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McLaren have taken a huge step backward in the 2023 F1 season. They were extremely poor in the Bahrain GP, where Lando Norris finished last and Oscar Piastri had to retire the car when he was unable to restart it after changing the steering wheel.
Even before the season, the British team were downplaying their hopes and aims for 2023 and admitted that they would be on the backfoot in the beginning.
Speaking on The Race F1 Podcast, Swedish journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm explained exactly what went sideways for McLaren this campaign. Last year, the FIA created a new rule for 2023 that forced every team to raise their car's height by 15 mm to reduce porpoising. Since the aerodynamic phenomenon was too extreme in some cars, it was quickly becoming a matter of driver security and health.
Though McLaren were quite supportive of it when it was first introduced, their 2023 car's concept and geometry did not fit well with the 15 mm ride height. Even though they tried to find some performance by making minor changes to their car's floor, they weren't able to progress further with the development. This was one of the biggest blows for the team as they entered the new season.
McLaren have confirmed that they will bring some major upgrades to the 2023 Azerbaijan GP, which could turn them in the right direction. Though the British team has not put all their hopes into the upcoming upgrade, they are quite confident that it will drastically improve their car.
Andrea Stella admits that McLaren's MCL60 is a midfield car
After the Bahrain GP, McLaren's new team principal, Andrea Stella, admitted that the MCL60 is a midfield car. He further explained how tight and close the midfield is in F1, where almost all cars are just a few tenths apart from each other.
Though the British outfit is focused on maximizing the current package, they are also looking into bringing in major upgrades in the coming months. He said:
“I think testing confirmed that, at the moment, we are a midfield car. The midfield is proving to be quite compact, a couple of tenths can move you to the top; a couple of tenths and you can be at the bottom of the midfield. I think, for us, the focus is to maximise the package in the short term, but at the same time, focus on delivering our upgrade programme."
He further added:
"It is ambitious, it should unleash quite a lot of lap time over the course of the season. So, focus on short term, but also focus on development over the season.”
McLaren are at the very bottom of the constructors' standings after the Bahrain GP.
