McLaren to introduce SIGNIFICANT updates for Singapore GP

Andrea Stella announced significant upgrades to target McLaren MCL60's weakness.

McLaren to introduce SIGNIFICANT updates for Singapore GP

Andrea Stella and Lando Norris (Via IMAGO)

McLaren secured just a point finish at the Monaco Grand Prix last Sunday, thanks to a P8 finish by Lando Norris. It left the team with a sense of missed opportunity attributed to strategic choices and errors as they had podium ambitions coming into the weekend. Now McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, has officially confirmed plans for additional upgrades targeted at addressing the weaknesses of the MCL60, scheduled to be implemented for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix.

McLaren faced a demanding weekend on the low downforce Monaco circuit earlier this year, underscoring the team’s struggles in such conditions. Andrea Stella noted that McLaren has additional upgrades planned for the Singapore Grand Prix and aims to address the weaknesses in the MCL60. The previous race weekend underscored McLaren’s continued differentiation between “strong” and “weak” circuits, a notion they must overcome to challenge Red Bull.

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Stella addressed the performance issues McLaren is facing, particularly in terms of high-speed performance. He confirms that they are actively working to reduce this deficit on the current car and are planning to introduce new upgrades for Singapore. The team’s goal is to make immediate improvements to their existing car’s performance while also gathering knowledge and solutions that can be applied to the next season’s car to eliminate these performance deficits.

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“We have a deficit at high speeds, [and] we are already working to resolve it as much as possible on this car – and then eliminate it on the next one. We want to push towards Singapore, where we will bring some new parts,” said Andrea Stella, as reported by formu1a.uno 

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Andrea Stella strongly condemns the collision between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri

Mclaren 2022

During the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were engaged in an on-track collision that didn’t impact either. Surprisingly, both drivers avoided penalties, but their team boss, Andrea Stella, expressed strong displeasure and left no room regarding his feelings about the incident.

During Lap 24 of the 52-lap race, the McLaren duo was in a heated battle for position. Oscar Piastri was re-entering the track from the pits and was running side by side with Lando Norris. In this tight situation, Piastri’s car, positioned on the inside, made contact with Norris’s sidepod. 

While this collision resulted in no damage and both drivers avoided penalties, it raised questions about team unity and gained strong disapproval from Stella. The team boss clarified his stance by stating that his concern didn’t come from emotional reactions.

 “There should never ever be contact between two McLaren car,” Stella highlighted the significance of establishing precise guidelines. He said, “What is important is to have clear parameters as to what you deem acceptable and what you deem unacceptable,” said Andrea Stella.

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