(Motorsports news) The Woking team, Mclaren has proven to be Red Bull’s most reliable rival in recent races, placing fifth on the podium five times in the last six events. Even though it has advanced significantly this year, it knows it still has a ways to go before it can seriously contend with the dominant Red Bull team in terms of pure speed. Speaking during the Brazilian Grand Prix, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believed that Red Bull still had the advantage when it came to handling degradation, and that tyre management was now the sole factor separating the two teams.

Stella states that the team’s progress in closing the deficit extends beyond downforce as they continue to work on their 2024 design. He said, “Let’s say we have some targets, but I can’t say in which area and how.” “However, I can state that it’s not just aero.” When asked how much of the problem with tire deterioration was mechanical and how much was aerodynamic, Stella responded, “It’s a combination of both.” I am limited to what I can say.

McLaren is aware that competitors Mercedes and Ferrari, who have struggled this year, are making significant changes to their 2024 contenders. As a result, the battle at the top of Formula One may look very different in the following season. However, he believes that because his squad is beginning from a far more competitive base this winter, they are in a good position to advance. Since that’s where most people start, it’s fair to say that where you are with your automobile for next year depends in part on where you are this year, he added.

However, it is contingent upon the development gradient. This gradient [at McLaren] essentially began in July, and there is a long period of time that is solely focused on the work you perform on the vehicle for the following year. The fact that McLaren’s present form was attained with a car that wasn’t the team’s first choice at launch is a significant one. Stella claims that while many of the MCL60’s features have been kept, the team has had to implement numerous changes during the campaign.

“The majority of the car we launched in March has been developed in discontinuity, but there are some elements that have been developed with continuity,” he stated. Particularly concerning the floor, bodywork, rear wing, and, to a lesser degree, the front wing. All we had to do was sort of dive into various themes and get things going. It went beyond simply developing the launch car’s initial concept in a linear, iterative fashion.

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