Formula 1 Mexican GP
Why McLaren feels halting 2025 F1 development was the right call
Despite Max Verstappen's late challenge, McLaren feels it has made the right decision to stop development of its 2025 Formula 1 car early
Filip Cleeren Ronald Vording
Edited: Oct 24, 2025, 10:44 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
McLaren has explained why it still backs its decision to halt development of its 2025 F1 challenger early, leaving the door open for Red Bull to take the upper hand.
McLaren made 2024's best car better with an innovative approach over the off-season, picking up where it left off as F1's dominant team before the summer break. It further enhanced its car with significant upgrades in Canada, Austria and Britain, but after its Silverstone floor overhaul the Woking-based team has fully shifted focus to 2026, other than finding some minor efficiency gains with its Monza wing and floor as well as some other track-specific items.
McLaren's early season advantage was enough to canter to a second consecutive constructors' title by Singapore, but at the same time it also started getting caught by a reinvigorated Red Bull squad, which has brought another new floor to its RB21 at the Mexico Grand Prix.
That has allowed Max Verstappen to mount a late title challenge as he closed the gap to leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points with five rounds remaining, but McLaren team boss Andres Stella says there are no regrets over its approach because it started running out of development headroom with its current car compared to the rich vein of development it is hitting with its 2026 project.
"The 2026 project would be heavily compromised," Stella said when asked what the impact would have been of continuing 2025 development. "We have been very considerate in the timing of switching our full resources to 2026.
"From an aerodynamic point of view, our car was already quite mature. It takes weeks for us to add one point of aerodynamic efficiency because we were at a plateau in our aerodynamic development.
Andrea Stella, McLaren
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
"On the 2026 car, every week we add a lot of downforce. So that's where, with the best information you have available, you have to make a call. We were so much in the diminishing returns, we needed to be realistic and shift our attention to 2026."
If anything, McLaren's decision making was made more straightforward by F1's Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions, which limit wind tunnel and CFD allowance based on how successful a team has been in the preceding six-month period.
As such, McLaren has had the least development time available out of all 10 teams: "We also don't have to forget that by being the champions, we are the most restricted by the regulations in terms of the wind tunnel and CFD allowance. So it's not like we have an unlimited amount of resources that we can use," Stella added.
F1 Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions July-December 2025
Position Team Multiplier WT Runs (#) Wind On Time (Hrs) Wind Tunnel Occupancy (Hrs) Geometries (#) CFD Solving (MAuh) 1 McLaren 70% 224 56 280 1400 4.2 2 Mercedes 75% 240 60 300 1500 4.5 3 Ferrari 80% 256 64 320 1600 4.8 4 Red Bull 85% 272 68 340 1700 5.1 5 Williams 90% 288 72 360 1800 5.4 6 Haas 95% 304 76 380 1900 5.7 7 Racing Bulls 100% 320 80 400 2000 6.0 8 Aston Martin 105% 336 84 420 2100 6.3 9 Sauber 110% 352 88 440 2200 6.6 10 Alpine 115% 368 92 460 2400 6.9 Cadillac 115% 368 92 460 2300 6.9
Stella also pointed out that in contrast with McLaren's development plateau, Red Bull initially hit significant trouble running its car in the right set-up window, with the team only recently finding a way to run at the optimal ride heights without compromising downforce and car balance, and therefore having more performance to find than McLaren at this late stage of the regulations.
He also suggested Red Bull might have been happier to compromise 2026 because "they might have other issues", likely hinting at the Milton Keynes-based squad introducing its own in-house power unit for the new regulations.
"When we look at Red Bull and when we consider some of the complaints they had at the start of the season, perhaps they had more margin to develop efficiently, focussing on 2025," he added. "And perhaps they are happier to give up a little bit of the 2026 because they might have some other issues for 2026 whereby they say: 'Let's focus on 2025.'"
Red Bull brought its latest floor development to Mexico as Max Verstappen chases Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the drivers' championship
Photo by: Filip Cleeren
As such, McLaren would not have done anything differently in hindsight, even if its drivers Piastri and Lando Norris may end up missing out on the drivers' title.
"Not at all, because it's not like if I spend three weeks more on the 2025, it is going to add one tenth of lap time. We were just plateauing," Stella added.
"Actually, to produce the upgrades that we took at the middle of the season, it was a huge undertaking. We were like: 'Should we actually finalise [the parts]?' Because we were struggling to improve what was already a pretty mature project.
"I think it's much easier to develop when you have some specific problems. Red Bull, for instance, talked at times of struggling to rebalance with the front wing when they were using big rear wings. Then it's easier to find lap time because you are effectively fixing something rather than trying to improve something that already works well."
Photos from Mexican GP - Practice
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Mexican GP - Friday, in photos
Formula 1
53
Read Also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Jacques Villeneuve calls out McLaren for punishing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri 'like kids'
Next article F1 Mexico GP: Charles Leclerc quickest in FP1 as Arvid Lindblad leads rookie crop
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Filip Cleeren
Five key takeaways from F1's big African Grand Prix reveal in Rwanda
Formula 1
Formula 1
Five key takeaways from F1's big African Grand Prix reveal in Rwanda
F1 signs historic 10-year Rwanda deal to host African Grand Prix
Formula 1
Formula 1
F1 signs historic 10-year Rwanda deal to host African Grand Prix
Latest news
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 18 min
Christian Horner admits that F1 rivalry with Toto Wolff became "theatre"
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
6 h
Spire, Chris Gabehart reject Joe Gibbs Racing premise on deleted texts
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
10 h
Ricky Stenhouse explains his side of Michael McDowell conflict
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 11 h
Barnes: Why IndyCar’s updated licensing system fails its own integrity test
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe