McLaren eyes Spanish GP upgrades for consistent victories
McLaren Racing teases upcoming upgrades for the Spanish Grand Prix as it aims to bridge the performance gap and establish itself as a consistent victory contender across all Formula 1 circuits.
In a recent interview with Autosport, McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella provided insights into the team's progress and ambitions for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The Woking-based outfit has solidified its position as a consistent podium challenger following a management overhaul last year and significant upgrades to their MCL60 challenger.
Closing the performance gap
Despite the impressive strides made by McLaren, with Lando Norris securing his maiden F1 victory in Miami and Oscar Piastri's triumph in the Qatar GP sprint race, Stella acknowledged that the team is not yet in a position to challenge for victories solely based on outright performance.
He conceded that Mercedes' upgraded W15 car proved to be faster than McLaren's during dry conditions at the recent Canadian Grand Prix.
Upcoming upgrades
To bridge the performance gap, McLaren is set to introduce upgrades for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix and beyond.
Stella teased the introduction of new components, although he refrained from providing specific details.
"We will have some upgrades, but they won't be a single kind of big upgrade like we have seen over the last 12 months,"
he stated.
"This is more some individual components where we found a little bit of performance, and rather than waiting to deploy everything together once ready, we take it track side."
Confidence and consistency
Stella acknowledged the growing confidence within the McLaren workforce, fueled by their recent success story.
However, he emphasized that confidence alone is not enough to maintain competitiveness.
"Ultimately, you can be competitive and you can be consistently competitive if you do work of good quality – the quality of the parts we design, the robustness of the operations, the consistency of the driving,"
he explained.
McLaren's pursuit of consistent victory contention hinges on their ability to develop and introduce effective upgrades.
The team's decision to introduce individual components as they become available, rather than waiting for a comprehensive upgrade package, suggests a pragmatic approach to maximizing performance gains throughout the season.
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