McLaren F1 Shows Promising Start to the Season
McLaren F1 has started its season on a much better note compared to the two previous years, which saw challenging winter tests. Zak Brown, CEO of the team, has expressed optimism about the MCL38’s performance this year.
“It was a much better start than last year’s tests,” stated Brown. “We have learned a lot about the car. We encountered some issues here and there, but I believe everyone in the pit lane has faced similar challenges.”
“This is the purpose of testing, to identify weaknesses. It seems like we have a good pace for a single lap and in races. I never really know what others are doing.”
“We feel quite competitive and are roughly at the same level as last year, which was our goal coming into this season. I hope the developments we have made will continue to work, which I am confident about.”
Intense Development Program Ahead
Despite the improved start to the year, the Woking-based team will continue with a rigorous development program: “Everything we are seeing in development right now continues to be positive.”
“I believe we can maintain the development pace we have and if one or two teams make a misstep, we may turn one of our six second places from last year, nine podium finishes, into a first place, which is definitely our ambition.”
“We will introduce upgrades at each race, but we will also have significant improvements throughout the year, such as wings, flooring, and bodywork, as we did last year. I see no reason why the development curve cannot continue in this manner.”
Bahrain Grand Prix Challenge
Andrea Stella, the team principal, also confirms McLaren’s improved form compared to a year or two ago at the same time: “Over the past two seasons, winter tests have been inconsistent, with several reliability issues.”
“We did not feel well-prepared for the first race in those years. This year, the situation has significantly improved as we approached the pre-season tests better prepared, confirming the team’s positive evolution.”
“That being said, we were unable to complete all planned laps due to red flags, a fuel system issue yesterday, and another problem today. There is room for improvement, but overall, these few days have been positive.”
“Ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix, we must be cautious as some teams seem to have made significant progress over the winter, and Bahrain is not the ideal circuit for our car. We will see where we stand during qualifying.”
