FIRST LOOK: McLaren’s new MCL39 car hits the track for the first time ahead of 2025 season

McLaren’s 2025 Formula 1 challenger has hit the track for the first time as part of a promotional filming at Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix.

Last year’s runner up Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri shared driving duties in the MCL39, which ran in a one-off geometric camo papaya and black livery.

GALLERY: McLaren’s 2025 car makes track debut during filming day at Silverstone

Their 2025 livery will be revealed at the official season F1 75 Live season launch event at the O2 on February 18, along with the other nine teams.

McLaren are targeting the successful defence of the Constructors’ Championship, having triumphed for the first time in more than two decades last season, as well as a first Drivers’ Championship since Lewis Hamilton won in 2008.

McLaren’s 2025 challenger has hit the track for the first time

“Today is a big milestone in our journey in the fight for the 2025 title. 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,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown.

“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.

“We’re a team that never stops racing and we’ll be giving it our all to bring both Championships back to Woking.”

Team Principal Andrea Stella added: “We are excited to see the MCL39 hit the track for the first time at Silverstone Circuit today.

“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. 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.

Formula 1 header templates (13).png — McLaren’s car ran in a one-off geometric camo papaya and black livery at Silverstone

“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.”

“My thanks go to the entire team for their work to get the car ready for today, as well as our colleagues at Mercedes HPP for their continued collaboration. We now focus on the work ahead to ensure we maximise our time in testing before the first competitive session in Australia.”

Norris said: “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. 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 Constructors’ 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.”

Piastri added: “It’s great to get behind the wheel of the MCL39 for the first time ahead of us putting it through its paces in Bahrain. 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.”

Filming days allow teams to run their machines on track for a maximum of 200km to capture content for use in promotional materials across the season.

Often, teams use them early in the year so they can also use the run to iron out any niggles that might arise on the car given this is the first time it has been put together and run.