McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has already given a little glimpse of the upcoming upgrades that his team is bringing to the Miami Grand Prix. McLaren managed to improve the McLaren car last year with two major upgrades so that the team could compete for podium places, but the Italian team boss has very different expectations for this year’s upgrades.
McLaren’s upgrades during the 2023 season, which were installed on the car during the Grands Prix in Austria and Singapore, ensured that the British racing team was able to completely turn the tide. Thanks to the upgrades, McLaren went from a rearguard team to a team that could compete for podium places. The team from Woking proved at the start of 2024 that the updates were not temporary, and Lando Norris even ended up on the podium in China.
Expectations are therefore high for McLaren’s first upgrades this weekend during the Miami Grand Prix, but McLaren team boss Stella warns that the upgrades will not be as large-scale as those of 2023. ‘This upgrade will not be as large as the two that We delivered in Austria and Singapore last year, but it should be a significant step,” Stella told Motorsport.com. ‘It should be noticeable. I can’t say much more than that, otherwise we’re talking about numbers. I would like to keep that confidential.’
Stella: ‘There are always possible surprises’
Yet Stella dares to give a little glimpse of how big the upgrades will be for the MCL38. ‘Let’s say probably not as big as (the upgrades from, ed.) Austria and Singapore, but noticeable. If it all matches our expectations, the wind tunnel figures and also the computer simulation. It’s always a big if, because even though the correlation (between the simulations and the track, ed.) has been good over the past twelve months, there are always possible surprises.’
The McLaren’s main weaknesses, such as long, low-speed corners, tire degradation and aerodynamic efficiency, are the three main areas that the team has tried to improve over the winter break, but are still causing problems for the 2024- car. The updates leading into the race in Miami are the team’s first attempt to further address these points.
