Sports · Motorsport · 1 hr ago
McLaren seeks fundamental changes after losing pace in Formula 1
McLaren has lost pace after recently competing for poles and race wins in Formula 1.
The team, which won both championships last year, finished fourth and fifth in Singapore, with Lando Norris 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen.
The car struggles in slow corners, on corner entry and on straights, leaving McLaren behind its rivals at several recent races.
A rough track surface in Malaysia also disrupted the car’s grip and aerodynamic performance, while Norris said a fuel-system problem affected his speed on the straights in two races.
McLaren scored just 33 points across three races in Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore, putting its third place in the constructors’ standings at risk from Red Bull.
Driver mistakes and a poor tyre decision in Malaysia also hurt the team’s results.
Team boss Andrea Stella says more fundamental changes are needed to address the car’s most troubling characteristics.
McLaren says it needs fundamental changes to improve its Formula 1 car after a sharp loss of pace.
The team fell to fourth-fastest during races in Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore, scoring 33 points across the three events.
In Singapore, McLaren finished fourth and fifth, with Lando Norris 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen.
The team’s weaknesses include low-speed corners, corner entry and straight-line speed.
McLaren also had operational problems, including a poor tyre call in Malaysia and driver errors.
- Who
- McLaren, including drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and team boss Andrea Stella.
- What
- McLaren says it needs fundamental changes to address its car’s weaknesses after losing pace.
- When
- The decline was evident across the Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore races.
- Where
- The races took place in Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore.
- Why
- The car struggled in several areas, including low-speed corners and straight-line speed, while operational problems and driver errors also hurt results.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
McLaren scored no points after both drivers made mistakes and Norris was caught in a multi-car restart crash.
A poor tyre call left Norris and Piastri on recovery drives, and McLaren finished sixth and ninth.
McLaren finished fourth and fifth, with Norris 40 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen.
- Points across Azerbaijan, Malaysia and Singapore
- 33
- Singapore finish
- McLaren fourth and fifth
- Norris's Singapore gap to winner
- 40 seconds
- Malaysia finish
- McLaren sixth and ninth
- Car weaknesses
- Low-speed corners, corner entry and straight-line speed
What people are saying
long way off
a lot of things stopped working from an aero point of view there
weird data
Sources
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