McLaren’s assessment of 2022: an uneven season

The new regulations allowed teams to come closer together in 2022. McLaren suffered from this change and did not manage to make the most of the race car throughout this season.

Performance of the race car

The MCL36 did not deliver the expected level of performance. It did not allow its drivers to compete with the leading Alpines in the midfield. The start of the season even turned into a nightmare for the British team, as they struggled to score points. A podium at Imola achieved by Lando Norris will improve the assessment of a challenging season for McLaren. The British cars were able to battle with the Alpines because they suffered from catastrophic reliability issues in 2022.

Reliability

This is one of the positive points for McLaren in 2022. Indeed, there were only 3 retirements due to mechanical problems throughout the season. This exemplary reliability has allowed McLaren to gain points on Alpine in the World Constructors’ Championship and to get back into the battle for 4th place in the championship.

Optimization of the strategy

The British team was able to take advantage of the opportunities that arose for them in 2022. For instance, Lando Norris took advantage of a chaotic race in Imola to finish in 3rd place. The bold strategic choices made by the British team allowed them to stand out in many races.

Teammate duels

Lando Norris outrageously dominated his teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2022. The young British driver scored 122 points compared to only 37 for the Australian driver. He managed to extract the best out of his car in qualifying and races. Daniel Ricciardo was able to turn things around towards the end of the season, but unfortunately, it was too late to score a large number of points. Lando Norris finished the 2022 World Championship in 7th place in the drivers’ standings, thus being the best among the non-top teams’ drivers.