BARRETTO: McLaren have gone from backmarkers to title contenders in less than a year – how have they done it?

Before McLaren’s 1000-strong staff flicked on their 'out of office’ messages and set their batteries to recharge mode for Formula 1’s mandatory two-week summer shutdown, they congregated en masse on the boulevard that overlooks a serene lake and the Surrey countryside at their Woking HQ to share a champagne toast.

Their haul of 14 trophies (12 driver podiums and two pieces of silverware as the winning constructor) from 2024 were displayed on a series of plinths to show in real terms just how far McLaren have come from the dark days of 2019, when they finished ninth in the constructors’ championship.