The MCL34's design team was reshuffled substantially before the season. Tim Goss and Matt Morris left the team at the end of 2018. Pat Fry returned as engineering director, having previously worked at McLaren from 1993 to 2010 before a spell at Ferrari. Peter Prodromou remained as chief aerodynamics engineer. James Key was recruited from Scuderia Toro Rosso during the season to oversee ongoing development. Major aerodynamic updates introduced in Spain included revised barge boards, a new engine cover, and a reshaped front wing.
McLaren entered 2019 with cautious optimism, and the MCL34 quickly demonstrated that the team had closed the gap to the midfield, regularly competing for fifth through eighth place while the season-long battle for "best of the rest" — the leading constructor outside the dominant trio of Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull — played out with Renault.
The opening rounds were mixed. Norris scored points on debut in Bahrain with a sixth place, while Sainz suffered retirements in both Australia and Bahrain. In China both cars collided with Daniil Kvyat on the opening lap and scored nothing. As the season progressed the car demonstrated consistent one-lap pace, with both drivers regularly reaching Q3, and race-day results improved markedly. In Germany, a wet and chaotic race played into McLaren's hands as Sainz converted an intermediate-tyre gamble into fifth place, the team's best result to that point.
The car's defining result came in Brazil. Sainz had qualified poorly after an engine problem in Q1 but fought through the field on a one-stop strategy. When Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel collided and retired, Sainz moved into podium contention. After Lewis Hamilton received a five-second penalty for a collision with Alexander Albon, Sainz was elevated to third, giving McLaren their first podium since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix and Sainz his first career podium finish. Norris also scored points in the same race with eighth place.
The result in Brazil, combined with consistent scoring throughout the season, allowed McLaren to finish fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 145 points — their best result since 2012 and 49 points clear of fifth-placed Renault. Carlos Sainz finished sixth in the Drivers' Championship, the first non-Mercedes, Ferrari, or Red Bull driver to finish that high since 2015.
The MCL34 carried McLaren's iconic papaya orange livery with blue triangular graphics on the engine cover. Moët & Chandon departed as a sponsor and was replaced by Estrella Galicia, the personal sponsor of Sainz. Coca-Cola returned for a second year. During the Monaco Grand Prix the airbox bore the number 1984 as a tribute to Niki Lauda's third World Championship won with McLaren that year. At the Belgian Grand Prix the car paid tribute to Anthoine Hubert, displaying his name on the airbox following his fatal accident the previous day.
The MCL34 marked the beginning of McLaren's competitive resurgence after four difficult seasons. Sainz's podium in Brazil was the team's first in five years and helped restore confidence in the organisation's direction. The combination of Sainz and Norris — Norris in his debut season — also established a driver pairing that signalled the team's long-term ambitions. Norris finished eleventh in the Drivers' Championship, one position outside the points in Abu Dhabi after a late race overtake by Sergio Perez cost him tenth.
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