McLaren on 2022 regulations: “Ferrari and Red Bull have done an excellent job”

In the game of “who will adapt best to the new regulations?” ", these are Red Bull et Ferrari who stood out from the crowd. The two teams dominated this 2022 season thanks to well-bred single-seaters, well ahead of the rest of the grid. No other team managed to win in the 16 Grands Prix contested before the Singapore event (12 victories for Red Bull, 4 for Ferrari). Statistics which are enough to impress opponents, who hoped to be able to move up the hierarchy with the regulation changes at the start of the season. This is the case of McLaren and James Key, technical director of the British team, who said “a little surprised” performance of both top teams in 2022.

“The field was tighter at the start of the season, but it's starting to stretch now, and I have to say that Ferrari and Red Bull have done a great job of exploiting more, declared the English engineer. McLaren, which was battling with Ferrari in 2021 for 3rd place in the constructor standings, was unable to follow the Maranello team to the top. According to James Key, the budget cap introduced this year is not yet enough to erase the shortcomings of certain teams. “It shows that even under a cost cap, if you're a big team with extensive infrastructure, a lot of knowledge and methodology built over many years, it still matters a lot. It's a level playing field in terms of the budget that we have, but we don't all have the same foundation. [Red Bull and Ferrari] give us a great reference point to aspire to. »

2022 single-seaters as fast as 2021, says McLaren

James Key also expressed his astonishment at the speed of development of each team on the grid. Several teams are capable of matching 2021 performances on certain circuits. “In theory, with the same chassis performance, 2022 cars should be two seconds slower than 2021 cars, but that's not the case, explained the McLaren engineer. The cars are getting very close to 2021 performance levels now, and some have already reached them, which reflects the quality of teams we have in the sport. »

If at McLaren, the 2022 season marks a halt in the good momentum started in 2019, the British team could save its season if it manages to secure 4th place in the championship against Alpine. With 6 Grands Prix remaining on the calendar and up-and-down performances, the task does not look easy for the Woking team.

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