Just 18 months ago, there was no reason to think that the last two seasons of the ground-effect era in Formula 1 would feature anything other than Red Bull domination. Twenty-one wins from 22 races in 2023 and four from the first five of 2024 suggested we’d have to wait until the next ruleset before anyone other than Max Verstappen got to shoot for the world title.
McLaren’s remarkable turnaround since its poor start to 2023, not to mention strong if inconsistent cameos from Ferrari and Mercedes, changed all that. The MCL39 has already delivered a second consecutive constructors’ crown for McLaren and Jake Boxall-Legge explains how the car came about, plus its key strengths, in part of this month’s McLaren special.
Great people are required to create great cars, and McLaren boss Zak Brown tells Stuart Codling what inspires him and how he has helped turn the team around in this issue’s interview.
Ron Dennis changed McLaren – and F1 – during the 1980s and two cars from his era go head-to-head. The MP4/4, which famously took 15 wins from 16 races in 1988, is often cited as the greatest F1 McLaren, but we reckon the MP4/2 should have something to say about that; even some of the key players don’t agree…
While Verstappen has been the driver to give McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the most trouble in 2025, George Russell has been the other star of the F1 season. We take a look at his campaign and place within Mercedes.
There’s been much talk about the 2026 regulations but what about the outgoing ground-effect chapter? We assess just how much of a success the 2022-25 period has really been.
Elsewhere in the issue, Marcus Simmons explores the big changes that are happening to the junior single-seater ladder, Gary Watkins interviews IMSA champion Matt Campbell, and Tom Howard hears from World Rally star Kalle Rovanpera about the Finn’s racing switch and dreams of reaching F1.
We also bring you season reviews of the major UK series, the story of Super Saloon legend Baby Bertha, and celebrate the Walter Hayes Trophy in our 30-page National section.
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