McLaren must improve the MCL35M in these areas!

Improving the pace

The biggest change for the MCL35M, of course, comes in the form of a completely new power source: the Mercedes engine. It's just not as simple as installing the engine and you have a faster MCL35. McLaren have to take into account the characteristics and different construction of the engine compared to the Renault predecessor.

Because the car will undergo many changes in terms of aerodynamics as a result, the British team has been given permission by the FIA to adapt more things to the car without having to use tokens. This is necessary, because the cooling system and the chassis around the engine must be changed. One advantage is that McLaren makes most of the parts themselves, such as the gearbox, so that the car does not suddenly have to be changed at the last minute. We have seen this with Force India, when the real version of the car was presented a few races later.

Provided that McLaren takes into account the characteristics of the Mercedes engine, the team could become the main contender in the midfield and even make things difficult for Red Bull Racing. Based on pure speed, the Mercedes engine is a lot more powerful than the Renault engine, which could partially solve one of the weaknesses of the MCL35.

Pace in slow corners

Another element where McLaren lost a lot of time last season was in the slow corners. Of course every car has to take a lot of throttle back for a tight corner and in that area the MCL35 is very strong, but the minimum speed of the car is very low compared to its direct competitors. The British team was lucky enough to finish third in last year's championship, but if they want to do it again they have a major weakness to solve.

The MCL35's shortcomings are clearly visible on the Sochi circuit. The track in Russia has a number of medium and fast corners in the first and second sectors, where McLaren excelled last year. During VT3 Carlos Sainz was only one tenth behind Lewis Hamilton's time. In the final sector, Sochi only has a couple of slow corners and that's where the MCL35 loses a lot of time, allowing the Spaniard to be overtaken in the standings by Daniel Ricciardo's Renault and Sergio Perez's Racing Point. Remarkably, all three drivers will be driving for a different team next year.

Generating more downforce

One of the ways in which the MCL35M should perform better in slow corners is the amount of downforce the car can generate on the tyres. So that will have been a big focus for the McLaren team over the winter. But the downforce is not only good for the slow corners, but also to better cope with changing weather conditions.

At windy Grands Prix, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris both said over the radio that it affected them a lot. More so than other teams and it showed in the results. The same goes for rainy conditions. During the Turkish Grand Prix it became clear just how much grip Racing Point's car had on the wet tarmac, so much so that Lance Stroll took pole position and Sergio Perez took second. McLaren also finished well in the points, but it is clearly an area for improvement for the MCL35M. Whether McLaren has improved the car in these areas we will unfortunately not see on Monday, we first have to wait for the test just before the start of the season.