McLaren "Finalizing" Fresh Upgrades In Bid To Win Both 2024 Championships

Saajan Jogia | Sep 17, 2024

May 3, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; McLaren driver Oscar Piastri (81) races out of turn 17 during F1 Sprint Qualifying at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has admitted that the team is finalizing new upgrades for the MCL38 F1 car to make it faster. The Papaya outfit is determined to further improve its pace as it targets both championship titles this year.

The recent race at Baku saw a tight battle between Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and McLaren driver Oscar Piastri for the top spot, with the latter eventually winning the tire management game. Thanks to McLaren's mid-season upgrade, the car now offers its drivers the confidence to aim for victories.

McLaren's lead driver, Lando Norris, who started the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in P15, finished a remarkable fourth under the virtual safety car. The MCL38 has been the only car to consistently challenge Red Bull this season, helping McLaren surpass Christian Horner's team by 20 points in the Constructors' Championship.

With seven races remaining in the 2024 season, McLaren is also eyeing a clean sweep in the Drivers' Championship. Although championship leader Max Verstappen holds a 59-point advantage over Norris, McLaren's chances of victory remain within reach if its strong performance continues. Stella revealed that the team is working on a plan to make the car "go faster." He told the media:

“We are definitely working on upgrades for this season.

"We are now finalising this.

“I don’t want to disclose too much in terms of what and when, but we do have a plan to make the car faster.

“Whether we will be able to do it or not, we will see, because I think we have seen that at this level of development, it’s not an easy task to actually change the specification of the car and get it to work as you expect in your development tools.

“But that’s also why we took a bit more time to try and make sure that what we bring to trackside is successful.

“So, yes, I can confirm that we have some stuff coming for the next races, and I will let the [FIA] document surprise when they are published.”

The McLaren team boss cleared the air on McLaren having the fastest car, revealing that the statement applies only to selected circuits. He explained:

“There’s not much to pick at all between the four top teams.

“And when it comes to McLaren, I often hear, ‘McLaren best car, McLaren best car’. I think this is not in the numbers.

“I think in the numbers, McLaren is the best car in some kind of circuits, like Barcelona, Hungary, Zandvoort, for good technical reasons.

“But here [in Baku], I don’t think McLaren did not enjoy any advantage over Ferrari, and I think not even over Red Bull.”