Charles Leclerc claims McLaren MCL39 driven by Lando Norris matches the pace of one of F1’s greatest cars. Charles Leclerc says Lando Norris’ 2025 McLaren matches Verstappen’s RB19 as McLaren dominates F1.

Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, like much of the Formula 1 grid, has struggled to match the pace of McLaren during the 2025 Formula 1 season. The Woking-based team has surged to the front of the field in a commanding fashion, leaving rivals scrambling to keep up.

McLaren first emerged as the fastest package midway through the 2024 season. Despite their pace, Max Verstappen had already built an insurmountable lead and claimed the championship, while Lando Norris lost out to the Dutch driver by 69 points due to a series of mistakes in the second half of the year. Nonetheless, it became clear to everyone in the paddock that Red Bull no longer possessed the outright fastest car. Heading into pre-season testing for 2025, the data strongly suggested that McLaren had the strongest car on the grid. Although Lando Norris was initially cautious about reading too much into the testing data, he quickly demonstrated just how dominant the MCL39 truly is.

McLaren’s superiority has been starkly evident in 2025, with the team claiming victory in 11 of the 14 races so far. Lando Norris has secured five wins, while Oscar Piastri has added six, including four 1-2 finishes in the last four Grands Prix. This exceptional form has seen McLaren extend a commanding 299-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship, underlining their dominance in the current season.

Meanwhile, Ferrari have yet to claim a race win in 2025. The narrow operating window of the SF-25, combined with mistakes from the pit wall, has frustrated their drivers. Charles Leclerc was reportedly restrained from expressing his frustration publicly after losing the Hungarian Grand Prix to the McLaren duo, highlighting the growing gap between Ferrari and the Woking team.

Charles Leclerc has compared Lando Norris’ 2025 McLaren to Max Verstappen’s RB19, suggesting that the MCL39 is operating at a level similar to one of the most dominant cars in Formula 1 history. With McLaren’s current trajectory, the team appears almost certain to secure both championships in 2025. The MCL39 has set itself apart as the class of the field and could potentially go down as one of the most dominant cars in the sport’s modern era.

Statistically, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull RB19 remains the benchmark for dominance in Formula 1. In 2023, Verstappen and Sergio Perez won 21 out of 22 races, with only Leclerc’s then-Ferrari teammate Carlos Sainz preventing a complete clean sweep at the Singapore Grand Prix. Interestingly, on today’s grid, the RB19 would struggle to make Q3, highlighting the rapid evolution of F1 cars over the years and the technological advancements teams have made since.

Speaking to Autosprint, Charles Leclerc indicated that the McLaren MCL39 operates on a similar level to the RB19. He also emphasized that McLaren benefit from having two strong drivers, whereas Red Bull’s RB19 relied heavily on Verstappen’s performance to dominate. The Monegasque driver noted that both cars are capable of consistently outperforming rivals when driven without errors, but McLaren’s dual-driver strength gives them an additional advantage in the championship battle.

Looking ahead, McLaren are on course to challenge Mercedes’ record for the most 1-2 finishes in a single season. In 2016, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg achieved 12 1-2 results, and with 10 races remaining in 2025, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri would need seven more to surpass that mark. Given the consistency McLaren have displayed this year, it seems increasingly unlikely that any other team can close the gap in the constructors’ standings.

The intra-team rivalry between Norris and Piastri is also shaping up to be one of the most intense in recent F1 history. With just nine points separating the two drivers, Norris has regained momentum after winning three of the last four Grands Prix. McLaren have indicated that they will allow the pair to compete freely on track following the summer break, even if it creates internal challenges for the team. This approach promises an enthralling battle for the 2025 drivers’ championship and ensures fans can expect high-octane action for the remainder of the season.