Andrea Stella unveils McLaren’s plans for the second half of the season

The director of the McLaren team, Andrea Stella, recently presented the development plan that will be followed for the rest of the Formula 1 season. With few major changes to the car, he remains amazed by the competitiveness they have achieved. The team director believes that McLaren is now in a good position to catch up with Red Bull, which is still in first place in the constructor’s championship.

An exemplary season for McLaren

The 2024 season has been a success for McLaren. The team, which currently holds second place in the constructors’ championship, is gradually reducing the gap with Red Bull. On their side, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have both won a race and frequently appear on the podium. After facing issues at the beginning of the 2023 season, McLaren is entering a new era.

The success of McLaren is particularly remarkable given the limited updates to their car. Since the upgrades added to the MCL38 in Miami, no major changes have been made to the car. Yet, it remains very performant, as it helped Oscar Piastri secure his first victory in Hungary. The strong performances this year have allowed McLaren to surpass its traditional rivals, Ferrari and Mercedes.

On the other hand, Andrea Stella, team principal at McLaren, is equally surprised by these results. « In a way, I am surprised that we have been so competitive, given that from Miami, we haven’t really brought many new parts on track, » he explained. « This obviously means that the Miami upgrade was important, but there will be more improvements to come in the second half of the season. »

An advantage for the team

As every year, the FIA allows teams on the grid to carry out aerodynamic tests to consider certain improvements. One of McLaren’s advantages for the second half of the season is the amount of aerodynamic test time they benefit from. While their first half of the 2023 season had been particularly difficult, the manufacturer had only managed to reach fourth place at the end of the season. With the restriction on the allowed test time according to the position in the championship, McLaren benefits from the longest period among the top four in the 2024 championship. A significant benefit that allows them to have more development time compared to their rivals. On the other hand, Red Bull has already made many changes on track this season.

According to Andrea Stella, McLaren has not yet fully exploited its development opportunities, which should be done in the second half of the season. We now appear to be able to capitalize on some of these developments that we have accumulated, and I expect that, for the second part of the season, we will have new parts several times, he said.

Despite the team’s strong performance, the team manager remains cautiously optimistic for the end of the season. However, with other updates on the horizon, McLaren is on track to continue its impressive progress as it aims to further reduce the gap with Red Bull in the constructors’ standings. The team’s momentum could lead them to compete more strongly with Red Bull’s dominance.