McLaren may have missed out on the drivers’ championship this season, but they are on the brink of a major milestone — securing the constructors’ championship. With a 24-point lead over Ferrari, McLaren heads into the Qatar GP weekend as the clear favorite to end their long title drought.
The Woking team hasn’t won a championship since Lewis Hamilton’s drivers’ title in 2008, but this weekend offers them a massive opportunity to change that. McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently attributed the team’s incredible turnaround since 2023 to two main factors.
Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast, Brown emphasized that the people in the team are at the heart of their success.
“People, first and foremost! Leadership (of) Andrea Stella, but every department has to be firing on all cylinders because everything feeds performance,” the 53-year-old explained.
Brown also highlighted the importance of technology, mentioning the new wind tunnel, upgraded CFD, and simulator. However, he made it clear that the people and the culture within the team are the true drivers of McLaren’s resurgence. “If I had to put what’s number one on the list, it would be our people,” Brown stated.
Despite McLaren‘s strong position, Ferrari remains a significant threat in the constructors’ championship. Ferrari, like McLaren, hasn’t won any title since 2008 and will be eager to fight until the very end.
Can McLaren secure the championship in Qatar?
Since the maximum number of points a rival team can score in the season finale in Abu Dhabi is 44, McLaren needs to leave Qatar with a 45-point lead over Ferrari to claim the title, regardless of what happens in the season finale.
The task is challenging but not impossible and Qatar’s sprint weekend format adds extra opportunities to score, as the sprint race offers eight points for the winner.
If they can finish 1-2 in both the sprint and the Grand Prix, the Woking outfit will leave Qatar as the Constructors’ champions. Fortunately for McLaren, their past performance in Qatar should give them a lot of confidence.
Here’s how McLaren can clinch the World Constructors’ Championship this weekend in Qatar pic.twitter.com/WzcsGwsLn3
— Autosport (@autosport) November 27, 2024
In last year’s Qatar GP, McLaren was in top form as Oscar Piastri won the sprint race and finished second in the Grand Prix, while Lando Norris secured third place in both events. If they can replicate that form, McLaren has every reason to believe they can wrap up the title this weekend.
