2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[Tomsky]

Translation of the Amus article.

[Tomsky]

In Japan came the first double podium of the season for McLaren, finally able to put together all the pieces of the puzzle to achieve a result that has escaped on other occasions. A satisfaction that fits into the recovery path that the doking
The hope was to make available to the drivers a car able to fight consistently at least among the top eight positions by the end of the season, without forgetting, in fact, that at the start of the world even the points zone often seemed almost a mirage.
The first step was to revolutionize the technical field with the farewell of Ke Shored up the technical structure, the team focused on upgrades, bringing the first substantial package to Baku, followed by others in Austria, Britain and Singapore. Given the great work behind the scenes to speed up the production of the new parts, not all the components arrived at the same time, so much so that they were also supplied to the pilots with different timings. Given the greater experience, Lando Norris always had priority over Oscar Piastri, a promising driver but still making his debut in the category.
The growth during the world championship also allowed Aston Martin to be in the crosshairs, from which it halved the gap in the constructors ' standings after the summer break. Undoubtedly the margin still remains quite large but, step by step, McLaren is getting closer in an important way. However, Team Principal Andrea Stella did not want to set goals.
“I focus on the process [of growth]. You can have goals, you can say that these are my two or three milestones from the point of view of results. But in reality we are not working according to these objectives, but according to the fastest and most reasonable pace that can be sustained in development”.
“If you go too fast, you can start skipping stages, taking shortcuts, finding yourself with things that don't work, because you haven't been methodical enough. Looking ahead to the season, I believe that, if we really want to consider the best expectations, we are slightly ahead of where we would have expected to be even in the most optimistic forecast. "This is a testament to the good work done from a technical, operational and racing point of view at McLaren and by everyone involved.
This methodical approach to development is fundamental for Stella, who has also been compared to the situation of Aston Martin, very quick at the beginning of the season but which, with the recovery by rivals, has slipped backwards in the standings. This is precisely why McLaren tries to be as rigorous as possible in the development path, so as not to take a step longer than the leg ending up in territory from which it would then be difficult to get out.
“We're trying to be as rigorous as possible, from a development perspective, to make sure that we don't take shortcuts, that we don't get to say, ‘No, we need to develop faster,’ and then start skipping some methodical steps that we've applied so far. But I think everyone at McLaren, especially the technical direction, is aware that the pace of development is already rapid. And that is what we must continue to pursue. And then we will see, when we are in Bahrain next year, who has been able to develop faster. "With Aston Martin we have seen that during the winter it is possible to make great strides, or as with McLaren, that it is also possible to do so during the season.
The end of the 2023 season is approaching and, by now, much of the teams ' attention is already turned to the 2024 car. With such an important step forward in the current championship the first point on the list will be to reconfirm. For the moment, Stella said he was encouraged by the numbers recorded in the development phase of the car of the next world Championship: “At the moment, we are encouraged by the development we see on next year's car. At the same time, I believe it is the same for everyone. Because right now some concepts are starting to be quite clear, I think, throughout the paddock, therefore... We don't know if we are developing faster than other teams”.
"Especially we don't know if we are developing faster than Red Bull. Let's not forget that I think Mercedes has understood what it has to work on. And I suspect they will recover great,” Stella added.
https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-st ... /10526393/

[LionsHeart]

