The car that reunited McLaren and Mercedes power—and carried the team back to the top step with a Monza one-two.
The MCL35M began as an evolution of McLaren’s 2020 contender, but fitting the Mercedes-AMG power unit changed the architecture around it. The chassis, gearbox, cooling, hydraulics and electrical systems all had to be reconsidered within tightly restricted regulations.
Its defining afternoon came at Monza. Daniel Ricciardo won the 2021 Italian Grand Prix with Lando Norris second, ending McLaren’s nine-year wait for a victory and delivering the only one-two finish by any team that season.
The source model preserves the shape and livery used at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. This exhibit therefore captures a specific point in the car’s development rather than a generic season-long configuration.
A bridge between eras: an extensively reworked 2020 concept, a returning Mercedes partnership and the car that gave McLaren its first Grand Prix victory since 2012.
