By Carlo Platella
For the second time in two years, McLaren started the season on the wrong foot. If it was the brakes that slowed down the English team at the beginning of 2022, in 2023 the team finds itself with an underperforming car. The team does not hide the failure to achieve the design objectives in winter, as well as the serious lack of efficiency of the MCL60. After having identified the correct path to follow, McLaren is the protagonist of a remarkable comeback, the conclusion of which, however, is still far away.
Development 2023
McLaren quickly realized that the concept around which the MCL60 was designed had limited potential. The simulations at the beginning of the season in Woking predict that, by continuing on the same path, the car could grow no more than the role of fourth or fifth force by the end of the year, therefore not enough to reach the top of the class. The team identifies a more promising alternative direction, but contrary to popular belief, the revolution does not coincide with the updates brought in the summer.
The conceptual change begins rather with the Baku package, which despite having a small impact on performance – around two tenths – leads the MCL60 to work differently. The subsequent package introduced between Austria and Silverstone leads to a general improvement in the aerodynamic map, marking a step in terms of load and efficiency. The latest updates coincide with the Singapore race, with which the car progresses especially in low-speed corners and top speed.
In all three update steps, McLaren develops the body and bottom at the same timetaking advantage of their aerodynamic interaction. “With these regulations the fund and the bodywork work together,” confirms Andrea Stella. In the Barcelona and Monza races there was also no shortage of work on the cooling ducts of the front brakes, thus helping in the management of tire pressures and temperatures. In contrast to the initial forecasts which gave the MCL60 fourth or fifth place, the McLaren at the end of the season is fighting for the role of first of the pursuers. Meanwhile, the areas to work on in the winter to make up for the gap from Red Bull are becoming increasingly clear.
Low load efficiency
The updated MCL60 is an extremely car effective in high-speed cornering. In fact, at high mileages, when the car is pressed downwards and runs close to the ground, the surface releases excellent levels of aerodynamic load. At the end of the straight, McLaren can thus count on an abundant load, which makes it precise and incisive in the initial phases of braking with the steering wheel straight. All this despite the fact that the MCL60 is one of the few cars not to have a significantly anti-pitch front suspension to stabilize the surface when braking.
On the other hand, the abundance of load at high speeds results in excessive aerodynamic resistance on the straight. On medium-high load slopes the resistance is well related to the vertical load, denoting excellent levels of efficiency. It is no coincidence that McLaren is more competitive on tracks such as Silverstone, Suzuka and Qatar, full of high-volume corners where aerodynamic load counts. In low load configuration, however, the MCL60 is unable to find much more efficiency, forcing the English team to defend races such as Spa, Monza and Las Vegas. Straight-line performance improves with the Singapore updates, but one of the goals for 2024 remains improve low load fit and reduce aerodynamic drag working on the chassis and basic architecture.
![](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2023/04/F1-McLaren-fondo-Baku-990x660.jpg)
Slow curves
The competitiveness of the McLaren in high-volume corners is not solely linked to its proximity to the ground, but also to a condition in which the car travels with reduced steering and yaw angles. Conversely, the MCL60's aerodynamic map is not best optimized for scenarios in which the driver resorts to a wide steering angle, opening important gaps in low-speed corners. “The real area we need to focus on is low speed performance. If we improved there, we could compete for top positions everywhere”, Norris's comment upon returning from the summer break.
The long straights, the low-load configuration and the slow corners of Monza outline a mix of difficult conditions for the MCL60, which in Italy is the protagonist of one of the most difficult races of its second half of the season. Also on this front, bellies and bottoms introduced in Singapore they improved performance in low-speed corners, allowing Norris to fight for pole position and victory. However, poor performances like those in Las Vegas, where part of the delay is accumulated in the most driven sector and not just on the straight, suggest that McLaren still has a long way to go to find the necessary competitiveness at low speeds.
![McLaren F1](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2023/06/F1-McLaren-fiancate-austria-990x660.jpg)
Stability
In high-speed corners the late 2023 McLaren is not far from Red Bull's performance. However, the MCL60 shows some stability deficiencies when cornering becomes longer, forcing Norris and Piastri to work with the steering wheel to maintain control. It is possible that the instability in the center of the corner is connected to the particular driving style of the car, which does not go well with the preferences of the drivers. Norris in particular complains of a lack of speed mid-corner, forcing him to a V-shaped guide rather than a U-shaped one.
“The biggest improvement we could make to our car is not in terms of kilos of downforce, but in ease of driving”, the British comment. However, the character of the MCL60 does not evolve with development during the year, as Oscar Piastri confirms: “After the Silverstone updates, the machine behaves no differentlyit's just faster.” Finding stability in the center of the corner is thus one of the priorities on the McLaren agenda for 2024, an important correction to give the car a character more suited to the drivers' requests.
![Norris McLaren Silverstone](https://storage.googleapis.com/fp-media/1/2023/07/XPB_1220614_HiRes-1-990x660.jpg)
Versatility
Another area of growth for the Woking team will be being able to express the same competitiveness in a wider range of conditions. The 2023 McLaren indeed appears particularly sensitive to the grip level, struggling with balance and performance as grip decreases. The MCL60 prefers low temperatures, high-grip asphalts and softer compounds, however showing some more difficulty as the temperature rises and once the harder tires are fitted. From speed to versatility, through stability and slow corners, there is therefore no shortage of areas in which to find further performance in view of 2024, a season which McLaren faces with very different perspectives compared to previous years.
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