(Motorsport-Total.com) – McLaren is on cloud nine: With two consecutive constructors’ titles in their pocket and Lando Norris as the current champion, the team from Woking started the new era of 2026. A solid 364-point lead over Mercedes recently underscored the dominance of the “Papayas.” But the history of Formula 1 teaches us: Every era eventually ends – usually with a bang.
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The competition is already pawing the ground to stop McLaren’s dominance. Anyone who wants to know how an empire falls only needs to look into the history books. These are the most striking cases where new heroes dethroned the old rulers.
Ground-Effect and Design Geniuses
As early as 1978, Lotus showed how a team breaks dominance. Ferrari had a firm grip on the mid-70s under Niki Lauda, but Colin Chapman conjured the ground-effect miracle with the Lotus 78 and 79. The result: Mario Andretti crowned himself champion and ended Ferrari’s winning streak.
A similar feat was achieved by Williams in 1992. McLaren had won almost everything there was to win between 1984 and 1991. But then a certain Adrian Newey came to Grove. The result was the legendary FW14B – a car from another star, with which Nigel Mansell practically outclassed the competition.
The End of the Schumacher Era
Between 1993 and 1997, Williams collected four more team titles while McLaren was rebuilding. The decisive move: They lured Adrian Newey away from the rival. His first real design for Woking, the MP4-13, hit the new 1998 regulations (narrower track, grooved tires) precisely. Mika Häkkinen celebrated his first title while Williams remained winless for the first time in ten years.
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End of Dominance: Seven Titles That Changed F1 History
The year 2005 also remains unforgettable. After five consecutive world championship titles, Michael Schumacher seemed unbeatable in the Ferrari. But a rule change – the ban on tire changes during the race – played into the hands of Renault and Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard ended the “Schumi run” and became the youngest world champion in history at that time.
From Mercedes to Red Bull – and now McLaren?
In recent times, it was Mercedes that dominated everything from the start of the hybrid era in 2014 until Max Verstappen turned the tide in a dramatic finale in 2021. And while Verstappen ruled the scene until 2024, it is now McLaren that has stopped the Red Bull express.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have brought McLaren back to the top – a success the team had to wait for since 1998 (then with Mika Häkkinen). But with the new regulations in 2026, the cards have been completely reshuffled.
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