McLaren lose out as F1 rivals make astonishing TWO seconds gain

Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, McLaren, Netherlands, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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McLaren lose out as F1 rivals make astonishing TWO seconds gain

Sauber have had an incredible rise

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Friday 12 September 2025 21:13

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Despite being the dominant team in F1, McLaren have experienced much less improvement than their rivals in 2025.

McLaren are currently sat atop the constructors' championship bwith 337 points after 16 races, and they have the chance to wrap up the title at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix later this month.

Their two drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only two serious challengers for the drivers' title too, with one of them set to become the team's first drivers' champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.

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Despite this, new data suggests that the team have had the third-worst improvement rate between the 2024 Italian GP and this year's event at Monza.

An X post from Formula Data Analysis shows that McLaren were just 0.458 seconds faster during Italian GP qualifying last weekend than their 2024 time.

Only Ferrari and Mercedes - who are sat second and third in the constructors' standings respectively - had worse improvement rates out of all of the other teams.

The team who show up best on this metric is Sauber, who have had an almost two-second improvement on their 2024 Italian GP qualifying.

Aston Martin have improved by over one second compared to 2024, while Haas are third and rather surprisingly Red Bull sit fourth.

Sauber's remarkable rise

Sauber's 1.778 seconds of improvement in this metric has also been converted into championship points.

In 2024, the Hinwil-based outfit scored just four points throughout the course of the whole season.

Now, 16 races into 2025, the team are sat on 55 points, up in eighth in the constructors' standings and still in with a shout of a top-five finish.

Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto have benefitted greatly from this, with Hulkenberg securing his first ever career podium at the British GP earlier this year, and Bortoleto having a very strong rookie campaign.

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McLaren Sauber Italian Grand Prix