McLaren wants to compete for the title in 2025

Linked to Honda as an engine supplier and plagued by disastrous results, the McLaren team subsequently made a spectacular resurgence in the hierarchy, going from ninth place in 2017 to third in 2021. However, in 2022, the British outfit seems to have hit a glass ceiling or even regressed in certain aspects.

The Executive Director of McLaren, Zack Brown, questioned in August 2021 about this situation, had indicated at the time:

We unfortunately believe that we are working with one of the least technologically advanced wind tunnels, and it’s a huge disadvantage.

While modernization work is currently underway at the factory, the team will soon have a new wind tunnel and a new simulator.

2025 should be the return “to the forefront”

As a result, Brown believes that his team will have to step up their game in order to compete with the top 3.

« I believe we need two to three years,” the American comments to ESPN. « I would love for this year to be like 2021, where we are competing in the top 3. But we don’t have all of our infrastructure yet. By 2024, they will be operational, but not for the full development of the 2024 car. I like to think that 2024 would be a good step forward, where we could join this battle more regularly. »

Then, in 2025, we would have everything we need: the pilots, the staff, the resources, the wind tunnel, the simulator. On paper, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to consistently fight at the front by 2025. It is definitely our ambition.

« There are investments that we would make as a Formula 1 team, but that we have decided not to make because we have invested in our wind tunnel instead. So the situation is not optimal, but it will change towards the middle of the year. »

The question remains whether these modifications will enable McLaren to regularly reach the podium. The last victory of a McLaren car dates back to 2021 at Monza, courtesy of… Daniel Ricciardo.