By Callum Griffies
McLaren seems to have the pace to win the constructors’ title quite comfortably this season, with yet another dominant display in Bahrain as McLaren finish 1st and 3rd, with Piastri dominating qualifying and the race on Sunday, winning by over 15 seconds.
McLaren, the English team from Woking, secured its first Constructors title in 26 years back in December after being Ferrari it in the final race in Abu Dhabi. The English team look to continue with their form and secure a back-to-back championship in 2025.
McLaren will also be looking to claim their first drivers’ Championship since Lewis Hamilton won it in 2008 for McLaren. However, the Dutchman and Red Bull will have their say in this fight and will challenge Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri till the final lap if they must.
McLaren is the fastest car on the grid by a fine margin. There aren’t many teams that can compete regularly with McLaren. Red Bull seems to be struggling with race pace and to date sits in 3rd in the championship with 71 points. The likes of Ferrari being inconsistent with their results and major strategy errors costing them valuable points in the championship have led them to be 4th with only 57 points.
However, the only contender this year seems to be Mercedes, as George Russell has scored 3 podiums in the first 4 races with the team from Brackley. George Russell has had to step up to another level this year after the 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, departed for the Scuderia. And it seems to be providing the German team with big points, as they lie second in the championship with 93 points. A great young driver partnership for the German team seems to be going in the right direction.
Many fans and people in the paddock are assuming that McLaren’s advantage is coming from their tyre management throughout the weekend. Last week in Bahrain, we saw the McLaren excel in hot temperatures, especially during FP3, as Oscar Piastri went clear of the next McLaren by 8 tenths of a second. And when the temperature dropped, we saw Piastri take pole by 2 tenths of a second. This is the reason why both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were so dominant in Australia.
McLaren has won 3 races out of the 4 so far this season. With only Max Verstappen winning and securing pole in Japan after a dominant display from the Dutchman.
McLaren are once again the favourites for the next race as we head to Jeddah. A track that is known for its hot temperatures and high demand on the tyres.
McLaren will be hoping to get another 1-2 finish as they look to increase their gap at the top of the championship.
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