Chinese GP, McLaren wants to emerge from anonymity
There McLaren arrives at the Chinese GP in a condition to which she was no longer accustomed: anonymity. After two years of fighting for the top, Andrea Stella’s team began the new era of Formula 1 with a gap of 50″ from the winner, and in the top-5 only because Max Verstappen started from P20. But the papayas know how to work very well and get back on their feet: the mass of data and indications collected in the first weeks of activity of the new single-seater will be very useful already in Shanghai, where the Woking team wants to at least shorten the gap to the best.
As explained by McLaren Technical Engineering Director Neil Houldeythe analysis work started since shakedown was further enriched with the information that emerged in Melbourne, where for the first time the MCL40 came into action in race scenarios and competitive conditions.
Houldey’s words
In view of Shanghai, the team’s attention is focused in particular on the most effective use of the power unit, an aspect in which Mercedes excels and which annoyed Stella: “Seeing the car in competition for the first time was a good opportunity to gain new knowledge. We know there is still a lot to do, We continue to work hard to further exploit the engine’s performancealso focusing on improving cornering grip. Future races will continue to have this focus as we seek to extract maximum performance from our current setup. The team is making great efforts, both on the track and in Woking, to develop the car, but we are aware that it will take a few more races before we can make major updates on the track“.
“We have collected and analyzed a lot of data in different areas since the MCL40 debuted on track, and the first race of the season has provided the team with further valuable information as we continue our development and learning journey within the framework of the new regulations“Houldey added.”Therefore, ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, we have taken all the lessons learned in Melbourne and reorganized ourselves as a team together with our partners to seize the opportunities in both Saturday’s Sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix“.
