McLaren has established itself as the dominant team in the first half of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship and, once again, they surpassed Ferrari by setting a new pit-stop record at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The team led by race director Andrea Stella is determined to win at every race on the calendar.
Despite Oscar Piastri warning that Ferrari remains their direct competitor and advising to keep a close eye on Charles Leclerc, the McLaren “papaya boys” continue to rack up successes in every area of competition—not only on the track but also in the crucial pit lane battles.
At the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest, the last race before the summer break, McLaren set a new benchmark for the fastest pit stops, beating the previous record held by Ferrari. This achievement was largely thanks to the two pit stops carried out for Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris during the race, where the mechanics executed tire changes in an incredibly fast 1.94 seconds.
This time was six hundredths of a second quicker than Ferrari’s pit stops earlier this year at Monaco and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. It was also a tenth of a second faster than the record McLaren themselves set at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
“It’s a great way to go into the summer break,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown in an interview with Sky Sports F1 after Sunday’s race. “I have to say, you’re never perfect in a race, you have to take a step back and analyze. But I think we were closer to perfection. The drivers were fantastic, the pit stops were fantastic, and the strategy was excellent to allow Lando to get up there. Oscar drove brilliantly. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
The gap between Ferrari and McLaren is weighing heavily
As the 2025 season reaches its halfway point, McLaren sits firmly at the top of the Constructors’ Championship with 559 points. Ferrari holds second place, largely thanks to the podium finishes secured by Charles Leclerc. Ferrari now faces the challenge of defending its position against Mercedes, who sit third in the standings with 236 points. Red Bull trails further behind with 194 points. Meanwhile, Williams leads the midfield teams with 70 points.
McLaren’s combination of strong driver performances, flawless pit work, and strategic excellence is setting the pace for the rest of the championship, and Ferrari must work hard to close the growing gap if they hope to challenge for the title by the end of the season.
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