Lando Norris’ pole position at the Russian Grand Prix was the last check box to be ticked to claim that McLaren is again a force to be reckoned with.
The team, which was once one of the dominant forces in Formula 1, suffered a rather surprising crash during the turbo-hybrid era (from 2014). They went from being a constant front runner to a fight to get out of the way.
However, in 2019 the team finally started putting together consistent results and began an impressive rebound. Compared to 2017, when they finished a low ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship, McLaren is currently third in the table at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix. They’ve got multiple podiums this season and, perhaps most impressively, are the only team to get a 1-2 place!
While noteworthy, the biggest question is what has changed? How did McLaren go from being behind to being “best of the rest” under Red Bull and Mercedes? In this article, we look at five key factors in McLaren’s Formula One resurgence.
# 1 McLaren evolved from a “Fernando Alonso team”
Fernando Alonso had a rather disappointing stay at McLaren. Photo: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Probably the biggest change at McLaren in 2019 was the fresh line-up of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, who replaced Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.
This decision helped the team regain their identity. Fernando Alonso is a force of nature and there are not many drivers in the history of Formula 1 with his talent.
The problem with having Alonso as a driver is that it shakes up the entire team around him. Every single element of the team works for Alonso, and given his résumé, he has had such treatment.
The biggest problem was the fact that McLaren was unable to match the Spaniard’s ambitions during this period. The team had a below-average engine, which also concealed some glaring weaknesses on the chassis side.
However, for Alonso, anything but excellence was unacceptable, and he publicly shamed Honda more than once. In addition, the Spaniard drew all the attention for the charismatic person he is, how he turned the wheels of underperforming machines, how he dominated his teammates, and most importantly, how McLaren let him down.
After Alonso decided to move on in late 2018, McLaren was able to break free of relentless pressures and work on incremental improvements.
In hindsight, McLaren won more than lost when Alonso left, as it allowed the team to get rid of the negative baggage that came with the Spaniard’s presence.
# 2 McLaren has finally accepted their shortcomings
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Edited by Sandeep Banerjee
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