The McLaren is not the best car yet: 'Poor performance in 2024'
F1 News
Only from the Chinese Grand Prix, scheduled for this weekend in Formula 1, is it going to be known how the teams stand, according to former F1 driver Christijan Albers in the Telegraaf Formula 1 podcast. Ahead of the new season, McLaren seemed to be the top favourite, and in Australia they showed why. Lando Norris's speed on Sunday translated into a haul of 25 points. Yet that does not necessarily say anything about the rest of the season, according to Albers.
Albers on the Chinese Grand Prix
Albers was asked about McLaren's speed and how in form they were during the first race weekend of the season. "Let's be clear that this is not really a circuit. The real hierarchy will come later in China. I think there the field will be closer together, or there will be an even bigger gap. The real results will come this week in China. There we will really see how or what [is happening with the pecking order]," Albers said.
Albers on Verstappen and McLaren in 2024
Last year, in 2024, McLaren was also ahead in terms of pace at the end of the season, including Red Bull Racing. "You just notice that they took that lead with them from last year. At the end of the season it was kind of obscured by Verstappen's performance, and actually McLaren's misperformance. For example, with the mistakes they made," Albers explained.
Next race weekend is the Chinese Grand Prix. It is a sprint weekend so there will be a lot of action on the track. Just like for the sessions in Australia, Formula 1 fans can again set the alarm early to follow everything. You can find out what time all the sessions start next weekend here. Of course, the Formula 1 weekend in China can be followed on GPblog, where you can read all reactions, liveblogs and summaries of the sessions.
This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen.
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