McLaren's Wind Tunnel and Simulator Are Almost Ready, No More Excuses From 2024 Onward

McLaren blamed most of the development shortcomings in Formula 1’s short new era on outdated facilities, such as the wind tunnel and simulator. The Woking-based racing outfit is still using its very first simulator, which is appalling in such a high-tech sport.

Partly to blame for this unfortunate development limbo the team finds itself in is McLaren’s financial situation, which is bleak, to put it mildly. The company had to sell a bunch of its heritage cars to pay for technical upgrades on the Artura hybrid supercar.

But McLaren has been strapped for cash for quite a while now, with the company facing major issues during the pandemic when 1,200 employees lost their job. The team’s Woking Headquarters is not safe either, as it’s been sold to a real estate investment firm with an agreement to lease it back for the next 20 years.

Taking such measures did alleviate some of McLaren’s financial troubles. McLaren is now even investing in a new wind tunnel and simulator for Formula 1, which is a big deal. The facility is set to come online in June, and it will be a major factor in McLaren’s fight to challenge at the top of the leaderboards.

The information available so far points to the facility being physically ready, with only installation and calibration work left to do. Although it will likely have little impact in the 2023 season due to how late in the season it will become available.

F1 is a sport that puts huge financial stress on every team involved. And securing a good place in the constructor’s championship is a key component of alleviating some of the cost, as teams get prize money in accordance with their position. As such, anything that can improve performance is highly important, with a new wind tunnel being instrumental for McLaren’s future.

Compounding that issue is the fact that the team was renting out Toyota’s wind tunnel. This kind of approach can end up being very costly over time. An in-house facility is the better option, as after the initial investment, the running costs are lower compared to McLaren’s current arrangement.

Another thorn in McLaren’s side is the fact that renting out Toyota’s facility slows down research and development. When McLaren comes up with a new part or an upgrade, the team must pack and ship it to Cologne, Germany, to be tested, depending on the availability of the facility.

That causes days to be lost, and such delays have a big impact in the world of Formula 1, where having an update ready for a race could completely change the outcome. The same could be said for the simulator, where being able to accurately prepare the team’s driver for a race could affect the result.

Even taking into account the importance of a team’s facilities when it comes to fighting for good positions, McLaren’s lack of pace cannot be justified. The 2023 season was the second in a row that the team started at the back of the grid. The car simply generates too much drag, and McLaren is not even confident that the first major upgrade package coming in Baku will be able to rectify this issue.

What is even worse is that in the first race of the season at Sakhir, Oscar Piastri’s car had to be retired after just 14 laps due to an electrical malfunction. Lando Norris did not escape problems either, as his McL60 was plagued by a pneumatic pressure issue. That could end up costing the team even more in terms of development, considering how important gathering race data is to accurately understanding the car.

So far, McLaren has been able to find excuses for its poor performance, but as the team continues to make improvements on all fronts, these will no longer hold up. Fans have gotten tired of hearing the same “we will be winning soon” message with no results to speak of.

McLaren has gone from claiming bad performance was the result of not being a works team to throwing the blame on a bad engine during the Renault partnership days. Most recently, fans excused the bad outcomes due to the team being in a transition period regarding its leadership, and now the outdated facilities are taking the blame.

With everything that has happened lately, those excuses simply will not work anymore. The facilities have been updated, the leadership and technical teams are stable, and the engine is good. Progress must be made, as fans and sponsors will not stick around an underdog forever.