Photo: Twitter / McLaren F1
If you're a McLaren fan like me, this Formula 1 has been incredibly painful to watch, as the team has struggled to even score points, relying on the mishaps of other teams to do so. But after every storm, the sun eventually comes out, and McLaren plans to fight back, promising an upgrade package of such a massive scope that it will take three race weekends to implement.
However, McLaren fans know that everything the team says must be taken with a pinch of salt, as results have been lacking in the past ten years, and the new facilities are not yet running. But McLaren has known since the start of the season what its weaknesses are, with aerodynamic efficiency being the primary thorn in the team's side.
Keep in mind, we've somewhat heard that before. The upgrade package brought in Azerbaijan, which was supposed to put the team on the pace it should have started the season with, did not seem to have a notable impact on results. Although this could be skewed by the rest of the teams on the grid finding their own minor improvements.
But things have supposedly changed, with team principal Andrea Stella stating that work has been done to change the characteristics of almost all aerodynamic surfaces. Not only that, but changes have supposedly been made even beneath the car's bodywork, meaning that the car we'll see in Hungary will essentially be a full B-spec.
One crucial issue here is that Stella says the upgrades have not yet been tested in the simulator, although they are expected to aid with downforce levels. This is concerning to hear, as such massive upgrades are supposed to be tested some time in advance.
There's also the critical aspect that only an improvement in downforce is mentioned, without any mention of McLaren's inherently draggy car and aerodynamic inefficiency. There's little to be gained by just improving the downforce levels without addressing the massive straight-line speed deficit McLaren has struggled with.
But if the team principal is to be believed, these upgrades could amount to serious performance gains of a few tenths per lap. So, failing to mention the efficiency aspect was hopefully just a communication error, and we will see a much better car.
However, even if the upgrades prove to be mighty, McLaren still has a steep mountain to climb in this Formula 1 season. The season is already a few races deep, and the Woking-based racing outfit has fallen relatively far behind even Alpine.
By the time the upgrade package has been fully integrated into the McL60, there will only be 11 races left in the calendar. And with just about half a season left, it will be a tough job for McLaren to even secure fifth place in the championship, let alone fight Ferrari for fourth.
Keep in mind, we've somewhat heard that before. The upgrade package brought in Azerbaijan, which was supposed to put the team on the pace it should have started the season with, did not seem to have a notable impact on results. Although this could be skewed by the rest of the teams on the grid finding their own minor improvements.
But things have supposedly changed, with team principal Andrea Stella stating that work has been done to change the characteristics of almost all aerodynamic surfaces. Not only that, but changes have supposedly been made even beneath the car's bodywork, meaning that the car we'll see in Hungary will essentially be a full B-spec.
One crucial issue here is that Stella says the upgrades have not yet been tested in the simulator, although they are expected to aid with downforce levels. This is concerning to hear, as such massive upgrades are supposed to be tested some time in advance.
There's also the critical aspect that only an improvement in downforce is mentioned, without any mention of McLaren's inherently draggy car and aerodynamic inefficiency. There's little to be gained by just improving the downforce levels without addressing the massive straight-line speed deficit McLaren has struggled with.
But if the team principal is to be believed, these upgrades could amount to serious performance gains of a few tenths per lap. So, failing to mention the efficiency aspect was hopefully just a communication error, and we will see a much better car.
However, even if the upgrades prove to be mighty, McLaren still has a steep mountain to climb in this Formula 1 season. The season is already a few races deep, and the Woking-based racing outfit has fallen relatively far behind even Alpine.
By the time the upgrade package has been fully integrated into the McL60, there will only be 11 races left in the calendar. And with just about half a season left, it will be a tough job for McLaren to even secure fifth place in the championship, let alone fight Ferrari for fourth.
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