McLaren targets upgrades to take the fight to F1’s top two

McLaren can use its clear position in third place in the constructors’ championship as “a trampoline” to try and challenge Red Bull and Ferrari with upgrades, according to team principal Andrea Stella.

In 2023, McLaren struggled significantly in the opening rounds but its season was turned around by a major update in Austria at the start of July. This season, Stella is taking confidence from the way McLaren has cemented its position as a podium contender, as it sits third in the standings with more than double the points of fourth-placed Mercedes.

“We are pleased with the fact that we confirmed a strong third position in these first four races of the season, the third-best car, and definitely this is reflected in the championship points,” Stella told SiriusXM. “So this is a positive, and it’s a positive for many reasons. The most important for me is that we kind of consolidated the trajectory that McLaren started 12 months ago.

“But this is a trampoline. This is a starting point for us to further improve the car, which is definitely needed if you want to stay third because the cars behind us will not just be watching. But I would like to say that we look forward. We look at Ferrari not being too far away, and we know that we have potential in our car development.

“So this is the race that we want to have this year -- like last year a development race, and then let’s see at the end of the season who has done the better job.”

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A significant upgrade package was referenced from the moment McLaren launched its 2024 car, and Stella says next week’s Chinese Grand Prix is likely to be the final race before it is introduced at the Miami GP next month.

“I hope we will be able to deploy the upgrades in Miami. Even if it’s a sprint event I think the performance opportunity that we have deserves a consideration even for a sprint event,” Stella said. "It’s the same as we did last year in Austria, and very likely this is what we will be doing this year in Miami. Once we see how much performance we are able to add there, we will more realistically think about what we can compete for this season.”