McLaren has admitted it is locked in a waiting game with Red Bull over a risk it took in 2025 to cut off development of its Formula 1 car earlier than its title rival.
McLaren started 2025 with a car that was comfortably the class of the field, the MCL39 enjoying a substantial advantage over its rivals.
Winning seven out of the first ten races, the team was set firmly on the the path to the constructors’ championship, wrapping up the title with seven races remaining.
But despite its success, Lando Norris did not secure the driver’s championship until the last race of the season, beating Max Verstappen by just two points.
McLaren’s loss of race winning pace was caused by the team taking the decision mid-season to stop all development of the MCL39, while Red Bull continued until the final races.
The team’s Engineering Technical Director Neil Houldley stands by the decision, stating the need to enter 2026 with a head-start on the vast array of new rules.
“If we had continued to develop in 2025, we would have certainly gone into 2026 slower than we’re going to,” Houldley said to media, including Motorsport Week.
A clear cut off point for McLaren
Houldley confirmed that McLaren got a stage where its upgrades where delivering fine margins, which reaffirmed the team’s decision.
“We were looking for milliseconds; 30 milliseconds was a good upgrade at that point, so when you get to that sort of level, it was clear for us at the time [to stop development on the 2025 car].
“Other teams continued their development, and it certainly gave Red Bull some great gains towards the end of the year, but I still think we’ve made the right decision, and when we get to 2026, hopefully, that will be proved.”
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