The MP4-25 was the first McLaren car to be independently built by McLaren alone after the team became a customer of Mercedes-Benz engines, following the purchase of a 75% stake in Brawn GP by Mercedes and their return as a full constructor team. The chassis was designed by Paddy Lowe, Neil Oatley, Tim Goss, Andrew Bailey and John Iley. The design team aimed to create a competitive car within the existing Formula One technical regulations.
The MP4-25 was powered by a customer Mercedes-Benz engine. A distinctive feature of the car was the innovative “F-duct” system, internally known as RW80. This system used a small air scoop in front of the driver to channel air through a duct in the cockpit and towards the rear of the car. Changes in pressure within the duct, in combination with slots on the rear wing, caused the wing to enter a stalled state at high speed, reducing aerodynamic drag and adding up to 6 mph (9.7 km/h) on straights. The driver controlled the system by covering a small hole in the cockpit with their left leg, a method the FIA did not consider a moveable aerodynamic device and therefore permissible under the regulations. The system exploited a “Fluidic Switch”, using a low flow-rate air stream from the cockpit to switch a much higher volume flow rate drawn from the roll hoop. Another term for the system was switchable rear wing (SRW).
The MP4-25 showed immediate improvement over its predecessor, the MP4-24. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, both Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton reached the third stage of qualifying, with Hamilton starting fourth and Button eighth. Hamilton finished third in Bahrain, while Button finished seventh. Button secured his first victory with the MP4-25 at the Australian Grand Prix, inheriting the lead after Sebastian Vettel’s retirement. Hamilton finished sixth in the same race.
The Malaysian Grand Prix saw performance updates to the car, but qualifying was hampered by wet conditions, resulting in Hamilton starting 20th and Button 17th. Both drivers finished in the points, with Hamilton sixth and Button eighth. A dominant 1–2 finish followed at the Chinese Grand Prix. In Spain, Hamilton crashed out on the penultimate lap due to a cracked front wheel rim, while Button finished fifth after a pitstop delay.
At the Turkish Grand Prix, Hamilton and Button qualified second and fourth respectively. Hamilton led Button home for McLaren’s second one-two finish of the season after a collision between the Red Bull drivers. The Canadian Grand Prix saw another 1–2 finish for McLaren, with Hamilton taking the lead in the Drivers' Championship and McLaren leading the Constructors' Championship.
Further podium finishes followed in Valencia and Silverstone), though the team struggled to match the pace of Red Bull Racing consistently. The Hungarian Grand Prix proved difficult, with Hamilton retiring due to a gearbox issue and Button finishing eighth, resulting in the loss of both championship leads.
The Belgian Grand Prix saw Hamilton leading until a collision with Sebastian Vettel eliminated Button from the race. Hamilton ultimately won the race. In Italy, Button took the lead at the start and finished second behind Fernando Alonso, while Hamilton was eliminated in a collision with Massa.
The Singapore Grand Prix saw another collision, this time between Hamilton and Mark Webber, resulting in Hamilton’s retirement. The Japanese Grand Prix saw Hamilton start eighth after a gearbox change and finish fifth, with Button finishing fourth. In Korea, Hamilton finished second after a late engine failure for Vettel, while Button climbed to 12th. The season concluded at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Hamilton finishing second and Button fourth, securing second place in the Constructors' Championship for McLaren.
The Red Bull Racing team complained to the FIA about the legality of the MP4-25’s rear wing and F-duct system. The car was inspected on the Thursday prior to the Bahrain Grand Prix and was cleared to take part in the race.
The MP4-25 was featured in the video games F1 2010, F1 2019, and F1 2020, appearing as a playable vehicle and a classic car in the latter two titles. The car also appears in Asphalt 8: Airborne, added during the December 2016 “Championship Update”. As of 2024, the McLaren MP4-25 was the last-ever Formula One car to utilize number No. 1 and No. 2 slots under the 1996–2013 Formula One car numbering systems despite its constructor not being the previous season's world constructor's champion.
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