McLaren claims its 2024 progress will depend on how much ‘magic comes out of the oven’ at Red Bull

McLaren made a tremendous recovery during the 2023 season of the pinnacle of motor racing.

McLaren claims its 2024 progress will depend on how much ‘magic comes out of the oven’ at Red Bull

Zak Brown and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

The McLaren F1 team proved one of the most improved outfits of the 2023 F1 season. They made their way from the back to finish fourth and ahead of the upcoming campaign, Zak Brown has talked about its 2024 chances.

The McLaren boss thinks that while the team is pleased with what they have so far done regarding its 2024 car, how much progress they make would only be known when Red Bull’s RB20 hits the racing track.

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While shedding light on the same lines, Brown said on Speedcafe’s YouTube channel:

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We like what we’re seeing in the wind tunnel and CFD at the moment, so we feel like we’re going to take a step forward. How much? I think the answer is probably pretty early, so we’ll just have to wait and see how much Adrian Newey [Red Bull Chief Technical Officer] magic comes out of the oven so to speak to see where we are.

Looking at the reaction of the McLaren CEO, it is quite clear that the papaya outfit is confident in the work it has put in regarding the development of its 2024 car. However, the ultimate progress will only be known when the team is able to compare its car to Red Bull’s RB20.

McLaren will target a better finish in comparison to 2023

While the Woking-based team is not sure how much of a big step it would make in 2024, they would at the least want to finish higher than fourth. They were barely able to hold on to the position with Aston Martin finish behind them.

McLaren (Credits: Top Gear)
McLaren (Credits: Top Gear)

Looking ahead, McLaren has in its ranks the most exciting driver line-up on the modern F1 grid. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri performed brilliantly last year and Brown and Co. will expect a repeat of the same.

The Red Bull F1 team has proved too mighty under the current set of regulations. But keeping in view how McLaren performed during the closing stages of last year, they could pose the Austrian outfit a tough challenge during the upcoming campaign.

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