Lando Norris, from Great Britain, is seen on the grid in his McLaren MCL38 during the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China, on April 20, 2024. This event is part of the Formula 1 World Championship, Round 5, and includes both the Sprint and Qualifying Day.
According to McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andrea Stella, the team’s updates for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix will be a significant improvement, although not as substantial as the updates made last season. Last year, McLaren made remarkable progress, going from being eliminated in the first qualifying session to becoming a regular podium contender.
Last July, McLaren introduced a significant upgrade package in Austria, which changed their fortunes. They followed this up with further developments in Singapore in September. However, as they aim to close the gap to Red Bull, Stella warns that the improvements to the MCL38 for the Miami Grand Prix will not be as substantial as those in Austria and Singapore.
When asked about the expected impact of the Miami updates, Stella stated: “These updates will not be as significant as the ones we had last year in Austria and Singapore. However, they should still be a noticeable improvement. I cannot provide specific details as I would like to keep that confidential. But let’s just say they won’t be as big as the ones from Austria and Singapore, but they will still be noticeable.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown expressed confidence in the team’s ability to maximize the benefits of their updates due to their strong track record of correlating wind tunnel data with on-track performance. However, Stella warns that there can always be unexpected surprises and cannot guarantee that the latest McLaren pieces will deliver the expected progress.
Stella added: “Even though our wind tunnel data and computer simulations have shown good correlation over the past 12 months, there is always a chance of unexpected surprises.”
Currently, McLaren sits in third place in the Constructors’ Championship, with 96 points, trailing Ferrari by 55 points as they head into the first of three races in the United States.
