P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Customer team titles are a true rarity in Formula 1, and McLaren’s is the first one in a long while – but how long?
For decades, top Formula 1 teams have pursued works engine partnerships with manufacturers, convinced they can’t win championships as engine customers. Mercedes customer McLaren’s 2024 F1 constructors’ title is therefore groundbreaking. The last time a team with a customer engine unequivocally won that title was Brawn in 2009. In 2010, Red Bull’s championship double with Renault power can be debated due to the crossover season with Renault’s factory team situation. Prior to these, Williams in 1981 was the last customer team to clinch the constructors’ title with the Ford Cosworth DFV engines. It took until Brawn in 2009 for a customer team to triumph again before the dominance of works engine deals in Formula 1.
