McLaren En Route to FIA Gala to Claim Historic 2025 F1 Titles

McLaren's private jet is carrying its championship-winning team to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the FIA Prize Giving Gala, where the team will officially be crowned the 2025 Formula 1 Constructors' and Drivers' World Champions. The celebratory flight, shared on social media by CEO Zak Brown, includes drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, team principal Andrea Stella, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, marking the culmination of a dominant season.

Why it matters:

This journey symbolizes the successful end of McLaren's multi-year revival project, returning the historic team to the pinnacle of F1 for the first time since 1998. The double championship win validates the team's strategic overhaul in personnel, technical direction, and infrastructure, solidifying its position as the new benchmark in the sport.

The details:

The Woking-based squad secured the Constructors' Championship with races to spare at the Singapore Grand Prix, finishing the season a commanding 364 points ahead of Mercedes. Lando Norris clinched his maiden Drivers' title at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, needing only a podium finish to seal the deal, which he achieved. The absence of reigning champion Max Verstappen from the gala due to illness underscores the passing of the torch to a new era at the top of Formula 1.

What's next:

Tonight's gala in Tashkent is the formal celebration, but attention will quickly turn to 2026. The challenge for McLaren will be to defend its titles against rivals who will be aggressively developing new cars for the sweeping technical regulation changes, while also managing the internal dynamic of having two proven, championship-capable drivers in Norris and Piastri.