In Japan came the first double podium of the season for McLaren, finally able to put together all the pieces of the puzzle to achieve a result that has escaped on other occasions. A satisfaction that fits into the recovery path that the doking
The hope was to make available to the drivers a car able to fight consistently at least among the top eight positions by the end of the season, without forgetting, in fact, that at the start of the world even the points zone often seemed almost a mirage.
The first step was to revolutionize the technical field with the farewell of Ke Shored up the technical structure, the team focused on upgrades, bringing the first substantial package to Baku, followed by others in Austria, Britain and Singapore. Given the great work behind the scenes to speed up the production of the new parts, not all the components arrived at the same time, so much so that they were also supplied to the pilots with different timings. Given the greater experience, Lando Norris always had priority over Oscar Piastri, a promising driver but still making his debut in the category.
The growth during the world championship also allowed Aston Martin to be in the crosshairs, from which it halved the gap in the constructors ' standings after the summer break. Undoubtedly the margin still remains quite large but, step by step, McLaren is getting closer in an important way. However, Team Principal Andrea Stella did not want to set goals.
“I focus on the process [of growth]. You can have goals, you can say that these are my two or three milestones from the point of view of results. But in reality we are not working according to these objectives, but according to the fastest and most reasonable pace that can be sustained in development”.
“If you go too fast, you can start skipping stages, taking shortcuts, finding yourself with things that don't work, because you haven't been methodical enough. Looking ahead to the season, I believe that, if we really want to consider the best expectations, we are slightly ahead of where we would have expected to be even in the most optimistic forecast. "This is a testament to the good work done from a technical, operational and racing point of view at McLaren and by everyone involved.
This methodical approach to development is fundamental for Stella, who has also been compared to the situation of Aston Martin, very quick at the beginning of the season but which, with the recovery by rivals, has slipped backwards in the standings. This is precisely why McLaren tries to be as rigorous as possible in the development path, so as not to take a step longer than the leg ending up in territory from which it would then be difficult to get out.
“We're trying to be as rigorous as possible, from a development perspective, to make sure that we don't take shortcuts, that we don't get to say, ‘No, we need to develop faster,’ and then start skipping some methodical steps that we've applied so far. But I think everyone at McLaren, especially the technical direction, is aware that the pace of development is already rapid. And that is what we must continue to pursue. And then we will see, when we are in Bahrain next year, who has been able to develop faster. "With Aston Martin we have seen that during the winter it is possible to make great strides, or as with McLaren, that it is also possible to do so during the season.
The end of the 2023 season is approaching and, by now, much of the teams ' attention is already turned to the 2024 car. With such an important step forward in the current championship the first point on the list will be to reconfirm. For the moment, Stella said he was encouraged by the numbers recorded in the development phase of the car of the next world Championship: “At the moment, we are encouraged by the development we see on next year's car. At the same time, I believe it is the same for everyone. Because right now some concepts are starting to be quite clear, I think, throughout the paddock, therefore... We don't know if we are developing faster than other teams”.
"Especially we don't know if we are developing faster than Red Bull. Let's not forget that I think Mercedes has understood what it has to work on. And I suspect they will recover great,” Stella added.
https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-st ... /10526393/

Thank you so much for the tip on the latest news. It's nice to read something like this.

[Mostlyeels]

AN makes the point that if you get the architecture right then you can, during the use period change the bodywork to better chase an aero concept.

Full transcript of his podcast, in case: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... EXQ0z.html

[mwillems]

The team have spoken about the need to change the chassis and rework the internals for next year to better support their designs.

It will be interesting to see what changes are name and to try and understand why. Particularly as newey said whre the wheels are relative to the fixed bodywork parts being crucial, as these could have put some restrictions on changes we might have wanted to make to the car. Especially now they are working on the outwash for those lower speed corners.

[LionsHeart]

I watched Lando and Oscar's onboard. The car is hitting the bottom of the road on the starting straight at about the point where the 10th through 14th place drivers start. The jumps start at around 280-290 km/h. Also before the first Degner, before Spoon, well before 130R. The less fuel in the tank, the softer the car goes. The balance overall was good, I'm happy with what I saw.

Now that's interesting. I've captured the angle of attack of the front wing in different phases of the race:
First stint

Second Degner


Before the Spoon


Before 130R


Before Casio chicane


Before second pit

Main straight


After 130R


Pit lane zone


The car's on the jack

[Darth-Piekus]

I am hearing heavy rumours about turning into a factory team with Toyota. Is it a good idea to change a successful engine to something unknown when we know that Mercedes will eventually get it right and might do a repeat with the new engine rules?

[mwillems]

I am hearing heavy rumours about turning into a factory team with Toyota. Is it a good idea to change a successful engine to something unknown when we know that Mercedes will eventually get it right and might do a repeat with the new engine rules?

Well, nobody actually knows what Merecedes will get right and when, but secondly the rumours are quite wild and have been put to bed by Toyota so far.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/naka ... /10524087/

Speaking at the Japanese GP, Toyota Gazoo Racing advisor Kazuki Nakajima said that the Hirakawa deal was not a first step towards a grand prix racing comeback, but he left the door open on things changing over the next few years.

“For now, it's clearly no," he said when asked by Autosport about Toyota's interest in F1. "This deal is really purely focusing on a driver, supporting a driver's dream.

"At the moment, it really has nothing to do with that. I know, of course, you can think about it, and there are a lot of rumours.

“But I can clearly say that it's no, and nothing to do with it. For the future, we never know."

[LionsHeart]

I am hearing heavy rumours about turning into a factory team with Toyota. Is it a good idea to change a successful engine to something unknown when we know that Mercedes will eventually get it right and might do a repeat with the new engine rules?

Well from my perspective the best option is to stay with a proven engine supplier. And yes, that is the current supplier. But we don't know all the inner workings between teams and engine suppliers, so from that point of view the team will know better. On the fact that Toyota is about to build from scratch an engine for Formula 1? I don't believe it. Considering how much resources, time and effort it took Honda to get them a competitive engine, it's been a long time. The same Porsche isn't coming, even though they should have been able to do it. But even they realize the difficulty.

By the way: regarding the engine for McLaren. I read that in the contract with Oscar this point was taken into account. I think with Lando, too. What kind of engine the drivers wanted, I don't know.

