McLaren, between caution and ambition before the Austrian Grand Prix

At McLaren, minds are torn between two obligations before the Austrian Grand Prix. On the one hand, the British team must score big points to maintain its 4th place in the championship, threatened by Alpine. On the other hand, the Woking team must be careful regarding the wear of the parts of its two cars. Spared from the first lap pileup at Silverstone, McLaren must still manage the condition of the MCL36s as best they can in a very tight schedule.

Piers Thynne, executive director of operations at McLaren, highlights the great efforts made by his entire team before Austria. “We have reached the halfway point of the 2022 season and the team is working harder than ever. As part of the cost cap, teams are obliged to be efficient, admits the British engineer. With three Grands Prix and a test day for Pirelli before the summer break, everyone is pushing hard to give us the best possible chance of scoring good points. Especially with the opportunities that can present themselves in the sprint format at Spielberg. »

This same Sprint format could also have bad repercussions. Two races in two days also mean twice as much risk of damaging the cars, Ttemporel believes. “There are many elements at play in Red Bull Ring which we will take into consideration when preparing the cars and all the parts for the weekend. We need to make sure we have enough spare parts available for all key areas of the car. This is important from a production perspective when taking into account the increased risk of damage associated with the sprint format. »

The Sprint format worries McLaren about the wear and tear of the single-seaters

The nature of the Spielberg track, very hilly and designed in the old style, also worries the engineers at McLaren. “ There are high levels of wear possible with the harsh curves which can easily damage certain components,” explains Piers Ttemporel, who however declares that the British team is prepared for any eventuality. " VSIt's something we build into our long-term plans when we prepare for the season and the team is ready. The circuit itself has a lot of interesting features: changing slopes, three fast straights. It will be interesting to see how the news behaves on the track. »

With 14 points scored in the last 3 races (compared to 27 for Alpine), McLaren absolutely must achieve a good result to defend its place in the constructor's championship. Last year, Lando Norris had won a first row then a podium at the Red Bull Ring. Although reproducing this performance will not be an easy task, the young Briton wants to have fun at this meeting in Styria. “It’s one of my favorite circuits on the calendar, so it promises to be a good weekend. Although we certainly won't be fighting for podiums like the last two years, we will have the opportunity to score points and have fun in battles. »

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