McLaren Team Principal Confident The Team Managed To Improve Crucial Aspect Of The Car

Saturday, 11 November 2023 at 19:00

McLaren F1 team principal Andrea Stella identifies an advantage that the upgrade in Singapore created for the team.

McLaren is the team that made the biggest progress due to upgrades brought to their cars throughout the season out of all the teams on the grid.

The upgrade in Singapore was the third big upgrade of the season for McLaren and was supposed to mainly increase the car's performance in the lower-speed corners, according to the-race.com.

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However, it seems the upgrade also brought further advantages in the form of lower tire wear, which is an enormous factor in the performance of F1 cars. As reported by RacingNews365, Andrea Stella told the media:

“"We are gradually acknowledging the fact that it looks like together with the Singapore upgrade we have also been able to cash in some improved capability to limit tire degradation."”

The team has seen great improvement in results, especially in Lando Norris's side of the garage. The 23-year-old driver finished on the podium during five out of six races since the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. Stella added:

“"We have observed this behavior for enough races to say it is a consistent pattern. So I think partly this is coming from the car."”

The team principal also recognizes the tire management skills of his driver that could play a role. But Norris could not deliver the same results earlier so evidence suggests that car plays a big role.

“"At the same time, I think Lando having a car that allows him to do a little bit more of what he wants. I think he's taking advantage in order to stress tires tires less."”

Some other teams like Ferrari show a great pace in qualifying, but struggle during races because of the high tire degradation. McLaren has made a huge step forward by improving the this aspect of their car. Stella concluded:

“"So, I think the main enabler was the development of the car. Then, as soon as the car allows you to do something [that] the drivers understand how to [do], you get further advantage out of that."”