After a historic resurgence in 2024, McLaren CEO Zak Brown is setting the stage for what he believes will be an all-time great Formula 1 season—a four-way title fight featuring McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes.
Fresh off clinching their first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years, McLaren enters 2025 as a true powerhouse, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri poised to challenge Max Verstappen for the world title.
Brown’s bold prediction: “We’re in for an epic season”
Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange conference, Brown made it clear—the dominance of one team is over, and 2025 will be a season unlike any other.
“I think the field is going to be even tighter than last season.”
“I see the top four teams being just as tight as they were at the end of the year… when you see the turnaround we had, there’s no reason why other teams can’t have that type of turnaround.”
With seven different race winners across four teams in 2024, the era of Verstappen’s unchecked dominance appears to be fading.
Brown believes the 2025 title fight will be unprecedented:
“I think we’re going to start for an epic season… I think we’re going to have an unbelievable three, four-way driver championship. And four teams fighting for the constructors’ (championship). I think that’s possible.”
The contenders: Verstappen vs. Norris vs. Hamilton vs. Leclerc?
While Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will aim for his fifth consecutive title, McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, along with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, are ready to challenge him like never before.
🚀 The Key Drivers to Watch in 2025:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull): After a far less dominant 2024, can he reclaim his authority in a tighter field?
- Lando Norris (McLaren): Coming off his best F1 season as 2024 runner-up, is this his time to finally beat Verstappen?
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari): Moving from Mercedes to Ferrari at age 40, chasing a record-breaking eighth world title.
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): With Ferrari only 14 points behind McLaren in 2024, Leclerc will be a major title threat.
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren): The rising star, already a Grand Prix winner, could be the ultimate dark horse.
How McLaren built a title-winning machine
McLaren’s meteoric rise in 2024 wasn’t just about driver talent—it was a masterclass in engineering and leadership.
Brown credited team principal Andrea Stella as the architect of McLaren’s return to the top. But in a surprising revelation, Brown shared that Stella initially rejected the role in 2020, believing he wasn’t ready.
“He had to sleep on it over the weekend and get comfortable with it. But once he jumped in, he got real serious real quick.”
After finally taking over in 2022, Stella transformed McLaren, leading them to their first championship since the Hakkinen era.
Will 2025 deliver a legendary F1 season?
With Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes all closing the gap, Formula 1 is poised for its most competitive season in years.
Is Verstappen’s reign nearing its end?
Can Hamilton pull off the ultimate comeback at Ferrari?
Will Norris finally take the next step to world champion?
One thing’s for sure—2025 is shaping up to be a season for the ages.
