P1racenews AI automatic summary:
McLaren boss Andrea Stella has singled out Williams as the team that could trouble the frontrunners in F1 in 2025 based on the team’s pace during pre-season testing.
McLaren’s status as reigning champions positions them as the team to beat in the highly anticipated 2025 campaign, which is expected to be one of the closest in series history, with Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes as formidable competitors. The team’s success in 2024, closely matching top teams in pace, has raised the possibility of a midfield team winning races in 2025, according to McLaren CEO Zak Brown. The recent pre-season test in Bahrain has revealed strong competition from potential outside contenders, indicating the field may be more competitive than ever before. Williams, with new driver Carlos Sainz, stood out during testing, showing promising lap times and improvement in certain sectors, leading to speculation that they could challenge the top teams. As the rules mature and competition tightens, McLaren’s Technical Director, Andrea Stella, expects the margins to be even closer in the upcoming season, potentially reshaping the traditional top team dominance.