[organic]

The precedent is clear that unless your engine provider is essentially working for you, becoming a works team is key

[taperoo2k]

The precedent is clear that unless your engine provider is essentially working for you, becoming a works team is key

Toyota entering F1 as an engine manufacturer is something I can see happening with
McLaren possibly getting a works deal. In the short term I expect McLaren will likely stick
with Mercedes at least for the 2026 season to see how things pan out. There were rumours
earlier in the year that McLaren might have had a discussion with Red Bull Powertrains. Horner
shot that one down though.

Tbh if any team can win both championships as a customer team, then I think it
would be McLaren.

[CHT]

The precedent is clear that unless your engine provider is essentially working for you, becoming a works team is key

Toyota entering F1 as an engine manufacturer is something I can see happening with
McLaren possibly getting a works deal. In the short term I expect McLaren will likely stick
with Mercedes at least for the 2026 season to see how things pan out. There were rumours
earlier in the year that McLaren might have had a discussion with Red Bull Powertrains. Horner
shot that one down though.

Tbh if any team can win both championships as a customer team, then I think it
would be McLaren.

The last time Mclaren won a championship was in 2008 before Merc bought over Brawn and turned it into a works team. At the moment there are already too many engine suppliers for 2026, Ferrari, Merc, Honda, Audi, Ford/RBR, Renault. If Toyota is going to spend the kind of money to start F1 engine division just for Mclaren, it may be better to consider acquiring Mclaren since the Mclaren supercar division is actively looking for partnerships and alliances with big automotive companies. Just like Geely buying into Aston Martin.

According to RBR AN, he has reservations as to whether engine suppliers running their own team will provide customers with equal equipment when fighting for championship. Which is why they decided to start their own power unit division with funding from Ford. Unfortunately for Mclaren, they are too small to embark on such a costly and ambitious project.

[PikeStance]

Toyota,

McLaren did state that they and Toyota wanted to expand their relationship after the contract with the wind tunnel expired. It appears the relationship is one that will expand over time. One article I have read this week discusses a "drivers' development program." The statement by Toyota does not rule out any further cooperation in the future. So I would not expect any announcement any time soon.

According to RBR AN, he has reservations as to whether engine suppliers running their own team will provide customers with equal equipment when fighting for championship. Which is why they decided to start their own power unit division with funding from Ford. Unfortunately for Mclaren, they are too small to embark on such a costly and ambitious project.

I am not sure why there i a misconception about Ford's involvement. Articles I have read state that Ford will be developing the electrical component of the PU and Red Bull the ICE. I would hazard to guess that Ford will be consulting on the development of the ICE as well.... at least I would hope, or I will have real trepidation for Red Bull post 2026. Anyway, I would not be surprise if GMs interest in joining F1 has anything to do with Ford's entry to F!!!

If Mercedes HPP is providing different PU for different teams then they are defrauding the FIA, so I doubt they would brazenly cheat their customers. I doubt, Mercedes Group, the parent company, would be too keen to have that happen given Mercedes' reputation for quality.

On a side note, it is a curiosity that McLaren never embarked on their own development of a F1 engine. Their "street car" is considered one of, if not the best, cars on the market. That being said, unlike Lamborghini, they do not have a hybrid car. Anyway, this seems to be out of the question, but I am curious why.

Anyway, Toyota are on the forefront of alternative engine development, so their re-entry into F1 does make sense conceptually, but does it make sense financially or from a marketing standpoint?

[SmallSoldier]

The precedent is clear that unless your engine provider is essentially working for you, becoming a works team is key

Toyota entering F1 as an engine manufacturer is something I can see happening with
McLaren possibly getting a works deal. In the short term I expect McLaren will likely stick
with Mercedes at least for the 2026 season to see how things pan out. There were rumours
earlier in the year that McLaren might have had a discussion with Red Bull Powertrains. Horner
shot that one down though.

Tbh if any team can win both championships as a customer team, then I think it
would be McLaren.

The last time Mclaren won a championship was in 2008 before Merc bought over Brawn and turned it into a works team. At the moment there are already too many engine suppliers for 2026, Ferrari, Merc, Honda, Audi, Ford/RBR, Renault. If Toyota is going to spend the kind of money to start F1 engine division just for Mclaren, it may be better to consider acquiring Mclaren since the Mclaren supercar division is actively looking for partnerships and alliances with big automotive companies. Just like Geely buying into Aston Martin.

According to RBR AN, he has reservations as to whether engine suppliers running their own team will provide customers with equal equipment when fighting for championship. Which is why they decided to start their own power unit division with funding from Ford. Unfortunately for Mclaren, they are too small to embark on such a costly and ambitious project.

If an engine supplier running their own doesn’t provide the same equipment, they would be excluded from the Championship… The rules don’t allow that anymore.

[SmallSoldier]

The precedent is clear that unless your engine provider is essentially working for you, becoming a works team is key

That’s a myth in this new era of regulations… Ideal? Maybe, Key? No.