The last season before new regulations arrive in 2026 means the gaps between the ten Formula 1 teams are closer than ever, meaning the margins are also tighter.
Having the best and most effective technology will no doubt be a crucial factor, and I headed to McLaren F1 headquarters in Woking, UK, to find out how the reigning constructors’ world champions are looking to continue their dominance in 2025 and beyond.
“Greater reliance” on technology
“The sport is trying to get more out of what you’ve already got – it’s not about making the ship heavier, it’s about being more efficient and extracting more performance from the team,” Dan Keyworth, Director of Business Technology, McLaren Racing, tells me at the McLaren Technology Centre.
“What Andrea (Stella, McLaren F1 team principal) has really distilled into us is that everyone contributes to the results on track – this isn’t just us having the race car to do the business every weekend, everybody has a genuine influence on performance…clearly when you get that right, it culminates in a world championship!”
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Michael Potts F1)
Keyworth notes that in the pressure cooker world of Formula 1, where races can be decided by fractions of a second, being world champions doesn’t really allow you much time to relax or celebrate for too long.
“There’s a much greater reliance on technology,” he says, “I think it’s seen as one of the major battlegrounds across the teams – you have the technical regulations, financial regulations, but actually a lot of the teams will be continuing to focus on the technology race off track – who can bring the best tools, systems, software to the game.”
Far from being consigned to a dusty basement, IT is now a fundamental pillar for success in Formula 1, he notes.
“If anything (technology) has now got that recognition and notice, which means our investment profile around tech continues to be a focus – they want to spend their dollars right in the camp.”
“We have a great phrase here – for every pound we spend on the car, we spend a pound on tools, methods and technology – because there has to be an equitable investment in what we do here, if you just focus that on the car, the likelihood is you won’t deliver the most optimal car because that should always be the by-product of all of those things operating really well”
This spending obviously extends to a growing use of AI technology, much like all other businesses are having to do, Keyworth adds.
“We’re riding the curve, we’re going to continue to double down on anything that can give us more efficiency as a business,” he says. “We’ve got incredible people in this race team, and what we want to do is to take the heavy lifting out of their lives and give them that freedom to be creative, to operate, because then they can influence this team better.”
(Image credit: Shutterstock / Michael Potts F1)
New technical regulations for the 2026 Formula 1 season will bring in a new generation of race cars, with teams already focusing heavily on the changes to make sure they aren’t caught out.
Keyworth notes McLaren has, “one eye on the current, one eye on the future – and you’ve got to balance your resources accordingly – but clearly we want to stay focused and do well on track.”
“Ultimately we still deliver a race car with four wheels for two drivers, so the approach to doing that hasn’t really changed,” he laughs, “our current technology strategy should just be complimentary to the evolution of the sport as we continue to move.”
“The journey is still going – just because we won the world championships doesn’t mean it all stops here – the sport is relentless, and if you’re standing still, you’re going backwards,” Keyworth concludes.
“We’ve got to continue to evolve against our competitors – the sport has never been this tight…we don’t just stop and rest on our laurels.”
