Despite not having achieved the objectives set for last winter in terms of development, for McLaren this start of 2024 has been on the rise and, above all, the Woking team has been able to obtain some satisfactions, including the two podiums achieved with Lando Norris in Australia and China.
However, if in Melbourne that result was favored by Max Verstappen's retirement, in Shanghai second place also arrived thanks to the competitiveness of the MCL38. Undoubtedly the release of the Safety Car at the best moment helped to overtake Sergio Perez's Red Bull, but this does not take away from the fact that the Woking car was able to clearly beat Ferrari, which before the Chinese event had not had never stepped off the podium.
Beyond the enthusiasm for the result in Shanghai, McLaren is however aware of its limits, which partly touched on the same topics as last season, such as the management of the front in the very slow sections where you tend to suffer from understeer, but also the low top speeds and the stability of the car in long bends.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL38, leads George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The Chinese Grand Prix represented a sort of exploit from this point of view, because the British team itself expected to struggle more on the eve, but certain peculiarities of the asphalt and the low temperatures allowed certain problems to be kept under control, not only on the flying lap, but also in the race.
Behind the scenes engineers are working hard to address these issues. A few months ago it emerged that the first package of updates would arrive between Miami and Imola, depending on the supplies available. On the sidelines of the event in Shanghai, Andrea Stella confirmed that McLaren will be able to bring the first developments to the US race which will take place next week.
“For Miami we will finally have the first series of updates for our car,” confirmed the Team Principal. As well as adding pure performance, the update was designed to improve the way the car handles the tyres, trying to limit degradation on the rear axle in particular, an issue which was actually one of the strong points in Shanghai itself. due to particular conditions.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“These updates will also include some attempts to improve tire degradation, so it will be interesting to see if we can take a step forward. Considering the amount of improvements we would have to make to get closer to some of our competitors, I would say we need more than one series of updates to improve tire management.”
“But for everything, it's a constant development. You can never take for granted that it's enough when it comes to keeping the tires in the right operating window. The next race will certainly be interesting from a tire management point of view, especially if in Miami we have high temperatures like we have had previously. At that point the track becomes limiting for the rear axle, because a lot of traction is needed from low speed corners.”
According to what Stella anticipated, the new package will not be as broad and incisive from a performance point of view as those of Austria and Singapore were last season, when clearly the margin for improvement was more marked. However, for the Team Principal it will still be a considerable step forward and not to be underestimated, especially in a fight for developments that will see Ferrari arrive with important news at Imola.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“This upgrade will not be as big as the two we delivered last year in Austria and Singapore. But it would have to be a considerable step. It should be obvious. I can't say much more, because otherwise we're talking about numbers, which I would like to keep confidential,” explained Stella.
“Let's say it probably won't be as big as Austria and Singapore, but it will be notable, especially if things match our expectations, the wind tunnel numbers and the computer simulation. It's always a big “if”. Because, you know, even though the success rate regarding the correlation between the data between the track and the factory has been very good over the last twelve months, there can always be surprises.”
While other teams will bring the updates directly to the Italian stage, McLaren has instead chosen to anticipate the news in Miami, where the sprint race will also take place. The Woking team is not particularly worried from this point of view, because they have confidence in the equipment and in the simulations carried out in the factory before the weekend.
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