Fourteen races into the current season, McLaren has racked up 11 victories, 24 podiums and seven one-two finishes, putting it in rare company with one of the most successful campaigns in the sport’s history.
By comparison, at the same stage in 1988 — a season defined by the all-conquering MP4/4 and the iconic pairing of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost — McLaren had taken 13 wins, 21 podiums, and eight one-twos. That year remains the benchmark for the team’s most dominant title run, ending with 15 wins from 16 races.
This year’s squad isn’t far off. With 10 rounds still to come after the summer break, McLaren has already logged its third-most wins in a single season — trailing only 1988 and 1984 — and has achieved more podiums after 14 races than in any other campaign in its history.
The team’s current success has been built on consistency and execution across both sides of the garage.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are locked in a tight intra-team battle, with six and five wins respectively and 12 podiums apiece. Between them, they have scored 86 percent of all available points — a higher strike rate than even Senna and Prost managed at this stage in 1988.
Statistically, the similarities between the two driver pairings are striking.
Senna had seven wins and 11 poles after 14 races in ’88; Prost had six wins and 12 podiums. In 2025, Piastri leads the team with six wins and four poles, while Norris sits just behind with five wins and the same number of poles.
When adjusting for the differences in the points system, the current McLaren drivers also come out ahead.
Using 2025 scoring (and excluding sprint race points for parity), Piastri would lead with 263 points to Norris’ 260. By comparison, Senna and Prost would have had 232 and 258 points respectively under the same format.
Converted to 1988’s 9-6-4-3-2-1 scoring — again removing sprint points — Piastri and Norris would sit nearly even on 87 and 88 points respectively. Senna and Prost, under the same conversion, would have 79 and 90.
While modern F1 cars are significantly more reliable than in the turbo era of the late 1980s, McLaren’s ability to maximise results has been a defining feature of its current campaign.
In 1988, McLaren suffered three mechanical retirements and a disqualification across the first 14 races. In 2025, the team has recorded only one DNF — Norris’ non-finish in Canada after a late-race collision with Piastri.
This year also marks just the fifth time McLaren has recorded 10 or more wins in a season, joining 1984 (12), 1988 (15), 1989 (10), and 2005 (10).
Pole positions have been slightly less frequent — with eight so far in 14 races, compared to 13 in 1988 — but the team’s race-day strength has more than compensated. Four consecutive one-two finishes before the summer break have further cemented its control of both championships.
In the broader context, the numbers confirm what’s been evident since McLaren’s breakthrough in Imola last year: this is no longer just a resurgence — it’s one of the most dominant runs in the team’s history.
Whether it can match the untouchable heights of 1988 remains to be seen. But if the final 10 rounds continue on their current trajectory, McLaren’s 2025 campaign could finish as one of the most complete and statistically formidable seasons ever recorded by any team.
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