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McLaren heads into the 2024 F1 season with both optimism and trepidation. The team knocked it out of the park last season as it became a consistent podium scorer and even got a sprint win as well.
Having said that, the team is in somewhat a similar place as it was at the start of the 2022 F1 season. It had won a race in 2021 and grabbed a few podiums. It finished P4 at that time as well and had a compelling driver lineup to boot. However, a poor winter meant that the team started 2022 on the back foot with the new regulations.
The team has recovered since then in 2023. The upgrade package and the nuance to choose the right car concept and development direction was a nice ace in the sleeve for a team that has struggled with something like this in the past.
Contrary to the 2022 F1 season, McLaren is in much better shape right now. The new simulator and wind tunnel means that the team is far better equipped to challenge at the front of the grid. So what can we expect from the team this year? Let's take a look.
F1 Team Preview: McLaren
Outlook for 2024
McLaren is arguably the only team other than Red Bull from the top 4 who figured out the car direction in 2023 and knew how it was going to approach the development. That is precisely why the team just continued to march forward and was arguably, on aggregate, the second-fastest car in the second half of the season.
What this means is that the team should be in a better position to just continue developing the car when compared to its competitors in Ferrari and Mercedes. Having said that, there's also this inherent question mark over what would happen if both the Italian and German squads end up making the same jump in performance that McLaren did when they moved to the Red Bull concept.
One of the major reasons behind McLaren and Aston Martin making such a massive jump to the front of the grid last season was that the two teams were astute enough to switch to Red Bull's car concept. Both Mercedes and Ferrari had not done that and hence were limited by their package.
What if the migration helps both Ferrari and Mercedes? Does McLaren have an answer in place for that eventuality? These are some of the critical questions that the team is already facing.
Where does it fit in the pecking order?
McLaren has never been in this strong a position to continue to be a factor at the front of the grid. It should find itself in that top 4, fighting at the front, although where it would be positioned is still a question mark.
Can McLaren challenge for wins and pole positions? Possibly, yes. It won't come as a surprise if the team wins a race or two this year. Will it challenge for the title? At this moment it seems unlikely.
Driver line-up dynamics
There is muted optimism and caution around the Lando Norris-Oscar Piastri driver lineup that could surprise a few people. While many lauded the team for extending Lando's contract beyond 2025, the team is certainly risking something here.
Oscar Piastri's first season has already shown that with a few improvements here and there, he can hang with the best in F1. He has challenged Lando at a few races as well. This season, he will have a 12-month database to fall back on and be far more consistent. This could lead to a closer battle between the two drivers and this could also lead to a scenario where the two butt heads.
Lando has the momentum and should be ahead overall, but if the competition ramps up, stranger things have happened.
