McLaren is optimistic about its chances in 2024, having concluded last season in increasingly strong form.
Just under a year ago, Andrea Stella admitted that McLaren failed to reach its winter targets. Alongside CEO Zak Brown, he made no secret that the MCL60 would get off to a poor start.
However, the Italian team principal was equally confident that mid-season development would change the team’s trajectory.
At the time, whilst these comments were still significant, few could have foreseen their implications.
McLaren catapulted themselves to the front with their update packages, the most notable one being in Austria. Lando Norris soon became a regular podium finisher, with Oscar Piastri also putting himself in contention.
In many ways, the Woking-based outfit has all the ingredients to succeed in Formula 1. There hasn’t been any shortage of investment in recent years, as the team rebuilt itself after a nightmare start to the hybrid era.
Brown and Stella deserve credit in equal measure for leading McLaren’s resurgence in their respective areas.
McLaren prepares for the real test
Despite this recent success, the greatest challenge is yet to come. As demonstrated by the AMR23’s decline, staying at the front is a greater challenge than getting there.
After all, one-off results are achievable for most semi-competitive outfits. Only the best can compete at the sharp end for extended periods.
This is why, amongst many other reasons, 2024 is so essential for McLaren.
Aside from the obvious importance of winning races, the next twelve months could show how far the team has progressed.
Zak Brown has explained what the team’s objectives are:
“We hope to start the season kind of where we finished off,” he told Sky F1.
“It will be interesting to see where everybody starts, but we’re feeling good about our development.
“I think we learned a lot, so I anticipate a much stronger start to 2024 than we had in 2023.”
To some degree, McLaren is punching above its weight. Many of their latest development projects were either completed in 2023 or – in other cases – are still being built.
This means that 2026 will be the year when (combined with fresh regulations) everything should be in place.
However, their long-term ambitions cannot become an excuse for their immediate success. This certainly wasn’t the case last year, and McLaren F1 has an opportunity to establish itself as a legitimate top team once more.
