McLaren became the first F1 team to launch its 2025 car as the MCL39 hit the track at Silverstone in a camo livery on Thursday.
At first glance, the car looks very much like the 2024 MCL38, and that is not misleading.
Although the camouflage colours hide the precise elements of the car, a thorough refinement of the dynamics as well as aerodynamics can be seen.
The wings can be disregarded, as they are very similar to the latest versions of the MCL38.
However, looking at the suspension of the car, it is clear the upper wishbone is strongly inclined, while it is picked up very low again by the rear arm.
It is therefore very interesting to note the front suspension seems very accentuated compared to the previous model. This is further confirmed by the increased height of the front wishbone at the bottom of the section.
An attempt has been made to increase the inclination of the lower wishbone, for the same reasons the inclination of the upper wishbone was increased.
The sidepods have a less rounded profile on the outside, but the engine cover in particular is much less bulky. In fact, the profile of the cover is almost completely straight.
In addition, a different position of the lower wishbone can be seen at the rear suspension. This indicates a change in concept, hidden by the new shape of the car’s rear body.
The bottom line is the statements of team boss Andrea Stella can already be confirmed as the car marks the point of arrival of the hard work to boost its strengths compared to the previous one.
In any case, it is now already clear that the MCL39 is a lot more extreme than the MCL38.
View the differences between the MCL39 and MCL38 below!
