McLaren‘s 2025 F1 car – the MCL39 – made its first on-track debut at Silverstone.
The unveiling happened during a promotional filming day, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri sharing driving duties marking the first F1 team to reveal their car for the upcoming season.
In a strategic move ahead of the official F1 season launch, McLaren’s 2025 F1 car sported a distinctive geometric camo livery, blending shades of papaya and black.
The team’s decision to use a temporary livery on the MCL39 aligns with an agreement among all ten teams to keep their official designs secret until the F1 season launch event in London.
This approach allowed McLaren to conduct essential testing and promotional activities without fully disclosing their final livery. The MCL39’s debut at Silverstone provided the team with valuable data and an opportunity to assess the car’s initial performance.
The team’s social media accounts shared a short video accompanied by pictures of the MCL39 making its track debut at Silverstone.
The Woking-based outfit aims to defend its Constructors’ Championship title, secured for the first time in over two decades, and pursue their first Drivers’ Championship since 2008. The team recognizes the intense competition and need for continuous improvement to maintain their spot at the front of the grid.
Team CEO Zak Brown highlighted the significance of McLaren’s 2025 F1 car debut highlighting the team’s hard work and determination to fight for the 2025 F1 World title.
“Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title,” said 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.”
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the competitiveness of the grid and the team’s focus on maximizing their performance.
“Whilst we finished last year as champions, 2024 highlighted how highly competitive the grid is, which is something that will carry through to this year’s championship,“ he said.
“We therefore must keep focused to compete at the front in this tight field. It’s going to be an exciting but incredibly challenging year ahead.
“The team have worked extremely hard to prepare as best as possible for the start of the season. We learned a lot from our battles last year, so we take this and use it to push our goal for the year.”
Norris and Piastri react to first runs in the MCL39
Lando Norris shared his excitement on McLaren’s 2025 F1 car debuting a camo livery ahead of its official launch. The British driver is looking to secure his maiden F1 title after a close miss in 2024 with his first four race victories.
“It’s exciting to hop in the MCL39 for the first time and see what it can do on track, ahead of pre-season testing in Bahrain,” Norris said.
“The camo livery is a fun one and it’s great to be able to showcase something different ahead of our full livery reveal at the official F1 75 launch.
“Thank you to the entire team for their work in getting us to this point. This year will be more competitive than ever, so we’ve got a lot to do to be able to retain our Constructor’s title and go for the Drivers’ as well.
“I’ve been back at the MTC 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.”
Oscar Piastri also shared his excitement and further underlined his commitment to preparing for the upcoming season.
“It’s great to get behind the wheel of McLaren’s 2025 F1 car for the first time ahead of us putting it through its paces in Bahrain,” he said. “The camo livery looks cool and I am excited to showcase what we’ll be racing in this season at the official livery reveal next week.
“I have been working hard in the off-season to ensure I am ready for the season ahead. The margins at the top are likely to be incredibly tight but I’m excited by the room for growth after two seasons in the sport.
“Winning grands prix early in my career has given me the taste for success and I want much more. As a team, we can take great momentum into 2025 after such a brilliant year in 2024.
“A big thank you to everyone back at base and trackside for all the hard work that’s been done so far.”
The MCL39 represents the 39th car produced by McLaren since Ron Dennis took over the company in 1981, continuing a long-standing tradition.
The launch of McLaren’s 2025 F1 car underscores the team’s ambition and readiness for the upcoming season. Their strategic approach, combining on-track testing with promotional activities, demonstrates their commitment to success.
As Team Papaya prepares for pre-season testing and the official livery reveal, the team remains grounded and focused. They know that the hard work has only just begun, and there will be many challenges to overcome along the way.
