F1 | McLaren dominates even while battling: the true strength of the MCL39 emerged in the first stint
During the opening 19 laps of the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the McLaren Formula 1 Team demonstrated clear and undisputed dominance despite an intense internal on-track battle between teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The scenario evoked vivid memories from nearly a decade ago, when in the 2014 Bahrain Grand Prix, Mercedes allowed its drivers to race hard against each other while maintaining a significant performance advantage over the rest of the field. Back then, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg fought closely, yet continued to extend their lead — a perfect example of absolute technical and strategic superiority.
Although the current competitive edge of the McLaren Formula 1 Team may not be fully comparable to that era of Mercedes domination, the first stint of the race in Spielberg nonetheless sent a strong and unmistakable message: McLaren is currently a force to be reckoned with. The Woking-based squad was clearly in control of the situation, dictating the pace and controlling the dynamics of the race right from the early laps.
This aligns with previous performances. Just two weeks prior in Canada, where the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve isn’t traditionally favorable to McLaren’s aerodynamic characteristics, the team still managed to fight for a podium finish. That confirmed a consistent trend: the true strength of the McLaren MCL39 lies in its versatility, its ability to remain highly competitive even on circuits that should, on paper, expose its weaknesses.
However, on tracks that suit the car’s design philosophy and aerodynamic balance — like the Red Bull Ring — the papaya-colored MCL39 is able to fully unleash its performance potential. On such layouts, the performance margin over the competition increases noticeably, and the McLaren MCL39 becomes not only a key protagonist but also almost untouchable in terms of raw pace and tire management capabilities. Analyzing the sector data and on-track behavior allows for a clearer understanding of how and why this phase of the Grand Prix was so significant.
Even though the time gaps to rival teams are not fully representative due to the intra-team battle, it was clear from the outside that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were pushing each other to keep the overall race pace extremely high. Lando Norris, the British driver, couldn’t afford to slow down too much, particularly through the second and third sectors of the circuit. These sections offered Oscar Piastri several opportunities to launch an attack, leaving Norris with minimal chances to manage his tire temperatures without risking position.
Given the layout of the Red Bull Ring, which includes three consecutive straights with DRS (Drag Reduction System) activation zones, Lando Norris often had to push through the fast, sweeping corners to gain just enough of a gap to stay out of Piastri’s reach and deny the Australian driver a DRS-assisted overtake. It was a strategically essential approach, since Oscar Piastri could use those zones to close the gap without expending much energy or tire life.
As seen during the first stint, Lando Norris frequently adjusted the engine deployment modes on his McLaren MCL39. On certain laps, this left him with reduced available energy in the final sector, forcing him to compensate under braking by switching to more aggressive brake energy recovery settings. While effective, these more aggressive settings also made braking less stable and reduced overall confidence in deceleration zones.
Data and telemetry analysis highlight that most of the McLaren MCL39’s advantage was generated in very specific areas of the track — particularly in the third sector, which features a sequence of medium- and high-speed corners. These are the types of turns where the MCL39’s aerodynamic downforce package and its superior thermal tire management capabilities shine. Even under high ambient and track temperatures, the car was able to maintain a consistently high race pace without suffering the degradation problems seen on other cars, including those of direct rivals.
This interpretation is backed up by a comparison of sector times. Between Lando Norris and Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, the time gap in Sectors 1 and 2 remained relatively close, with Norris only gaining slightly more than half a tenth of a second. However, in Sector 3 — where fast corners and load sensitivity dominate — the difference expanded significantly, reaching as much as a quarter of a second. That kind of gap clearly illustrates that the performance delta was not uniform, but originated in those portions of the track where the MCL39 could best express its strengths.
Comparing McLaren to Ferrari also highlights another key point: the enduring use of the “lift and coast” technique by the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 Team. This method, used to reduce brake wear and manage temperatures, has been a standard Ferrari strategy for years. The Red Bull Ring places moderate demands on braking systems, particularly in Turns 1, 3, and 4, where drivers decelerate sharply from high speeds. While the rest of the lap is less demanding, the elevated temperatures made brake cooling a challenge. It’s true that Ferrari had to manage this aspect more cautiously than McLaren, but the time loss was not as dramatic as expected — nor was the lift and coast as constant as in some past races.
Of course, the frequent wheel-to-wheel battles between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri — especially in the first two sectors — influenced the comparison with Charles Leclerc, who was running in cleaner air. In those moments, both McLaren drivers were focused on defending and maintaining position despite being in turbulent air. Even accounting for these factors, the overall difference remained modest, and there was no major discrepancy in terms of top speed between the McLaren and Ferrari cars.
One could argue that Charles Leclerc, knowing he couldn’t match the relentless pace of the McLaren drivers, chose to preserve his tires and not extract 100% performance from them. Yet the persistent deficit in Sector 3, where lift and coast is less relevant, points toward a more structural reason — McLaren’s ability to generate strong downforce and preserve tire integrity across a stint, even while engaging in internal battles.
This aspect became even more evident during the second stint of the Austrian Grand Prix. By pitting first, Lando Norris aimed to create a time buffer over Oscar Piastri and prevent any undercut threat. Charles Leclerc, who pitted shortly afterward, found himself in light traffic during his out-lap and the following lap, delaying his rhythm. Additionally, Leclerc introduced the tire more gently in order to extend its peak performance window, opting for a slower but more linear buildup of grip.
There was, however, a brief window during which the Scuderia Ferrari SF-25 was actually faster than Lando Norris — and nearly on par with Oscar Piastri. This occurred shortly before Norris encountered backmarkers. It is worth noting that during this phase, Norris had started to manage his tire life more conservatively, aiming to maintain a four-lap delta to Piastri. As a result, he eased off particularly in those high-speed corners where he had previously made the most significant time gains.
Interestingly, these same laps were the ones in which Charles Leclerc attempted to improve his race pace. His push triggered a radio message from his race engineer, who warned that he was too aggressive in Sector 2 — a sector with two key braking zones where lift and coast is essential to reduce thermal load. The engineer also instructed him to increase tire management, particularly through Turn 9 — one of the most demanding corners in terms of lateral G-forces and tire wear.
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