McLaren need to go "back to basics" in 2019

Despite improving vastly from the 2017 season, McLaren F1's CEO Zak Brown thinks the team needs to get "back to basics" in order to improve and build on the foundation they have.

The Woking-based team already hit the reset-button by getting a completely new driver line-up, as Stoffel Vandoorne and Fernando Alonso both left the team to be replaced by Carlos Sainz Jr. and rookie Lando Norris.

McLaren had their first year with Renault-power in 2018, and they did make a jump from penultimate place in the constructors' championship to sixth this year. However, the form in the final half of the season was rather concerning, with the team sporadically scoring points and barely getting out of Q1 with either car.

“2018 was a difficult year, but one where we’ve implemented a lot of change,” Brown explained on McLaren's website.

“We’ve learned a lot, we understand the mistakes we’ve made, and we’ve worked hard to make sure we don’t replicate those moving forward.

“We did finish sixth in the championship, so on paper, it was a step forward from 2017, but it certainly wasn’t a season of the calibre that anyone at McLaren or our fans would have expected."

Moving forward, McLaren already have a young and very talented drivers' duo in Norris and Sainz, but key additions were also made (see what we did there) in the technical body of the team, with James Key joining the team in 2019 from Toro Rosso.

“We have a good understanding of what we need to do to improve our race car. The changes we’ve made over the last five or six months, both in our structure and leadership, are already in play and beginning to take effect.

We need to get back to the basics, come out with a stronger car next year, and continue on the rebuilding journey to get us back to winning races. 2019 should be another step forward in that direction.”