McLaren delays the introduction of its new floor
Back in the title battle, McLaren remains cautious about the improvements made to its MCL38. Despite having a new floor available, the papaya team does not want to rush the change, fearing to suffer the same setbacks as its counterparts.
Mercedes, Aston Martin or Ferrari, all these teams have in common to have experienced a drop in performance following major improvements to their floor in 2024. The latest example: the cars of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell seemed more unstable during the Dutch GP after modifications to their floor.
Do not repeat the mistakes of others
If McLaren acknowledges having a chance to win both the constructor and drivers’ championships, the team remains cautious about improving its floor. It particularly fears the same kind of unforeseen consequences as those encountered by its main rivals.
With a narrower gap than ever between the leading teams, the team based in Woking is fully aware that any gain or loss of performance obtained through future improvements could be decisive.
While Red Bull seems to have identified certain factors to explain their problems, it is essential that the Papayas do not make mistakes regarding the evolution of their car, risking seeing their title hopes shatter.
Controlled improvements
According to Andrea Stella, director of the British team, one of the reasons why the team did not experience a drop in performance in the middle of the season is that it only carried out one major upgrade. This has helped to minimize the risks of issues. “We haven’t made any significant upgrades since Miami. The last relevant upgrade […] took place in Zandvoort, and it did not involve the floor. It concerned other areas of the car.”
He also specifies that the development of the car is still ongoing, but we must be sure that the new parts work before introducing them. « There is a reason why we did not bring certain improvements: we see that if we had pressed the launch button, we might have had doubts when these parts would have been tested on a large scale on the car […] We are taking our time to convince ourselves that the development is mature enough to be implemented on the track. »
McLaren is therefore acting cautiously to allow its drivers to shine on the track and thus maintain their hopes of surpassing Red Bull and Max Verstappen in the championship.
