The times McLaren came closest to breaking 25-year constructors’ title drought · RaceFans

In a sport that loves its statistics, there are few more remarkable stats to consider than this: McLaren has not won a single Formula 1 constructors’ championship title during the lives of its two current drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

For one of Formula 1’s most successful and most loved teams, McLaren have only tasted championship glory of any kind a single time in the last 25 years – when Lewis Hamilton claimed the drivers’ title in 2008.

Despite over 4,000 points scored, 67 grand prix victories, 64 pole positions and 214 podium finishes over the 25 full seasons since their last constructors’ crown in 1998, the ultimate team prize in motorsport has eluded McLaren for an entire generation. But this year looks like it will finally be the one that delivers McLaren their long-awaited ninth world constructors’ championship title.

With only three rounds left, McLaren are first in the standings with an advantage of more than 30 points over closest rivals Ferrari. As good as it may look for the team from Woking, they are almost certain to lose the drivers’ title to Max Verstappen and Red Bull. They also have plenty of history of coming close but just missing out over the last 25 seasons. Here are the years in which they came closest…

1999 – 2nd – 4 points from championship

The major technical regulations changes that were brought into the sport in 1998 – narrower cars, grooved tyres and many other modifications – were designed to slow down cars which the FIA deemed were now becoming dangerously fast. Having hired Adrian Newey from Williams in 1997, McLaren arrived in Melbourne for the opening round of the 1998 season with their Newey-designed MP4-13 and destroyed the opposition.

While Ferrari quickly caught up and engaged McLaren in what would be the first of many head-to-head duels between the two powerhouses for the championship, McLaren won nine rounds to Ferrari’s six and managed to secure their first constructors’ title since 1991 in the final race at Suzuka, where Mika Hakkinen also won his first drivers’ title.

Hakkinen’s defence of his title in 1999 proved to be a challenging one, retiring five times throughout the 16 round championship including putting himself out while in the lead twice at Imola and Monza. Despite Ferrari’s team leader Michael Schumacher breaking his leg in a nasty crash at Silverstone and missing the next six races, stand-in Mika Salo added ten points to Ferrari’s tally over…