The McLaren MCL36 of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris will be presented on the 11th of this month, so in just over a week. Meanwhile, the Woking team has revealed interesting details on how the ground effect single-seater that will race in the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship will be developed.
This year the budget cap should play a very important role in cost containment, as well as in the investment strategy that the teams will be called upon to carry out over the course of the season.
It is no coincidence that McLaren has chosen to bring a base MCL36 both in the pre-season tests in Barcelona and in those of Sakhir. The definitive version of the car, which should still be dressed in a papaya-colored livery, will be seen in the first race weekend, which will be held in Bahrain on the weekend of 19-20 March.
“We know race performance is key and we will bring a package of updates to that event, but we expect a lot more in the races to follow,” said McLaren F1 team chief operating officer Piers Thynne.
“One of the reasons why we don’t have too many components is that we know we will evolve the car. There are certainly no prizes for those who bring 6 different front wings to the first race of the year.”
“We will take a few slightly different approaches this year to make sure production capacity is good and respond to aerodynamic evolution. This will be the key to success this year.”
“We want to get the new components in as late as possible, we want to be light with spare parts stocks, to ensure we can deliver the updates for the first race of the season.”
“The skeleton of the preparation program of the MCL36 is different from that used for the previous single-seaters. It is more difficult and you have to consider the limit imposed by the budget cap. This makes it a considerable production and engineering challenge. You have to rely on it. on great teamwork, great collaboration and total concentration on one’s goals “.
“Ultimately, it’s the quality of our people that we rely on when things get tough and we’re lucky, because our people are second to none.”
A new production strategy with the budget cap
Thynne explained the difference in the production philosophy linked to the components of the new car compared to that adopted in previous years. The budget cap will require McLaren to work well on the manufacturing strategy of the new MCL36 components.
“We will have fewer components available for the MCL36 than we had for the MCL35M. This will be done to have more space in the budget and to ensure a better performance of the car.”
“We will never have too few components to make the car work. We will always have enough, but where in the past we would have made 5 or 6 pieces, we will go down to 5. Where we would have made 4 or 5, we will make 4”.
“If we have more set-up options than a part to assemble, we are considering rationing how these choices will be made, working with the race engineers to make sure we provide the choices they want to make. So certain choices, not certain choices. choices they may want to use. Because every pound counts and we need to make sure we spend wisely, ”Thynne concluded.
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