Between stability and innovation, McLaren’s dilemma for the end of the season
As the last six rounds of the season approach, McLaren is facing a dilemma: whether to make changes to its cars or stick with continuity, risking letting its competitors take the lead.
Two consecutive victories, 41 points ahead in the constructors’ championship… McLaren has filled up with confidence in Baku and Singapore before the last long break of the season. The Woking team can approach the last six Grand Prix of the season with optimism. But the demands of Formula 1 do not allow the Papayas to rest on their laurels.
Competition is fierce in this 2024 exercise. The start of the season was dominated by Red Bull and its seven wins in ten races. Mercedes had a strong period during the summer with three wins in four Grand Prix. Ferrari seems capable of competing on every track. But it’s McLaren that appears to be above the rest recently with four wins in six races.
Delicate improvements
The resurgence of the Papayas can be partly explained by the difficulties encountered by their competitors in terms of improvement. The new floors introduced this year have rarely produced satisfactory results. Ferrari then <a href="/f1/actualite/34707-mercedes-sans-nouveau-plancher-ce-week-end-bakou.html" title="Mercedes without its new floor this weekend in Baku"
"Mercedes" had to each go back after modifying their own floors. The Oranges, on the other hand, decided to delay the introduction of their new floor.
"to delay the introduction of their own after seeing the troubles of their counterparts."
Regarding Red Bull, its drop in form is the result of problems that were already noticed during the 2023 season, as Christian Horner explained recently. The slight improvements made in recent months have only worsened the situation. For McLaren, making changes to a car that is performing well could therefore prove risky.
Remaining inactive carries risks.
The Papaya team’s team manager, Andrea Stella, admits: this dilemma is delicate. We have some projects underway and, obviously, when you have this kind of performance on the track, you can always approach things cautiously in terms of development, he said after Singapore.
The leader fears inaction in the development process: “You know, in Formula 1, I’m not sure we can afford to sit back too much, because stepping back means that others can catch up,” he said. “We don’t know what the others have planned. Red Bull, on a circuit [in Singapore] where they thought they wouldn’t be very competitive, ended up finishing second.” “The tide can turn quickly, especially since each circuit has its own specificities and the single-seaters react differently depending on the layout.”
Improve cautiously.
The British team is being cautious towards the end of the season. They will continue to make modifications to their MCL38 while remaining cautious. Rob Marshall, chief designer at McLaren, believes it is crucial to make adjustments for each race: “It’s good to make many small improvements all the time, a bit like our beam wing this weekend.”
However, it is sometimes preferable to wait for a series of improvements in order not to disrupt the balance of the single-seater car. “If you proceed step by step, you can introduce an improvement on one part, then work on another part and find that it is somewhat compromised by the previous modification,” explains the designer. A series of improvements brings more certainty: “If you deliver them all at once, this kind of combination of parts has been studied by CFD, developed and tested in the wind tunnel together, and you can therefore be more confident that this combination of parts works well together.”
McLaren does not intend to change its habits […] We must trust the way we have worked so far, “says Andrea Stella. In light of the recent successes of the Papayas, this strategy seems well-founded.
