McLaren’s 2025 F1 car features the only ‘real innovation’ on the grid that rivals cannot copy – McLaren went into the 2025 Formula One season knowing they needed to take another leap forward. Despite securing their first Constructors’ Championship in 26 years in 2024, their triumph came down to the wire, with Lando Norris needing to win the season finale to hold off Ferrari. Meanwhile, Red Bull, despite some struggles with Sergio Perez’s performance, saw Max Verstappen win his fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship.
With the 2026 regulations looming, teams were cautious about making radical changes that might not bring long-term benefits. But when McLaren’s MCL39 first hit the track at Silverstone ahead of pre-season testing, it was clear that Andrea Stella’s team were not afraid to push the boundaries.
Now, after three days of pre-season testing in Bahrain, there is a growing consensus in the paddock that McLaren may have an edge over their rivals. A key design change, identified by journalist and technical analyst Craig Scarborough, stands out as the only “real innovation” on the 2025 grid – one that cannot be easily replicated by other teams.
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A season of convergence
Formula One has entered an era of extreme technical sophistication, with teams converging on similar solutions. Speaking on Peter Windsor’s YouTube channel, Scarborough explained how most teams have followed predictable design trends for 2025.
“In terms of the nose, in terms of the front suspension, in terms of the sidepod shapes, the floor shapes, even the diffuser shapes to a certain extent – there’s nothing that’s really popped up that we haven’t seen before,” Scarborough explained. “Everybody’s kind of trying everybody else’s ideas.”
Despite this general uniformity, McLaren has introduced a ground-breaking development in a crucial aerodynamic area – one that its rivals will struggle to replicate.
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The game-changing innovation
McLaren’s innovation lies in the intricate aerodynamic management of the front of the car, specifically involving the positioning of the steering rack and track rod arms. These components are often overlooked by the casual observer, but they play a vital role in directing airflow towards the floor of the car, which is essential for generating downforce.
“If you don’t remember, McLaren actually changed the position of the steering rack last year,” Scarborough noted. “The steering rack and the track-rod arms are actually quite an important part of the aerodynamics of the front of these cars, because they create downwash and the flow into the ground.”
McLaren’s decision in the 2024 to move the track-rod arms from in front of the lower suspension to behind it allowed them to be positioned lower and more effectively integrated with the control arm. This small but crucial adjustment improved airflow efficiency, allowing cleaner air to be directed to the underfloor, a key area for downforce generation under F1’s ground effect regulations.
The effectiveness of this solution has not gone unnoticed. Mercedes have implemented a similar concept for 2025, copying McLaren’s layout from last season. But McLaren have gone a step further.
“They’ve actually moved the steering rack slightly forward,” explains Scarborough. “Instead of being behind the lower wishbone, it’s now between the two legs of the lower wishbone.”
Why rivals can’t copy McLaren’s solution
At first glance, repositioning the steering rack may not seem like a radical breakthrough, but in F1, seemingly small changes can have massive implications. McLaren’s latest adjustment is particularly difficult for other teams to replicate because of how it integrates with their specific front suspension design.
Each team’s chassis and suspension layout is highly optimised to work as a cohesive package. Moving the steering rack and track-rod arms is not as simple as moving components around; it requires a redesign of the suspension geometry, structural reinforcements and aerodynamic interactions. With most teams already committed to their 2025 designs, it would be impractical to make such fundamental changes now.
Furthermore, having worked on this concept for over a year, McLaren have a significant head start in fine-tuning it for maximum aerodynamic benefit. Even if a rival team attempted to implement a similar idea for 2026, McLaren would have a full season’s worth of data and refinement, giving them a competitive edge.
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A decisive advantage for 2025
McLaren’s latest innovation is testament to the team’s resurgence under Stella’s leadership. While the 2024 season saw them gradually close the gap on Red Bull, their ability to introduce a concept that is not only original, but almost impossible to replicate, gives them a crucial advantage heading into 2025.
As the first race of the season approaches, all eyes will be on McLaren to see if this aerodynamic breakthrough translates into on-track dominance. If it does, its rivals may have no choice but to play catch-up all season – something that could cement McLaren’s position as the team to beat before the sport enters its next era of regulation in 2026.
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2024 was a year in Formula One where the referees of the sport took a higher profile than usual. Of course this was eclipsed by the last lap of the last race drama in 2021 but in general paddock talk of how the various decisions were being made made last year was a frequent.
A number of incidents between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, where both were punished on different occasions, exposed the secretive ‘F1 driver guide lines’ issued to the stewards each year by the FIA.
Max clearly understood the rule which defined who ‘owned’ the corner as was evident in Austin, Texas. There despite having been passed by Norris, his late dash for the apex of the corner in fact earned him the right to run the McLaren driver off the circuit.
There was much talk from the drivers that they needed a closer collaboration with the FIA on how these matters were judged, but as yet there appears to be no official comment on whether any aspects of the guidelines has changed.
What has changed is Mohammed Be Sulayem has been riding his hobby horse and the punishments for F1 drivers swearing has been upped. The first time a driver is sanctioned for bad language by the stewards he will receive a €40,000 fine which will be doubled for the second time. Should this happen on a third occasion during the season the fine will increase to €120,000 and the driver will receive a whopping…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
The Judge, a nom de plume of an experienced F1 journalist and site founder with long-standing sources across the paddock. With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
