McLaren on verge of making a good car for 2019
- Subhan Zafar
- Jan 15, 2019
- 2 min read
McLaren with their MCL33 had lacked the performance for the 2018 campaign since they partnered with Renault as their engine supplier. But the performance was on par, in fact, got lower as the season progressed. Fernando's best position for McLaren was actually 5th from the season opener at the Australian Grand Prix, he never saw a position higher than that again.
McLaren has already gone through some tough times given their last race win was back in 2012 and their most recent podium in 2014. The team lagged behind the main competitors partly because their Honda partnership never lived up to the expectations of delivering the performance required to hang with the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull. This time around, McLaren are now in the recovery phase and are aiming for a long term recovery process in order to climb back to the front row of the grid.
Most recent is McLaren has acquired Andreas Seidl, a former Porsche LMP1 boss as their managing director. Andreas was responsible for giving Porsche the Le Mans victory since the company returned back in 2014. It would be crucial knowing from a man that has seen victory if the British team is on the right path to recovery.
Another important update is that Renault have gained more power from their engine unit following the development of their 2019 car. This should get McLaren some boast in engine department as they have been reliable the whole 2018 season, just not quick enough.
Development and feedback from the drivers will be more important to know if the car can be pushed to the limits. It is viably possible as Charles Leclerc has demonstrated his skills with a Sauber and that earned him his Ferrari seat. So its up Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz to really adjust the car to be as competitive as possible. The ups in this is that Lando, as a young driver, has the potential like Charles and even Max to pump the car in many situations, e.g pushing it into Q3 or maybe getting a podium position. While Carlos has all consistent pace and can amp the car and himself if needed.
And lastly the car itself will be improved following the lack of aerodynamic performances from the MCl33, the car wasn't as nimble or powerful as the team expected. With that in mind, the team will rework the car and possibly get the aero bang on right, since regulations have changed for 2019. They can either leap ahead or fall back, and obviously don't want the latter option.
2019 will be a crucial year to see if the changes are visible from the team itself, to the drivers and the car on the race track. It will be soon known on the Australian GP if the work has paid off.
Comments