McLaren team director Andrea Stella recently unveiled the development plan that will be followed for the rest of the Formula 1 season. Although few major changes have been made to the car, he is still amazed at the level of competitiveness achieved. The team director believes that McLaren is now in a good position to catch up with Red Bull, which is still in first place in the constructors’ championship.

An exemplary season for McLaren

The 2024 season has been a success for McLaren. The team, currently in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, is gradually reducing the gap to Red Bull. On their side, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both won a race and are frequently on the podium. After problems at the start of the 2023 season, a new era begins for McLaren.

McLaren’s success is particularly notable considering the limited updates to their car. No major changes have been made to the car since the upgrades added to the MCL38 in Miami. Yet it remains very powerful, as it helped Oscar Piastri to his first win in Hungary. Strong performances this year have allowed McLaren to outperform their traditional rivals Ferrari and Mercedes.

On the other hand, Andrea Stella, team boss at McLaren, is equally surprised by these results. “In a way, I’m surprised that we were so competitive, considering that we haven’t really brought many new parts to the track since Miami,” he explained. “Of course, that means the upgrade was important for Miami, but there will be more improvements in the second half of the season.”

An advantage for the team

Like every year, the FIA ​​​​allows teams to conduct aerodynamic tests at the grid to consider certain improvements. One of McLaren’s advantages for the second half of the season is the amount of aerodynamic testing time they benefit from. While their first half of the 2023 season was particularly difficult, the manufacturer could only manage fourth place at the end of the season. With the restriction of the allowed testing time according to the position in the championship, McLaren benefits from the longest time in the top four in the 2024 championship. A significant advantage that allows them more development time compared to their rivals. On the other hand, Red Bull has already made many changes on the track this season.

According to Andrea Stella, McLaren has not yet fully exploited its development opportunities, which is set to happen in the second half of the season. “We now seem to be able to capitalise on some of these developments that we have accumulated and I expect we will have new parts several times for the second half of the season,” he said.

Despite the team’s strong performance, the team manager remains cautiously optimistic for the end of the season. However, with more news on the horizon, McLaren is on course to continue its impressive progress and further reduce the gap to Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship. The team’s momentum could see it challenge Red Bull’s dominance more strongly.