Photo: McLaren F1 Team / Twitter
As we get closer to the 2023 Formula 1 season, more and more teams are announcing the launch dates for their new cars. McLaren now joins that list with high hopes from their new contender.
As you might already be aware, McLaren is one team that has seen wild swings in performance over the last few years. While some of the blame for their finishing position in the constructors’ championship can be shifted to Daniel Ricciardo, the car was nowhere near where it should have been, either.
Yes, the lovable Aussie did struggle with both the MCL35M and the MCL36, but Lando Norris was not praising the cars either. While the young British talent did score a bunch more points than his teammate, many more were left on the table due to the performance of the cars.
With a new season and a few small regulation changes, McLaren hopes to not only become more competitive but also prove to Norris that he was not mistaken to believe in the project. The Woking-based team is surely hard at work trying to at least reclaim the “best of the rest” position in the championship.
The launch itself will take place on February 13, the same day Aston Martin plans to unveil its new challenger for the 2023 Formula 1 season. This will be the first official event that McLaren will host with its revised driver line-up, which saw Daniel Ricciardo depart in exchange for Oscar Piastri.
Speaking of the new line-up, it could prove to be a hurdle for McLaren to overcome. Piastri is undoubtedly a talented driver who has had an illustrious career so far, but that can be a double-edged sword.
While he could help the team more consistently score points, a squabble between him and Norris for the mantle of number one driver could just as well end up costing them points. Hopefully, things will end up working much in the same way they did between Norris and Carlos Sainz, with Piastri taking a calculated approach and learning from his more experienced teammate.
There is one more challenge for McLaren to overcome regardless of the pace of the MCL37 or its driver pairing. That issue comes in the shape of being led by a new team principal following Andreas Seidl’s move to Sauber.
That role will be filled by McLaren’s former racing director, Andrea Stella. It remains to be seen if this will have any impact, positive or negative, on the team’s performance. However, it’s certainly not a great thing for a team to be faced with changes on all fronts (engine supplier, regulations, team structure).
Still, regardless of how this season ends up developing, McLaren is rebuilding. We’ve seen similar situations lead teams to championship wins before, so we’re eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the team’s new contender for the 2023 season.
Yes, the lovable Aussie did struggle with both the MCL35M and the MCL36, but Lando Norris was not praising the cars either. While the young British talent did score a bunch more points than his teammate, many more were left on the table due to the performance of the cars.
With a new season and a few small regulation changes, McLaren hopes to not only become more competitive but also prove to Norris that he was not mistaken to believe in the project. The Woking-based team is surely hard at work trying to at least reclaim the “best of the rest” position in the championship.
The launch itself will take place on February 13, the same day Aston Martin plans to unveil its new challenger for the 2023 Formula 1 season. This will be the first official event that McLaren will host with its revised driver line-up, which saw Daniel Ricciardo depart in exchange for Oscar Piastri.
Speaking of the new line-up, it could prove to be a hurdle for McLaren to overcome. Piastri is undoubtedly a talented driver who has had an illustrious career so far, but that can be a double-edged sword.
While he could help the team more consistently score points, a squabble between him and Norris for the mantle of number one driver could just as well end up costing them points. Hopefully, things will end up working much in the same way they did between Norris and Carlos Sainz, with Piastri taking a calculated approach and learning from his more experienced teammate.
There is one more challenge for McLaren to overcome regardless of the pace of the MCL37 or its driver pairing. That issue comes in the shape of being led by a new team principal following Andreas Seidl’s move to Sauber.
That role will be filled by McLaren’s former racing director, Andrea Stella. It remains to be seen if this will have any impact, positive or negative, on the team’s performance. However, it’s certainly not a great thing for a team to be faced with changes on all fronts (engine supplier, regulations, team structure).
Still, regardless of how this season ends up developing, McLaren is rebuilding. We’ve seen similar situations lead teams to championship wins before, so we’re eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the team’s new contender for the 2023 season.
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