McLaren at the break: Imbalance

McLaren and its two drivers, Norris and Ricciardo, are having a mixed start to the season, with some successful races and others that are less so. They manage to bring in some points and are fighting for 4th place behind the top 3 constructors. During the break, transfer rumors about Piastri and Ricciardo have been circulating within the team. This could potentially disrupt McLaren’s season going forward.

The best race

The Australian Grand Prix is the best of this half-season for McLaren. With both drivers in the points and in 5th and 6th place, McLaren has had a great race in this Grand Prix.

Individually speaking, it was during the next Grand Prix, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, that McLaren showcased their best performance with a beautiful 3rd place for Norris. This allowed McLaren to score 22 points throughout the entire Grand Prix, their highest score. This race could have been even better if Ricciardo had also finished in the points.

The worst race

It was during the Miami Grand Prix that McLaren experienced its worst race. With Norris retiring and Ricciardo finishing 13th, the drivers were not in their best form.

But during the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain, the cars had major brake problems that appeared as early as pre-season. This is what influenced the beginning of the season.

A progression?

After a very laborious first race, McLaren quickly bounced back and was able to score 95 points in the following 12 races. A number that allowed them to climb to 5th place in the constructors’ standings. However, we can see that as the races progress, McLaren is able to score more and more points. The drivers are increasingly ranking in the top 10, which puts them in contention for 4th place.

Ability compared to the rest of the field

The McLarens have become increasingly reliable during the Grand Prix. After a failed first race due to a brake defect, there were only 2 races uncompleted by the drivers. These two retirements occurred during the Miami and Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. The team seems to have turned things around after the unreliability of the brakes at the start of the championship.

Pilot Duel

Lando Norris is having a good first part of the season. He is currently ranked 7th with 76 points. He manages to earn a lot of points during the Grand Prix races and had his best race at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, finishing in 3rd place.

By finishing outside of the points only three times, Norris has a 77% top 10 rate in this first part of the season. He generally finishes between 5th and 10th place, which has earned him this 7th place in the overall standings.

For Ricciardo, the start of the season is more complicated. He has only finished in the points 5 times and is currently in 12th position in the standings. By finishing just outside the points on many occasions, he is unable to score points for his personal ranking and for the constructors’ ranking.

The best race for Ricciardo comes during the Australian Grand Prix with a solid 6th place finish. However, with a top 10 rate of only 38%, he can’t aim for a higher overall ranking but can rely on some underperformances from certain drivers to gain points back.

Lando Norris is leading in this battle between teammates. He is more skilled and consistent than Ricciardo at the beginning of the season.

Championship position

McLaren is in the fight for 4th place, with only 4 points behind Alpine, who is currently in 4th. They won’t be able to compete for a podium position due to the too big of a gap they have with the 3rd place.