Andrea Stella claims McLaren will need at least ‘12 months of development’ to become a lethal threat in F1

McLaren produced an extremely strong outing at the 2024 Australian GP.

Andrea Stella claims McLaren will need at least ‘12 months of development’ to become a lethal threat in F1

Andrea Stella (via IMAGO)

The McLaren F1 team has been on an upward trajectory since the 2023 season of F1. The outfit has carried forward its progress into the ongoing campaign and has already scored a podium. But despite the positive results, its team principal, Andrea Stella, understands that there is work to be done.

Despite the good start, the Woking-based team is still not where they wish to be. Its star driver, Lando Norris recently stated that he is still a bit uncomfortable with the MCL38.

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The car still has issues with the low speed, especially around the long corner, and amidst all this, Andrea Stella has admitted that there is still a long way to go for the team to become a top outfit in F1.

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We are extremely happy with the pace we have maintained on development over the last 12 months, but I would say we need another 12 months of development to make a car that is strong in terms of DRS efficiency and in long corners.
Andrea Stella said: Motorsport

The team found their way around the weakness of MCL38’s predecessors and worked on the same. The MCL38 is a much better and updated version of the MCL60, however, there were still areas that needed to be tapped into during the winter break. According to Stella, the weak elements of the 2024 challenger will take a decent amount of time to get properly fixed.

After three months, Ex-Ferrari aerodynamicist walks away from McLaren

David Sanchez played a huge role in McLaren’s new challenger, the MCL38’s development. Sanchez, who was previously an aerodynamic specialist at Ferrari, joined McLaren ahead of the 2024 season.

Ferrari and Mclaren (Via: Imago)
Fred Vasseur and Zak Brown (Via: Imago)

However, due to changes in the job responsibilities, after having many discussions with the team, both parties mutually decided to part ways.

Following thoughtful discussions between David Sanchez and the team leadership, the mutual decision has been taken for David to leave the team.
Andrea Stella said on David Sanchez’s departure via Formula 1

Sanchez during his three months at McLaren, didn’t have the kind of time he had expected. Now, after his departure, Neil Houldey will take over the position of technical director of engineering, while Peter Prodromou will remain in his place as the chief of Aerodynamics. The team is grateful for Sanchez’s contribution towards its development and wishes him the best of luck for his future endeavors.

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