McLaren delivered their first Constructors’ Championship for 26 years this season as they usurped Ferrari to clinch the title in Abu Dhabi.

The British team struggled in the opening few rounds but took a step forward at the Miami Grand Prix when Lando Norris took his first victory.

McLaren had the quickest car throughout much of the season and were right at the front of the field apart from a couple of tricky rounds in Brazil and Las Vegas.

Oscar Piastri also took his first Grand Prix victory this season in Hungary on a momentous day for the Australian driver, who competed in only his second F1 season.

The 2016 Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg urged Norris to drive go-karts over the winter to prepare for next season.

Norris was outclassed by four-time world champion Max Verstappen this year, particularly in wheel-to-wheel combat.

Nate Saunders explained that McLaren and Norris, in particular, may need to rethink their approach heading into 2025 to get on terms with Verstappen and beat him to the championship.

Zak Brown has ‘realised’ McLaren’s drivers need to be more aggressive

McLaren were very conservative this season and were reluctant to impose team orders at times, such as in Italy, where Charles Leclerc stole victory with a bold one-stop strategy.

The British team cost themselves points over the season despite having a very quick car that allowed Verstappen to clinch his fourth title with two rounds to go. McLaren were too indecisive, which is a different approach to Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes in 2021.

Hamilton has sometimes been aggressive with Verstappen on the track, such as in the crash at the Italian Grand Prix three years ago.

The seven-time world champion hasn’t backed down from the Dutchman and has been direct when discussing Verstappen’s antics in the media.

Saunders explained on the Unlapped podcast that McLaren will have to be more decisive next season to fight Verstappen.

He said: “I do think there’s a lot to be said that the two Mercedes drivers seem… one of them is the outgoing Mercedes driver, but they seem to be the most willing to just call it how they see it with Max. I think that comes from Toto. I think that one thing that McLaren have learned this year is they need to be more like that. I think Zak Brown is a bit of that privately.

“I think Andrea Stella started saying those things as well. I think that they’ve realised a whole mindset has to be different. We just have to be more aggressive. Nothing negative against Max to say aggressive because some of the best drivers all time have been aggressive.

“His style of racing is just so entertaining. But other drivers and teams now are realising, if I’ve got the car to do it, that’s not going to be enough against Max. I have to fight fire with fire.”

Over his career, the Red Bull driver has become known for pushing the boundaries in wheel-to-wheel combat. This was the case when Verstappen received penalties in Mexico after battling Norris.

The 23-year-old Piastri has been more reliable than Norris, as the British driver made too many errors in the second half of the year to win the title. The Australian also didn’t wave Verstappen through in Abu Dhabi when the pair made contact on the opening lap.

McLaren need to hit the ground running next season

McLaren took a big step this season to winning the Constructors’ Championship and beating Ferrari in the final race of the year.

The British team will need to be on the pace from the outset in Australia to compete for both championships rather than playing catch up.

Norris and Piastri are two quick drivers who have both proven they can compete at the front of the field and win races which is a valuable asset to have in Formula 1.

This experience should help both drivers and the McLaren team to be a more consistent threat with both cars across 24 rounds.

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