Zak Brown reflects on McLaren's 2025 'double', admitting that his team made mistakes.

While there was no doubting the performance and reliability of the MCL39, the Woking outfit didn't exactly make it easy for themselves, allowing Max Verstappen to come within a cat's whisker of snatching the drivers' title from under their noses.

Be it Lando Norris' needless, over-ambitious move in Canada, Oscar Piastri's opening lap disaster in Baku, Zandvoort or the gamble that didn't pay off in Vegas, the team made mistakes, and that's without going into the strategic errors, not to mention the rights and wrongs of the papaya rules which created nightmare scenarios such as Monza.

In an open letter to fans, Brown admits that his team didn't make it easy for itself.

"There were challenging moments along the way," he says, in a masterpiece of understatement, "and we definitely made some mistakes that played into the hands of our competitors, which are important to acknowledge. But these were dealt with swiftly and provided valuable lessons that made us better as a team," he insists.

"We are racers," he continues, "and have been in this sport long enough to understand that sh*t happens, and it's part of the game, what's important is how we react in these situations to help drive us forward.

"When we make mistakes, we take responsibility," he adds. "We address difficult situations directly, openly and constructively, ensuring we move forward stronger and more aligned.

"The lessons we learned last year, and there were many," he admits, "are a part of our constant evolution as a team and will undoubtedly make us better prepared.

"We're a relatively young team," he continues, as the team looks to contest it's 1,000th race in Miami in May, "but we learn quickly, and we bounce back with vigour and purpose.

"Championships are won by how teams respond under pressure, and I am proud of how we handled those more challenging moments."

For many however, the big question that remains unanswered is what happened to Piastri, the Australian having dominated the opening phase of the season before experiencing an unexplained and significant drop in form.

Brown doesn't address the matter, but does praise the youngster.

Oscar deserves immense credit," he says. "He drove an unbelievable season. It's easy to forget that he has contested only three Formula 1 seasons to date, he drives with an experience and skill that belies his years and conducts himself with the utmost professionalism and respect.

"We knew we had a star on our hands from the moment he arrived, and it has been a pleasure to watch him blossom into a title challenger in such short order. I have no doubt his star will continue to rise in the years to come."