McLaren takes a cautious approach in their development path

McLaren finds itself at a crossroads following its dominant performance at the Singapore GP, grappling with the decision of whether to introduce planned floor upgrades to its formidable MCL38 Formula 1 car.

The Woking-based team's recent success stems from a cautious approach to upgrades, particularly regarding its floor design.

Contrasting strategies

While rivals such as Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin have experimented with new floor designs – often encountering balance issues – McLaren has stuck with the floor configuration introduced in Miami.

This conservative strategy has paid dividends, especially on high-downforce circuits like Singapore, where Lando Norris cruised to victory unchallenged.

The upgrade dilemma

Team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged the predicament facing McLaren.

With competitors poised to unveil their next round of updates at the United States Grand Prix, there's a risk that maintaining the status quo could see McLaren lose ground.

"In fairness, that was one of my thoughts after the race,"

Stella admitted when questioned about the upgrade dilemma.

"We do have some stuff in the pipeline, and obviously, when you have this kind of performance on track, you always may approach things from a cautious point of view in terms of development."

Trusting the process

Despite the temptation to play it safe, Stella emphasized the importance of adhering to their development strategy.

"We need to trust the process. We need to trust the way we've been working so far,"

he stated.

"I've said already that we have taken our time to make sure that once we deliver trackside, we have done the due diligence. So, I don't think this will change our plans."

The competitive landscape

Stella remains acutely aware of the razor-thin margins in Formula 1, cautioning against complacency.

"You know, in Formula 1, I'm not sure you can back off too much, because backing off means that the others may catch up,"

he explained. The team principal also noted that Singapore's results might have been somewhat flattering, given the potential of their rivals.

Chunking upgrades

McLaren's chief designer, Rob Marshall, shed light on the team's upgrade philosophy.

"It's about chasing downforce all the time,"

he said.

"We kind of like to gather the chunks up and deliver it in a big hit."

Marshall highlighted the advantages of this approach, explaining that delivering upgrades in one package allows for better integration and testing of components working together.