McLaren have clinched the Formula One Constructors’ Championship title for the second season in a row. Zak Brown’s squad clinched the trophy at the Singapore Grand Prix as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished third and fourth.
The Woking-based squad arrived in Singapore with a 333-point advantage over second-placed Mercedes, and while George Russell’s pole position put a minor spanner in the works, McLaren went into Sunday’s Grand Prix knowing that even if the Silver Arrows’ duo finished in the top two positions, they would only need 13 points to seal the crown.
The job was completed on Sunday at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Russell scored his second Grand Prix victory of the year ahead of Max Verstappen, but Norris and Piastri followed the two frontrunners home, wrapping up the World Championship in the cloud of yet another team orders fiasco. The Australian was unhappy with his squad after they opted not to swap the cars following opening-lap contact at Turn Three.
McLaren’s big night has been a long time coming. Andrea Stella’s team made a dramatic step forward in the middle of the 2024 campaign en route to their first Constructors’ crown since 1998, and cemented their advantage during the off-season with an aggressive development plan.
Despite Verstappen’s best efforts, including two against-all-odds wins in the Japanese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix, McLaren established an early advantage in both World Championships. Norris won the season opener in Australia despite battling treacherous conditions, and Piastri got his win tally up and running the following weekend in China.
Piastri responded to Verstappen’s win in round three of the campaign with three consecutive Grand Prix victories, before Norris reacted and dragged his way back into contention in Imola and Monaco. Canada was a low point for the Brit, though, as a late crash with his team-mate generated a huge point swing.
The McLaren duo followed Russell’s Montreal triumph with five successive race wins shared between them before Verstappen announced his return to the Drivers’ title fight with back-to-back wins in Monza and Baku. However, while the papaya squad will head to Austin winless in three races, they will do so as back-to-back world champions.
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