Max Verstappen continues to outsmart McLaren’s seemingly faster car by securing pole positions in the 2025 Formula 1 season, even as McLaren dominates in race conditions. At the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren showcased its strength with a commanding 1-2 finish, highlighting the papaya team’s superiority, especially when rear tyre wear becomes critical. Despite this, Verstappen has consistently edged out Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in qualifying, using skill and precision to overcome the advantages McLaren displays on race day.
McLaren has impressed with its performance this season, achieving five wins out of six races, including a recent one-two finish in Miami, where Piastri led Norris to victory. The Mercedes driver George Russell came third, while Verstappen finished a staggering 40 seconds behind the leaders, emphasizing McLaren’s race pace when Pirelli’s tyre wear and overheating are significant factors. However, Verstappen’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka remains a standout, as it was a relatively straightforward one-stop race where he successfully defended his pole position on a circuit that offers few overtaking opportunities. McLaren did not fully exploit available strategic options there, allowing Verstappen to capitalize on his pole advantage.
While McLaren proves dominant in races, its qualifying form is less clear-cut. Verstappen has claimed three poles in six races, with Piastri securing two and Norris one. Other teams have also made their mark on sprint and qualifying poles, such as Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Miami and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton in China. Verstappen’s pole at Suzuka impressed many due to the demanding nature of the circuit, but his performance in Miami was also notable considering he was running a higher-mileage Honda engine that compromised his acceleration down the straights.
Technical Challenges and Psychological Battles Between Teams
The mixed results in qualifying have sparked debate about the real speed difference between McLaren and Red Bull’s cars, alongside psychological tactics employed by both teams. Christian Horner, Red Bull Racing’s team principal, praised Verstappen’s remarkable ability to excel under pressure, highlighting his talent in delivering during the crucial final lap.
“Max is a master at that. He’s having to dig deep because on balance we probably are a tenth or two down on the McLaren,”
Horner explained. His comments emphasize Verstappen’s mental strength and experience in maximizing performance despite driving a car that might be considered slightly slower over one lap than McLaren’s.
On the other side, McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, countered this narrative by focusing on the technical difficulties their drivers face during qualifying, rather than attributing Mercedes’ success solely to Verstappen’s skill. Stella acknowledged that while the McLaren MCL39 has superior potential in single-lap performance, both Norris and Piastri struggle to consistently extract that potential. Norris, in particular, has been dealing with adaptation issues, as the current car has undergone significant changes from the 2024 model, which he managed better.
Piastri has generally adapted better but has also missed pole opportunities, notably in Suzuka and Miami, where mistakes affected his laps. Stella pointed out a critical problem with the car’s handling: the ‘numb’ front axle provides insufficient feedback to the drivers, making it hard to predict front tyre lockups and braking behavior when pushing at the limit. This lack of predictability results in inconsistent qualifying performances, even though the car shines in longer race simulations.
Engineering Insights and the Quest for Consistency
Stella went on to offer a technical explanation, saying,
“We have now enough statistics to confirm that the car is easier to exploit in race simulation runs than on a single lap in qualifying trim and new tyres. So far we haven’t had any perfect lap, maybe the best was Oscar’s lap in Bahrain. But otherwise, especially when it comes to front-end locking and braking, it’s a car that offers its best when you are in continuous laps rather than the one-off lap in which you push 100%.”
He further noted that McLaren is working on adjustments to improve the car’s predictability and the feedback it provides to drivers during qualifying, aiming to make it
“slightly more predictable and rich in information in terms of how the grip is when driving the car at the limit.”
According to Stella, this technical hurdle largely explains why McLaren’s qualifying laps can appear scrappy and inconsistent, rather than a reflection of the drivers’ abilities.
Stella also criticized Red Bull’s tendency to create a narrative that credits Verstappen’s exceptional skill as the sole reason for their advantage.
“Red Bull are very good at making fast cars, exceptionally good at driving fast cars and they are extremely good also in creating the narrative to their advantage,”
he said.
“They exploit every possible opportunity to stay in the competition and some of these opportunities are to sometimes create the narrative like: ‘Oh, we are making miracles here, the others should win every single practice session and qualifying and race.’”
Philosophical Debate: Car Potential Versus Driveability
The situation raises an important question about what defines a “better” car. According to Stella, a car’s absolute potential on paper is less meaningful if it is difficult for drivers to exploit consistently.
“Is it the car that may have more potential but is more difficult to exploit? Or a car that may have a little bit less peak potential but is more sincere to exploit?”
he asked. He shared that Piastri himself observed the challenge, commenting on a remarkable Q2 lap where he wasn’t sure how he achieved a good turn because the car offered little feel or feedback.
Describing the McLaren’s front-end as “not giving much queuing” — a technical term for feedback signals from the car — Stella stressed that this makes it hard for drivers to repeat standout laps. The best performances are often single flashes of brilliance rather than reliably reproducible feats. This insight suggests that while McLaren’s car may be faster in theory, Verstappen’s ability to maximize a car’s true potential under pressure at qualifying allows him to beat McLaren to pole position repeatedly.
Future Challenges as F1 Turns Towards Europe
As the 2025 Formula 1 calendar moves into Europe, the qualifying battle between Max Verstappen and McLaren promises to intensify. Both Red Bull and McLaren are preparing upgrades that could shift the balance of power. Additionally, the FIA’s introduction of stricter front wing flex tests for the Spanish Grand Prix is expected to impact aerodynamic performance, potentially affecting McLaren’s advantage.
The big question remains whether McLaren will be able to develop a car that is as easy to drive at the limit as it is fast, or if the new regulations and front wing restrictions will hinder the papaya team’s qualifying prospects. Verstappen’s consistent ability to extract maximum performance under pressure suggests he will remain a formidable opponent, but McLaren’s technical improvements could close the gap in the coming races.
With the season still in its early stages and many crucial races ahead, fans and experts alike will be closely watching how this intense rivalry unfolds. The contrasting strengths—McLaren’s race pace and Verstappen’s qualifying mastery—add an exciting dynamic to the championship, making every qualifying session vital for the title chase.
