McLaren has long searched for the right formula

McLaren concluded the 2014 campaign fifth in the Constructors' Championship. Despite an encouraging start to the season in Australia (double podium), the MP4-29 driven by the Danois Kevin Magnussen and the Briton Jenson Button, 2009 world champion, have never been able to confirm. We had to wait until the last part of the calendar to see the Woking single-seaters regularly in the top 5 behind the untouchables Mercedes and the duo Red Bull - Williams.

“At first the pilots complained about the handling, explains Matt Morris, McLaren Director of Engineering. We tried a lot of things, but we didn't really bring anything that made a difference until Japan, where we fitted a new aerodynamic package to the front of the car. And it made a big difference. All of a sudden, the drivers were saying: “The car has changed, it’s better. » The rider can use his confidence in balance and handling to push the car. This mindset has certainly been a catalyst for us to push further in this direction. »

At the end of the season, Jenson Button had four finishes in the top 5 out of five possible. In 2015, he will find Fernando Alonso as holder for the highly anticipated return of Honda as an engine engineer. The association with the Japanese had notably McLaren's heyday between 1988 and 1991.