McLaren back on top

McLaren has won the Formula 1 World Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998, earning itself a financial windfall in the process believed to be in the region of US$150m.

It is only the third time this century the Constructors’ Championship has not been won by the team that won the Drivers’ Championship as well. 

The fight for the title when down to the wire when Max Verstappen turned Oscar Piastri in turn one, sending the Australian to the back of the field and leaving teammate Lando Norris out front to fight the Ferraris on his own. READ FULL STORY IN THE LATEST ISSUE OF AUTO ACTION HERE

All McLaren needed was one of its drivers to win to make it mathematically impossible for Ferrari to overhaul it, and that is exactly what Norris did while Piastri fought back to finish 10^th and just hold of Carlos Sainz for fourth in the Drivers’ Championship. 

Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard celebrates last constructors title in 1998. Image: Motorsport Images

It is McLaren’s ninth Constructors’ Championship, drawing it level with Williams and trailing only Ferrari with 16. 

The return to the top for McLaren has been stellar, rising from ninth out of 11 teams in 2017 – Zak Brown’s second as CEO of the team – to first this year after unlocking the full potential of the MCL38 just before the mid-point of the season. 

After the 12^th round of the season at Silverstone, McLaren trailed Red Bull Racing by 112 points and sat third in the title. 

Lando Norris and McLaren celebrate victory in Abu Dhabi.Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images

McLaren then won five of the remaining 12 Grand Prix and collected a series of podiums to take the crown. 

Team principal Andrea Stella joined the team in 2015, and has ridden all the bumps on the way to leading the team out of the wilderness when he was appointed as its head in 2023 when it started the season with the slowest car. 

“The time I joined McLaren to now, end of the season, celebrating a championship, means that we’ve gone through a circle,” Andrea Stella said to select media after the title win.

“I often mention to the team the fact that the first race in 2015 in Australia, [the gap] between our lap in Q1 and pole position was five seconds.

“We have gone all the way thanks to great resilience, thanks to great belief and I would like to thank in particular Zak Brown [CEO], Paul Walsh [executive chairman of the McLaren Group], all our shareholders for their faith in the change that gradually they have implemented and that has put McLaren in a solid position.

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in victory lane at Qatar.Photo by Andy Hone / LAT Images

“When you are solid from a management point of view, you are trusted. When you start to deliver on the investment that was necessary, then you can compete at the top.

“I think the final bit of this circle came through the people. Unlocking the people which is something that I’ve said several times.

“I’m not sure if it’s something that (someone) who listens can actually appreciate what it means, if you are not part of seeing such a rapid progress of 1000 people. 

“But that’s what has happened because you cannot achieve these standards, this performance, these operations, this reliability without every one of the 1000 people operating at very high level. 

“That’s what we have gone through in these 10 years at McLaren but hopefully this is not an end point, this is just a starting point for more to come in the future.”

Formula 1 World Constructors’ Champions Constructor Titles Seasons

Ferrari 16 1961, 1964, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008

McLaren 9 1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 2024

Williams 9 1980, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997

Mercedes 8 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

Lotus 7 1963, 1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1978

Red Bull 6 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023

Cooper 2 1959, 1960

Brabham 2 1966, 1967

Renault 2 2005, 2006

Vanwall 1 1958

BRM 1 1962

Matra 1 1969

Tyrrell 1 1971

Benetton 1 1995

Brawn 1 2009

The Climb Back to the Top under Zak Brown 

2016 McLaren-Honda MP4-31 6^th 

2017 McLaren-Honda MCL32 9^th

2018 McLaren-Renault MCL33 6^th 

2019 McLaren-Renault MCL34 4^th

2020 McLaren-Renault MCL35 3^rd

2021 McLaren-Mercedes MCL35M 4^th 

2022 McLaren-Mercedes MCL36 5^th 

2023 McLaren-Mercedes MCL60 4^th 

2024 McLaren-Mercedes MCL38 1^st 

2024 F1 World Constructors’ Championship

1 McLaren Mercedes 666

2 Ferrari 652

3 Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT 589

4 Mercedes 468

5 Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes 94

6 Alpine Renault 65

7 Haas Ferrari 58

8 RB Honda RBPT 46

9 Williams Mercedes 17

10 Kick Sauber Ferrari 4

Photo by Steven Tee / LAT Images

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