McLaren on when updates will come: 'Because Lando is here I can't say that'

General

4 August 2023 at 13:53
Last update 4 August 2023 at 13:58
4
  • GPblog.com

McLaren started the season extremely weak, but thanks to some updates, the British racing stable can suddenly challenge teams like Mercedes and Ferrari. The British racecourse has had a taste for it since the Austrian Grand Prix and some improvements for the MCL60 will also follow after the summer break, according to Andrea Stella. When exactly that will be, he is keeping to himself for now.

Speaking to GPblog and others, the team boss of the Woking-based formation shared that there are still things to come. "We are working on some evolution of these concepts for post-shutdown but because Lando is here I can't say that now," Stella winked after the Belgian Grand Prix in which Norris was scored points, but teammate Oscar Piastri failed to do so.

"Otherwise he would take it as a promise as drivers as soon as you say that is like, ‘okay when is coming?’ but we are definitely working on an evolution of this package", said the Italian, who prefers not to disappoint his drivers. "So another kind of round of bodywork and floor we still have to sign this off we have a few more days of work if we are successful then we will definitely attempt to bring it in one of the events soon after the shutdown." The next GP is scheduled for the last weekend in August, and then nine more races are scheduled in 2023.

Another big step?

The updates bolted onto the MCL60 in Austria and Britain provided far more performance than the current number five in the constructors' championship expected. Is there any chance McLaren will surprise itself again?

"Well we will see. Very difficult to say. I think we kind of understand what happened with this one but what we are working on is not only simple millimetres it's a bit of a conceptual evolution so there's a degree of uncertainty like in all aerodynamic evolutions and really the evidence comes only when you test this kind of things track side," Stella explained. Even with a good wind tunnel correlation a good CFD correlation, things can react differently on the tarmac than in the wind tunnel or in computer simulations.