McLaren is aiming to repeat its third place in the team standings from last year, but faces tough competition with Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc’s push to second place in the UK Grand Prix helped Ferrari narrow the championship gap to McLaren to 15 points after coming just three laps before winning the Grand Prix.
Leclerc finally crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of leading McLaren driver Lando Norris, who finished fourth ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo.
It marked a major turnaround in Ferrari’s form after both Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr struggled with tire management in France last month and brought more life to the battle for third place.
But McLaren F1 boss Andreas Seidl announced after the race that the team was planning to bring some new parts for their MCL35M car to the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest next weekend to bolster their hopes.
“We’re bringing some upgrades for our car to Hungary to make sure we continue this fight,” said Seidl.
“It is great for us that we are in P3 in the constructors’ championship and after 10 races 163 points are another big step for us compared to last year.
“I’m very happy for that.”
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
At the same time last year, McLaren had 106 points and one podium less than in 2021.
The upturn in form is facing increasing competition in the battle for third place from a stronger Ferrari team, which is recovering from its worst season in 40 years in 2020.
Seidl said he was “not surprised” by Ferrari’s performance at Silverstone, nor by the progress it has made throughout the campaign.
“I’m also not surprised at the steps you can take in one season because it’s a strong team with two strong drivers,” said Seidl.
“They also have all the resources they need to respond to problems. They have the team experienced in responding to the issues so it is not a surprise.
“It will be a very tough fight by the end of the season.”
