It hadn’t happened for over a quarter of a century. That’s how long it has been since McLaren Racing won the Constructors Championship in F1. In many ways, the 2024 season felt like the late 90s, as two of the most successful teams in the sport went head-to-head for silverware in the final race of the season. Just like in 1998, the team held Scuderia Ferrari at bay, only this time, it was Lando Norris who secured his fourth win of the season.

Naturally, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown was elated at the outcome. The 53-year-old motorsports executive penned a heartfelt letter to fans after the team’s iconic triumph at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

McLaren’s F1 dominance comes after years of struggles

Lando Norris had the chance to make history. The stakes were higher than ever for McLaren Racing going into the 24th race of the season, as the team was in a unique opportunity to do something they hadn’t experienced for years. No driver since the legendary Mika Häkkinen had prevailed with the team since the late 90s, but the 25-year-old F1 driver was determined to seize his chance. After finishing on pole in Abu Dhabi, Norris went on to dominate the race and finished first, ahead of Scuderia Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

In a heartfelt letter written by McLaren Racing’s Zak Brown, he said, “Winning the Constructors’ Championship is a dream come true for every single person associated with McLaren. Like myself, they will all, at some stage, have been captivated by the thrill of Formula 1 and dreamt of being involved in a moment of history like this. It’s a massive achievement, and fitting that this year is the 50th anniversary of our first Constructors’ Championship win in 1974. This is our sport’s ultimate prize. It’s why we go racing: we want to win titles, not just to compete.”

In many ways, Brown deserves a lot of credit for McLaren Racing’s change in fortunes. When he took over the F1 team in 2018, they were struggling in the middle of the pack, far from the heavyweights such as Red Bull, Mercedes, and even Scuderia Ferrari. The journey has been far from easy for the British motor racing team, who finished fourth in 2023, 104 points behind ‘the prancing horse’ who ended up third. The championship is a testament to the work done behind the scenes at the McLaren Technology Centre, which has translated to improved on-track performance this year.

Sergio Perez’s inconsistency at Red Bull Racing has helped too. The Mexican was far from his best in 2024 and ended the season eighth while driving the same car that propelled Max Verstappen to his fourth World Championship. Things are finally looking up for McLaren’s F1 team, as they not only have much-needed bragging rights but also a significant amount of prize money, which can be reinvested back into the team to maintain their dominance next year as well.

McLaren Racing’s reliability sealed the deal

While plenty of plaudits are going towards Lando Norris, and rightfully so, an important aspect is often overlooked when looking back at McLaren Racing’s Constructors Championship triumph. Amongst the top-four F1 teams that were competing for silverware, Zak Brown’s side was the only one that didn’t have reliability issues that cost them points in 2024. This small, yet extremely significant factor made all the difference in a sport where the finest of margins can make all the difference.

Giving credit where it’s due, McLaren Racing’s team boss Andrea Stella said, “Definitely from an operational point of view and a reliability point of view the team so far have been able to achieve standards that in my career in Formula 1, they make me think of my early 2000s years at Ferrari, where reliability was kind of a religion and the standards were very high. In every Formula 1 team, you don’t achieve these results in an unstructured way.”

Even though Verstappen lifted the silverware once again, he wasn’t immune to reliability issues either. The Dutch driver was forced to retire in Australia after his brake caught fire and lost out on a victory at the iconic Spa because of an issue with the engine energy recovery system during a practice session in Montreal. Meanwhile, Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faced a power unit problem while Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were forced to retire early because of engine troubles at Silverstone and Albert Park respectively.

Meanwhile, McLaren’s F1 team was more solid than ever before. Oscar Piastri joined Michael Schumacher (2002), Lewis Hamilton (2019), and Max Verstappen (2023) as the only drivers to complete every single lap in an F1 season! A remarkable achievement for the 23-year-old. As a team, McLaren managed to score points in every race in 2024, which gave them the edge in the constructors’ championship.

Ultimately, winning championships is not about securing big victories, but getting the little things right because they translate into big results. Zak Brown’s team can be proud of how far they have come this year, but the goal next year will be to challenge for the World Championship as well and break Verstappen’s dominance once and for all. Piastri spoke of his mindset heading into next season. “I think hopefully we can come out the blocks strong next season and mount a challenge from the start,” the 23-year-old said. Notably, Piastri only managed two top-5 finishes in the first 6 races of the season.

Piastri added, “I still have some things to work on and improve, but I feel like it’s been a good step up from my rookie season on the whole. Excited for next year, excited for a bit of a break first and then go again and try and fight for both championships.” His rookie season will go down in the history books for individual and team reasons, but his main goal is to fight for the championship again. Do you think Piastri or Norris can end Verstappen’s dominance?