McLaren has not been making the gains they hoped back in 2020. The trajectory to the front of the field is on a downward slope, as they have slipped from 3rd to 5th in two seasons. Lando Norris has put forth some great performances for the Woking outfit. But he needs a better car to fulfill his and the team’s title ambitions.
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McLaren was suffering from a major brake duct overheating issue at the start of 2022 in Bahrain. At that point in time, it felt as if their season might be a lost cause. Despite that, the way they overcame the adversities to develop a decent car to at least challenge for P4 in the championship.
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The team boss Andreas Seidl has spoken about how they managed to find ways to develop the car deep into the season. He addressed how their budget cap planning has helped them to sustain the MCL36’s development.
Formula One F1 – Pre-Season Testing – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – February 23, 2022 McLaren’s Lando Norris during testing REUTERS/Albert Gea
As per Motorsport-Magazine.com, Seidl said, “We were able to develop the car all the way to Singapore. This is where we introduced our last major package.” [translated via Google]
“After the good work of all my departments, we worked with the finance people to find ways to improve the performance of the team. We ended up freeing up money that we shifted to the engineers’ side.”
Lando Norris has been quite dejected seeing McLaren’s performance in 2022. The Briton has given all his efforts to pull out some great results. Although he expects better from his team on the car performance.
DIVE DEEPER
McLaren has less than 3 months to find some pace for the next season. Though it will need a miracle for them to join the top teams in 2023.
When can Lando Norris and McLaren expect to fight for the title?
It’s been a while since McLaren was fighting for championships. Besides changing liveries and engine partners, the team has also been involved in a hectic driver transfer this season. Yet the question of a championship challenge remains unanswered.
Lando Norris McLaren F1 Team drive his MCL35M single-seater during qualifying session of last race of the year in Yes Marina Circuit, Yes Island, Abu Dhabi, Uniter Arab Emirates, 11 December 2021 (Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Lando Norris has grown immensely over his 4 seasons with the team. While the Briton is yet to win an F1 race, he harbors his championship ambitions at Woking. McLaren, who were expected to get closer to the top with the ground-effect regulations of 2022, took a step backward.
With the infrastructure projects of a wind tunnel and driving simulator, the team is hoping to make these gains by 2024. The wind tunnel is expected to be completed by mid-2023 for use. Thus, McLaren will be able to develop some of the 2024 car using the new facility.
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While it is not given that the new facilities will guarantee Lando a championship-winning car, it is McLaren’s tangible hope and expectation.
But if they cannot deliver it in the next 2 or 3 seasons, Norris might be looking elsewhere on the grid. After all, he is a competitive driver. He cannot wait for McLaren forever.
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Watch This Story: Lando Norris points the finger to his McLaren machine in a moment of frustration
What do you think McLaren can provide Lando with a competitive car? And by when?
Did you miss our previous article...
https://formulaone.news/mclaren/15-best-mclarens-of-all-time
