Andrea Stella, the principal of the McLaren Formula 1 team, communicated that the squad has “taken measures” following their less-than-ideal showing at the Las Vegas Grand Prix the prior year, which stands out as one of their most challenging circuits recently.
During the previous season’s event on the Las Vegas Strip street course, McLaren secured sixth and seventh positions, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri trailing behind George Russell of Mercedes, the race victor, by 43 and 51 seconds, respectively. Their qualifying performance was also significantly lacking, falling seven tenths of a second short. Additionally, they were outperformed by both Ferrari cars and Max Verstappen.
At the time, their underwhelming display on the low-downforce street circuit didn’t come as a total shock. McLaren’s issues extended beyond a mere deficiency in aerodynamic efficiency with its low-drag rear wing; they also grappled with the challenge of optimizing tyre performance in the prevailing cold desert conditions.
Team principal Stella noted, “Last year’s Vegas race ranked among the most demanding. We encountered difficulties concerning tyre behaviour during qualifying, resulting in a lack of speed, and similarly in the race due to pronounced graining.”
Stella elaborated, “We also faced some aerodynamic complications when attempting to lighten the rear wing, observing a considerable drop in efficiency. Furthermore, we encountered minor challenges with the car’s setup while attempting to counteract the graining and instances of understeer.”
Stella conveyed that the McLaren team initiated actions subsequent to their insufficient competitiveness the previous year, although the effectiveness of these measures is yet to be determined. The absence of extended, high-speed corners implies that the McLaren MCL39 might not fully exploit one of its key advantages, and the prevailing chilly climate could diminish the benefits derived from the car’s advanced cooling system, especially when contrasted with hotter race environments.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Pauline Ballet / LAT Images via Getty Images
While the form of Mercedes has been difficult to ascertain, there’s little reason to believe they won’t be competitive in Vegas again. Ferrari is also anticipating a stronger performance.
Stella clarified, “The post-race analysis from Vegas last year offered valuable insights for improvement. We have identified the directions for necessary changes in tyre management, aerodynamic efficiency, and car setup relative to the previous year.”
Stella added, “Whether these adjustments will ensure competitiveness remains to be seen in Vegas. However, we have certainly taken actions in response to last year’s events, given that our performance was not up to par.”
Championship frontrunner Norris expressed a degree of caution regarding his prospects of achieving three consecutive victories for the first time in his career.
He remarked, “I believe it was our poorest showing of the previous year. We acknowledge the exceptional strength displayed by Mercedes, as well as Red Bull and Ferrari. I would place us at the bottom among those four teams.”
“We’ll adopt a wait-and-see approach. Naturally, we’ve implemented numerous enhancements this year, so I prefer to remain cautiously optimistic.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
