Team Report: A look at how McLaren have fared in the first two races of the season

Team Report: A look at how McLaren have fared in the first two races of the season

McLaren

McLaren seems to be in a tricky situation at the moment. With the first two race weekends behind us, McLaren see themselves 8th in the Constructos Championship with just 6 points. And all the points for the British outfit have been scored by Lando Norris in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after finishing seventh.

Marquee driver Daniel Ricciardo secured the team’s first Formula One race win since 2012 has failed to open his account for the season. The Aussie has been out-qualified by his younger teammate on both Saturdays and seems to be struggling with the new regulations car.

So why have McLaren suffered a slow start to the 2022 season and if so what are the essential points the British racing outfit should focus on? Take a look as we analyse the performance of Mclaren as a team in the opening two races of the 2022 campaign.

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How did McLaren perform in the first two races of the season?

McLaren's MCL36 at Bahrain
McLaren’s MCL36 at Bahrain

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo endured a rather rough start to the season. Ricciardo tested positive a week ahead of the season opener in Bahrain and effectively missed Pre-season testing. The upgraded MCL36 along with a new track at Bahrain meant that Ricciardo would be out of his depth for the race. Lando stepped in to cover for his teammate but the extra miles covered seemed to have fatigued him.

Race results2022 Bahrain GP2022 Saudi Arabia GP
Lando NorrisP15P7
Daniel RicciardoP14DNF

In the Bahrain GP’s qualifying, Ricciardo was knocked out in Q1 and Lando in Q2. And For the first time since 2020, both McLarens were out before Q3. Lando and Daniel started the race 13th and 18th and finished the race 15th and 14th respectively. Both cars secured 0 points.

Mclaren had a slightly better weekend in Jeddah as Lando and Daniel started 11th and 14th. But the MCL 36 still lacked pace and looked sluggish in the high-speed Jeddah Corniche circuit. Lando secured the team’s first set of points calling it “a very satisfying day”. Unfortunately, Daniel couldn’t make it double points after suffering an issue and retiring on the 38th lap after coming to stop at the pit entrance.

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Key takeaways for McLaren from the first two races

British racing driver Lando Norris
British racing driver Lando Norris

McLaren looked like the season’s dark horses after their strong performance in the Pre-season Testing in Barcelona. But under race conditions, the car seems to be off the pace and lacks straight-line speed. Compared with the likes of Alpine, AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo, the MCL 36 seems off the lot worse amongst all midfield cars.

Mclaren is yet to qualify for Q3 and has been wrestling porpoising in the first two races. But in the Saudi Grand Prix, Norris had to settle for seventh having lost a last-lap scrap to Alpine’s Esteban Ocon. The margin between the two was just 0.107 seconds and this seems to be the only positive takeaway for the team.

The team are poised to bring new upgrades to the Australian Grand Prix on April 8-10. Let’s hope the vibrant orange team from Woking bring back their lost form and help Ricciardo secure a fantastic result in his first home race in three years.

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