Admittedly, McLaren team principal Andrea Stella isn’t too concerned about the introduction of updates to the MCL60 during the first Sprint race weekend of the season at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP.
Baku will host one of this season’s six Sprint races at the end of April, meaning F1 will have to cut a practice session from the weekend’s itinerary to accommodate all the weekend action.
McLaren’s faltering start to the season came as no surprise. The team accepted that the car they fielded and raced for the first three rounds had not been optimal compared to its rivals.
Heading to the race in Baku, Stella is unfazed by the introduction of updates. In an interview quoted by F1 journalist Chris Medland, the Italian said:
“If there are no anomalous behaviors, then it is relatively easy because in modern Formula 1 you have the data and you can read the aerodynamic performance through the forces that you measure and through the pressure map around the car that you measure to the dozens of sensors of pressure. .”
Stella went on to add:
“So we’re not too concerned in terms of assessing whether it’s possible or not, unless there are some anomalies. But so far I have to say that the cars are showing a good correlation with development. That’s why we decided to put it up.” even if it’s a sprint.”
‘We hope to be in contention’: Baku update will not be a game changer for McLaren, according to Andrea Stella
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella hopes his team can compete to fight for points after they unveil the aforementioned update to the MCL60.
After two dismal rounds of racing in the Middle East, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri managed to finish in the points places during the 2023 Australian GP F1, albeit with some luck.
Despite opening her account for the campaign, Stella doesn’t want her team to take it for granted. When asked about the team’s situation after the race at Albert Park, the Italian said:
“We didn’t get carried away, we know it was an eventful race. It’s good to get points after we had some tough races at the start of the season where we were competing for points but for various reasons we couldn’t. Now it’s good to come out of these races with some good points.”
He then went on to talk about the car’s planned update, admitting that it won’t be a game changer for McLaren, but rather a step in the right direction in terms of development.
Stella added:
“We know that in Baku we started another step of this season by starting to have some improvements on the car. We know it won’t be a game changer, but it will be a first step for what we hope will be multiple updates. We hope to be in contention to fight for points in the future on merit.”
McLaren are hoping for this and their recent technical shakeup may help them once again challenge in midfield and have an outside chance to be the best of the rest, something they have found difficult with gradual slides down the standings in recent seasons.