McLaren have showcased their new challenger for the 2025 season with Lando Norris stepping behind the wheel of the MCL39 in a filming day at Silverstone.
The Woking-based squad became the first F1 team to unveil their new car, running a camouflaged livery in a track outing. Williams will follow, launching their new challenger on Friday, with Haas set to showcase their new design on Sunday.
Both Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri stepped behind the wheel of the MCL39 at Silverstone on Thursday, with the drivers donning black and grey overalls with striking orange details.
While the car that hit the track was McLaren’s actual 2025 challenger, the camouflaged livery is a one-off for the filming day. The reigning constructor champions will unveil their true new paint scheme along with the other nine teams at the F1 75 Live event in London on Tuesday.
Andrea Stella’s squad face an anxious wait until the first race in Melbourne as they look to defend the Constructors’ Championship title and help one of their two drivers beat Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes’ stars to the Drivers’ Championship crown.
“Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title,” said McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. “It’s great to get our Championship challenger, the MCL39, on track for the first time and to launch the culmination of the team’s hard work.
“We must be realistic that every team will have made progress over the winter. Last year highlighted just how much the grid has closed up, which is a brilliant thing for the sport.
“We believe we have made further steps forward since the championship-winning MCL38 but we won’t know where we sit in the standings until we get into Qualifying in Australia. We’re a team that never stops racing, and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both championships back to Woking.”
Brown’s comments serve as a warning shot to rivals Ferrari and Red Bull, although the former will be an increased threat in 2025 after adding seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton to their driver line-up.