Gil de Ferran: “Our approach is bearing fruit”

The gap is already significant with the leading trio, but McLaren can boast after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix of positioning itself as the best of the other teams behind Mercedes, Ferrari et Red Bull.

Nothing to brag about either, since Woking only has a small point lead over Racing Point F1 and five on Alfa Romeo Racing. But beyond the balance sheet, it is the reaction capacity of the troops of Gil de Ferran, the sporting director of McLaren, which seems the positive point of the weekend.

“Our drivers delivered a clean, clear race, without making any mistakes, the manager told us after the race. We were more competitive. But there is still a long way to go. On the one hand, I'm happy, maybe I'll treat myself to a little glass of champagne, but on the other hand, we must not let up the pressure and continue to work.

We improved the car, made some developments for Baku. I don't know if we're really reversing the trend. I keep saying it but the team works well together, whether in the factory or track operations.

A good indicator of this is our performance on pit stops. We have been competitive in this area for several races. We are moving in the right direction.

Last year, we focused on internal affairs, restructuring, trying to identify weaknesses and opportunities to make small improvements. This approach is bearing fruit. »

Lando Norris, who scored his second points finish this year, largely shares this point of view. “We know our weaknesses. We knew China would be one of our weekends without but we bounced back.

We didn't feel sorry for ourselves, we didn't get carried away by frustration. We understood that it would be a complicated weekend while the one in Baku would be more pleasant for us.

We maximized and responded well. You always want more as a driver. The team always wants more. We are happy with the result but there is still work to do. »

McLaren also places itself in front of the team Renault, which has been supplying its Power Unit to Woking since last year. But caution remains in order in the English clan, as for the current hierarchy, which could evolve significantly, the next round of Barcelona being one of the meetings where the teams bring the most new things.

“If you look at the result from China, you say Renault has a better chassis,” says Norris. After Baku, you will say that ours is more efficient. I think it will vary from track to track. I hope we will be in front more often. »

Discover the full report and analysis of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Baku, in AUTO issue 2214hebdo, available now in digital version, and from Thursday on newsstands.