We may have been forgiven to think that this year’s Australian Grand Prix was the return of McLaren as one of the top constructors in Formula 1. Yet, despite clinching an impressive double podium, the Woking-based team haven’t had much else to smile about in 2014. Non-points finishes in Bahrain, China and Spain have been the low-points of a season that has shown signs of fizzling out after just seven races.
But, as the series rolls on to Austria, McLaren have been hard at work conducting various updates that team director Eric Boullier has claimed will ‘close the gap with everyone in front of us’ (Autosport).
Will the famous British marque benefit from these upgrades, though? After the supposed improvements that have bogged McLaren down in the last couple of seasons, there will understandably be scepticism concerning how well the MP4-29 will perform in Austria.
‘Aerodynamic Overhaul’
The updates that McLaren have fitted to the car are described as an ‘aerodynamic overhaul’, essentially designed to help bridge the gap between themselves and the front-runners on the high-speed straights of the Red Bull Ring. So, this should mean that they’ll have more pace than in Canada, since the two tracks are very similar in terms of top speeds and high brake-wear. It could be the performance break that McLaren have long sought after, but then again it could just as easily be cancelled out by the rapid rate of development being undertaken by many other teams during the busy European leg of the series.
Although the team have ended their podium drought, 2014 still hasn’t heralded many special results. True, Jenson Button drove to an impressive fourth in Canada a fortnight ago, but the car still wasn’t fast enough. Without the dramatic collision between Sergio Perez and Felipe Massa in the dying laps, Button had little chance of a decent points finish. As far as race-craft and timing are concerned, McLaren seem to be as professional as ever. Yet, they’re still not quite there in terms of raw speed.
McLaren Austrian GP Preview
Familiar Territory
As for the driver line-up, McLaren appear to have the upper hand going into this reincarnated round of the championship. Jenson Button recorded a fourth place finish in the 2003 race (the last time F1 visited Austria), while Kevin Magnussen has raced at the Red Bull Ring a number of times in the World Series by Renault. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the pair (Magnussen especially) pushing forward early on, although the team will have to pay close attention to the rapid wear-rate of the soft and supersoft Pirelli tyres.
Drivers confident about McLaren’s future
The team are certainly positive ahead of this weekend’s race. Button told Autosport this week “Things at McLaren have been the same for many, many years and now they are starting to change. I think it is time – and definitely the right direction.”
The structural change at the start of the season that brought Boullier into the fray was never going to be an overnight success, but from first hand accounts it seems as though the mood is more positive than last year. Once the team solves their low downforce issues that have plagued them so far in 2014 then there’s no reason why they can’t start looking for more podiums again.
If any race this season is going to give an indication as to how close McLaren are to returning to the head of the field, it’s Austria. The new updates are promising, and Boullier’s leadership is moulding the team into a stable package. While McLaren probably won’t be winning in Austria, it may be the weekend that they’ve been looking for. It won’t be surprising to see the MP4-29s mixing it in the top-10 with Ferrari and Force India, but anything higher than that still appears to be uncharted territory.
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