Toto Wolff deems McLaren the ‘favorite for constructors championship’ following IMPRESSIVE rise in 2024

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has backed McLaren to win the constructors’ championship ahead of Red Bull this year. The Papayas have closed the gap to just eight points and are keen to overtake their rivals.

McLaren has been on a formidable rebuild ever since the start of the 2023 season. The Woking-based team showed signs of brilliance firsthand at the Miami Grand Prix this year. The team has since been on the podium in every race, truly cementing their pace and prowess.

Toto Wolff has nevertheless refused to write off Red Bull as a potent competitor for the title. The Milton-Keynes-based ream has now been winless in the last six Grand Prix despite making their best efforts on track.

I don't think you can write [Red Bull] off. They are an impressive team and I'm sure there will be better races. But McLaren is now clearly the favorite for the constructors' championship.

Toto Wolff via motorsport-total

The MCL38 has succeeded on the fonts that Red Bull’s RB20 has been struggling with this year. The latter’s chances hang in the balance if they fail to notch fruitful results and wins in the remaining races of the 2024 F1 season.

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McLaren holding back on upgrades despite upsurge in performance

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has shared his thoughts on the new upgrades in the MCL38 at Zandvoort. The Woking-based team has not brought any significant changes to their car since Miami but tested the change in their floor at the Dutch GP.

But there's a reason why we haven't brought some upgrades – because we see that, had we pressed the go button, we might have had some doubts when these parts were tested full-scale on the real car. So we are taking our time to convince ourself that the development is mature to be taken trackside.

Andrea Stella via Motorsport

Andrea Stella has aired on the side of caution while talking of a fuller implementation of the MCL38’s upgrades. He claims that a full-blown test might reveal newly found issues, which can be costly to the team’s chances at this crucial stage of the ongoing campaign.

Despite their anticipation of challenges, the Papayas secured a much-needed win at the Dutch GP, with a humongous 22-second lead. The team will therefore seek to test their ideas/upgrades ahead of an exciting return to the streets of Baku next week.

In case you missed it:

• Helmut Marko breaks down how Fernando Alonso SABOTAGED a potential Red Bull move in his prime
• Christian Horner reveals Red Bull’s balance issues first started during Max Verstappen’s dominant 2023 campaign