How McLaren have created a significant lead over Red Bull
General
- Ludo van Denderen
McLaren have made a major move on several fronts compared to Red Bull Racing with the contract extension of Peter Prodromou. The British team has something that the Austrians can currently only dream of.
Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger saw it happen. After Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz died, chaos arose in the previously tightly managed organization, according to the words of the Austrian to a German media outlet. Suddenly it seemed like war in the team. And the worst part was: That even got a lot of press coverage.
In any sport - and certainly in the biggest team sport in the world - unrest disrupts the process, as Red Bull Racing experienced first-hand in 2024. The internal turmoil was the prelude to Adrian Newey's departure and sporting problems, among others. Thanks to Max Verstappen's class, Red Bull still won the drivers' world title. But in the constructors' championship, McLaren came out on top.
McLaren had what Red Bull lacked
That was no coincidence. Everything Red Bull lacked in the final months of 2024 was present at the British rival: a fast car, clear leadership and, above all, calmness. While one important figure after another at Red Bull announced their departure, key personnel within McLaren were actually committed for a longer period - with team boss Andrea Stella leading the way.
Peter Prodromou's contract was also extended this week, a masterstroke by McLaren. The Greek Cypriot has shown he is knowledgeable as an aerodynamics technical director - after all, he helped ensure that McLaren could work its way to the front of the grid.
Yet, the most important thing for the British team is that with Prodromou, continuity is assured, and that equates to a calm environment. While the new people within Red Bull have yet to find their place, everyone within McLaren knows what their job is and where they stand. In a sport like Formula 1, that is absolutely key.
Red Bull knows that better than anyone, as it is precisely the calmness - with people like Newey and Wheatley at the helm - that has been a major factor in its success. As mentioned, that has since changed in Milton Keynes, giving McLaren a nice advantage over Verstappen's team.
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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