year of the current aerodynamic regulations, many in the paddock expected a tightly bunched field as teams reached the ceiling of performance development. However, McLaren has bucked that trend—emerging as a genuine frontrunner for the 2025 F1 season—while Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull have fallen slightly adrift. Ahead of the 2025 F1 British GP, Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc spoke on the performance of McLaren across the season so far.
Russell unsure about Mercedes deficiencies in 2025
George Russell, speaking candidly at Silverstone, summed up the mystery in simple terms: “If we knew, we would not have fallen back, to be honest. We do not really know exactly why.”
He continued, “They seem very good on the tyres. They seem very good in hot races. Clearly, their updates are working as they expect. And I think when you find yourself on the right tracks of this development slope, the rewards are endless, and they have clearly found that perfect path.”
Russell also pointed to the complexity of the current era of cars, noting, “Like Charles was saying before, these cars, these regs are not easy. I think we are all looking forward to a change of regs. It is not going to be easy next year, but the cars do seem a little bit more conventional. But then obviously we are going to have the challenges with the PU and the batteries, so that is a secondary factor.”
Leclerc: McLaren found “something special” in heat and tyre management
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc echoed Russell’s remarks, acknowledging that McLaren’s gains in 2025 caught much of the grid by surprise.
“I mean, I agree with everything that George said. I wish I knew what made McLaren so fast this year,” Leclerc admitted. “For sure, they have done a significant step forward, something that I do not think many of us expected, exactly for the reasons you mentioned—because when you get to the last year of those regulations, everything tends to converge a little bit.”
Leclerc suggested that the Woking-based team’s progress stems from numerous smaller improvements rather than a single breakthrough. “I doubt that it is coming from one thing. It never comes from only one thing. I think it is just many different things that they are doing better than others, which makes a big difference at the end.”
He highlighted their improved performance in hot-weather conditions, a past weakness for McLaren that has now become a defining strength. “But it is true that one of the characteristics that significantly improved since last year is hot weather. I think I remember there was an FP3 in Bahrain this year where I am still wondering how did Oscar do that lap time in that heat, which was very impressive. There are these kinds of laps that you look and you say, you are just a bit lost for words and you do not really understand where the performance comes from.”
“So they found something, especially whenever it is warm and on tyres, that we are still trying to figure out.”
McLaren’s rise still a puzzle to the paddock
As McLaren continues to edge ahead in both race pace and tyre management, its rivals are left playing catch-up—and searching for answers.
Russell and Leclerc’s comments underline the frustration felt within the other top teams, who had expected convergence, not a runaway success story. From pinpoint tyre performance in extreme heat to consistent aerodynamic gains, McLaren’s 2025 transformation appears to be built on a well-calculated and well-executed combination of factors.
And with a regulation reset looming in 2026, teams like Mercedes and Ferrari will be hoping to uncover McLaren’s secret formula—or risk being left behind again in a new era.
