In a seismic shift in Formula 1, McLaren clinched the 2024 Constructors’ Championship with a commanding 666 points, outpacing Ferrari’s 652 and Red Bull Racing’s 589. This marked McLaren’s first constructors’ title since 1998 and underscored their dominance in the current ground-effect era. Led by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, McLaren outpaced its rivals, leaving Red Bull to reflect on a year of faltering supremacy.
Red Bull’s Decline: From Dominance to Defeat
Red Bull entered 2024 with sky-high expectations after a record-breaking 2023 campaign where they achieved 21 Grand Prix victories. Yet, the RB20, plagued by bouncing issues and inconsistent raw pace, failed to replicate the dominance of its predecessor, the RB19. The team managed only nine wins, a far cry from their 2023 peak.
Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard reflected on the difficulty of maintaining F1 dominance:
“I’ve been around long enough to know that just because you’ve won in the past doesn’t mean it stays that way. 2023 was such a dominant year. When you are already so close to the top of Everest, it is just very difficult to make changes.”
Despite the setbacks, Coulthard acknowledged the team’s resilience:
“There was clearly a path, a direction they were taking with the car, with which they still won nine races. More than anyone else.”
McLaren: The New Standard
McLaren’s resurgence was evident from the Miami Grand Prix onward, with the team displaying remarkable consistency and speed across the calendar. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri proved to be a formidable pairing, leveraging the Woking-based team’s engineering brilliance to dethrone Red Bull.
Norris emerged as a serious contender for the Drivers’ Championship, while Piastri’s rapid development showcased McLaren’s long-term potential. Their combined efforts secured 666 points, a symbolic figure for their rivals to reckon with.
The Path Ahead: 2025 and Beyond
As Formula 1 gears up for the final year of the ground-effect regulations in 2025, McLaren is poised as the team to beat. With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri hungry for their first drivers’ titles, the papaya squad is determined to extend its newfound supremacy.
Red Bull, meanwhile, faces an uphill battle. Max Verstappen and his team will need to extract every ounce of performance from the RB21 to reclaim their lost crown. Ferrari, too, looms as a potent challenger, eager to leverage its 2024 gains.
The Stakes for 2025
McLaren’s triumph has shifted the narrative in Formula 1. The stage is set for an epic showdown in 2025, with Norris and Piastri aiming to deliver McLaren its first Drivers’ Championship since Lewis Hamilton’s legendary 2008 campaign. Meanwhile, Red Bull must find answers quickly if they hope to avoid being relegated to a supporting role in the sport’s evolving power dynamic.
For fans, 2025 promises unparalleled drama, as the era of ground-effect racing comes to a close with a fight for the ages.