Since the beginning of management Andrea StellaThe McLaren is experiencing a certain renaissance after a difficult start to 2023 in Formula 1. And, for the Woking team boss, the British team could indeed become a force at the front of the grid, going head to head with the Red Bull in 12 months if it maintains the 2023 development pace.
With just 14 points in the first five GPs of 2023, McLaren has embarked on a profound overhaul of the MCL60 starting at the Austrian GP, turning around his fortunes and the championship panorama, placing several podiums in the second half of the year.
This rate of development has continued and, by building on this for 2024, McLaren has consolidated its position as the third force of the year so far. Stella explained that the focus is on maintaining this rate of development and that, if she manages to do this, she will be able to compete against Red Bull in 2025.
“I think overall, if we look at a 12-month period, we developed more than the rest. I think Red Bull didn’t do much last year. Clearly, they were working a lot behind the scenes, because they dramatically innovated the car.”
“And to innovate the car like they did – it takes months of redesign. They were doing all this work, and when they brought the new car, it was a big step. So even if, apparently, we lost ground, and we did, because they were working behind the scenes, that’s why we need to look long term, because we are on a strong trajectory.”
“For me, that leads me to say internally: if we maintain this development trajectory for the next 12 months, why not? We can catch up to Red Bull.”
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
This weekend in Miami, McLaren will have a series of updates at the Miami GP, but Stella admits that they will not be as extensive as the packages introduced in 2023. Still, he believes it will be a decent step, according to simulations virtual.
“We’ll have some updates in Miami, see how they perform. And, as it is for everyone, there are several people in the factory focused on development. It’s a development war. That’s the real job of F1, constantly improving the cars. And That’s what we have to do.”
“This update won’t be as big as the two we had last year in Austria and Singapore. But it should be a decent, visible step forward, if we have correlation on the track, compared to the wind tunnel. It’s always a big ‘if.’ . Because, you know, even if we have the correlation pace of the last 12 months, surprises can always arise.”
