Lando Norris of Great Britain is seen on the grid in his McLaren MCL38 during the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, China on April 20, 2024. This event is part of the Formula 1 World Championship, Round 5, and includes both the Sprint and Qualifying Day.
According to McLaren Formula 1 team boss Andrea Stella, the team’s upgrades for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix will be a significant improvement, although not as substantial as the upgrades made last season. Over the past year, McLaren has made remarkable progress, going from being eliminated in the first qualifying session to becoming regular contenders for podium finishes.
Last July, McLaren introduced a significant upgrade package in Austria, which turned their fortunes around. They followed this up with more developments in Singapore in September. However, while striving to close the gap to Red Bull, Stella warns that the improvements on the MCL38 for the Miami Grand Prix will not be as substantial as those in Austria and Singapore.
When asked about the expected impact of the Miami upgrades, Stella stated, “These upgrades will not be as significant as the ones we had last year in Austria and Singapore. However, they should still be a noticeable improvement. I can’t provide specific details as I would like to keep that confidential. But let’s just say they won’t be as big as Austria and Singapore, but they will still be noticeable.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has expressed confidence in the team’s ability to maximize the benefits of their upgrades due to their strong record of correlating wind tunnel data with on-track performance. However, Stella warns that there can always be unexpected surprises, and he cannot guarantee that McLaren’s latest parts will deliver the anticipated progress.
Stella added, “Even though our wind tunnel data and computer simulations have shown good correlation in the past 12 months, there is always a chance of unexpected surprises.”
Currently, McLaren sits in third place in the Constructors’ Championship with 96 points, trailing Ferrari by 55 points as they head into the first of three races in the United States.