SILVERSTONE, England — Lando Norris has been given the first taste of the McLaren he hopes will propel him to Formula One world championship glory as the British team unveiled their new car at Silverstone.
Norris fell short in his quest to take his first title last year after Max Verstappen saw off his challenge to land his fourth consecutive crown.
But Norris, 25, and team-mate Oscar Piastri still delivered McLaren’s first constructors’ championship since 1998 at the concluding round in Abu Dhabi last December.
Norris was first to drive the new McLaren, with Piastri due to take over at Silverstone later in the day.
The pair will complete 125 miles between them during a promotional filming event ahead of the pre-season test in Bahrain later this month.
“This year will be more competitive than ever, so we’ve got a lot to do to be able to retain our constructors’ title and go for the drivers’ as well,” said Norris.
“I’ve been back at the MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) prepping for the season ahead and the mood is feeling positive but focused.
“We’re all looking forward to getting the car on track in Bahrain ahead of our competitive debut in Australia and to see where we net out amongst the other teams. It’s shaping up to be an exciting season.”
Norris took the championship fight to Verstappen last year after claiming his maiden win in Miami before further victories in the Netherlands, Singapore and Abu Dhabi followed.
But his individual challenge ran out of steam, following mistakes by driver and team, with Verstappen – who won seven of the opening 10 races – wrapping up the title in Las Vegas with three rounds to spare.
However, after relatively few changes to the sport’s rulebook, Norris, with the experience of competing for a title, will be expected to be competing at the sharp end once more when the 24-round season begins in Melbourne on March 16.
“Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title,” said McLaren 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.”
McLaren showcased a one-off camo livery ahead of unveiling their official colours for the new campaign at next week’s F1 launch at the 02 Arena in London.
