McLaren already lagging behind

Is the MCL60 already starting behind the competition? In any case, this is what the first laps of the new machine suggest. McLaren in Bahrain where pre-season testing is taking place. In two days, the Oranges were not spared from technical problems, particularly with the front brakes. Like a déjà vu from the previous exercise.

Victims in spite of themselves, Lando Norris and his new teammate Oscar piastri spent almost as much time on the track as outside the car, helplessly watching the mechanics' choreography around the MCL60.

On the bitumen, which it filed much less than the competition, the latest creation from the Woking (UK) workshops is not yet satisfactory. Much to the regret of boss Zak Brown. The boss of McLaren Racing knows that they are behind on their roadmap even if they do not really know where they are in the hierarchy.

« It's hard to know until you really start (the season), Brown said, speaking about the McLaren situation while acknowledging that these problems could be solved with new parts.

We know we set goals that we didn't achieve. We think it's best to be honest about the subject. Like everything else, we have a lot of development going on. This encourages us for the future."

Recovery objective for McLaren

Zak Brown may give a unifying speech, but the situation does not seem to be looking good. He himself is aware of this, believing that McLaren will “ attack the first race behind our first objectives. It is still difficult to know where this will place us on the starting grid.. » What to worry about for the entire 2023 season? Not really according to the big boss of Woking.

« We aspire to return to the forefront, he emphasizes. We know this will take time. The new technological infrastructures are already in place or will be completed during the year. We have some good improvements in development but so do all the other teams in F1. We need to pick up the pace »

The clock is already ticking for the Oranges who have no more time to lose. It's up to them to take the right direction for the development of the MCL60, failing which this bad start to the year will last for many months.

At the launch of the car, new team principal Andrea Stella declared that the first developments would arrive for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku (April 28-30), the 4th round of the season.

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