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McLaren is on the verge of ending their 17-year title drought. With four races remaining in 2025, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are separated by a single point at the top of the standings, 357 to 356, as Max Verstappen trails them by 36. Whoever prevails would become the team’s first Drivers’ champion since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
McLaren has produced multiple world champions across eras. While legends like Niki Lauda and Emerson Fittipaldi have also won championships, several others have won their first career title with the British outfit.
Below are five drivers who took their first Drivers’ title while wearing papaya.
F1 drivers who won their first title with McLaren
#5 James Hunt (1976, McM23)
James Hunt’s 1976 title came in the McLaren M23. He combined raw pace with late-season wins in Canada and the US and clinched the title in a wet, chaotic Japanese Grand Prix after Niki Lauda withdrew on safety grounds.
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Close wheel-to-wheel battles, controversial penalties, and reinstated victories defined Hunt’s campaign. While Lauda missed a big chunk of the year due to a life-threatening crash at the Nürburgring, Hunt overturned a 17-point deficit in the final three rounds to claim his only championship.
#4 Alain Prost (1985, McMP4/2B)
Alain Prost secured his first world title in 1985 in the dominant McLaren MP4/2 B. After losing the 1984 title by a single point, the Frenchman entered the closing rounds in '85 with a clear points lead and five wins. He converted that advantage with a measured drive in the final GP at Brands Hatch to secure the title.
'The Professor' became France's first F1 champion and would go on to win three more titles.
#3 Ayrton Senna (1988, McMP4/4)
Ayrton Senna’s first drivers’ title came in 1988, in one of the most dominant seasons in F1 history. The MP4/4 won 15 of 16 races between Senna and teammate Alain Prost. Senna took eight wins and a record number of poles that year and emerged as champion by the narrowest of margins.
Despite Prost scoring more total points, the “best 11 results” rule gave Senna the championship by three points. The title put him on the map and started an iconic rivalry with the Frenchman, as they combined for six of McLaren's 12 titles.
#2 Mika Hakkinen (1998, McMP4/13)
Mika Hakkinen’s first world title in 1998 came in a year of race-winning speed with McLaren’s MP4/13. With Adrian Newey’s chassis design and strong team execution, Hakkinen opened the season with dominant wins in Australia, Brazil, and Spain.
Michael Schumacher and Ferrari closed in mid-season, but Hakkinen struck back with victories in Austria and Germany. The championship eventually came down to Suzuka, where Schumacher’s car stalled on the grid and the Flying Finn capitalized to win both the race and the first of his two world titles.
#1 Lewis Hamilton (2008, McMP4-23)
Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 world championship remains one of the most dramatic finales in F1 history. After narrowly missing out as a rookie the previous year, Hamilton arrived at Interlagos needing only fifth place to seal the title ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa.
In treacherous, rain-affected conditions, Hamilton found himself under pressure late in the race after being passed by Sebastian Vettel. As Massa crossed the line to win and briefly celebrate what seemed like a home victory and a championship, Hamilton - on the final corner of the final lap - overtook Toyota’s Timo Glock, who was struggling on dry tires, to regain fifth place and clinch the title by one point. It was the first of a record-equalling run of world championships for him.
