To mark the 60th anniversary of Bruce McLaren’s founding of the McLaren team, the team has decided to name its Formula 1 car MCL60 for 2023. Actually, the team has already announced that the new McLaren will be called MCL37, but they have changed their mind again.
The naming change is a nice touch from a team that’s always been deeply involved with its history. While the past few years have been far from a heyday – after all, the corridor next to the Woking canteen is filled with trophies intentionally designed for employees to walk past every day – the team has been firmly on the mend.
Or so it seemed. McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown admitted in 2021 that the team’s progression from ninth through sixth and fourth to third in the constructors’ championship did not mean the team would then finish second.
Instead, the team slipped to fourth place in 2021 – perhaps to be expected given Ferrari’s race to establish the ‘big three’. Last year, however, it finished only fifth, losing the “best-of-the-rest” crown to Alpine.
McLaren needs to convince Lando Norris
McLaren can definitely take some positive aspects from 2022. They were the only team outside of the top team to finish on the podium thanks to Lando Norris at Imola. Norris was once again the star of the season, although he admitted the MCL36 car “didn’t suit his driving style”.
The team also managed to recover well from the problems – particularly the season opener in Bahrain, which left a rather bleak outlook for the season – although in the end it wasn’t enough to live up to Alpine’s ‘little but often’ approach to Updates in the fight to keep up with P4.
Norris’ performances only further justified the long-term contract McLaren inked with him ahead of the 2022 season, which will keep him until the end of 2025. “It’s obvious he has everything he needs to be an absolute top driver in this paddock,” said then McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl in Abu Dhabi. “But in order to prove and show that, of course he also needs the team and the car, and that’s our job to give him in the future.”
Oscar Piastri the next Charles Leclerc?
While Norris was able to get used to the MCL36’s quirks, his teammate wasn’t. Daniel Ricciardo’s struggles, which ultimately paved the way for his departure from the team a year before his contract expired, were the most important story of the season.
The eight-time Grand Prix winner and responsible for McLaren’s only race win in the last decade couldn’t get along with the MCL36. It was a sad story for everyone involved.
Ricciardo’s sacking might have been expensive, but McLaren felt it was for the best long-term – especially when they could recruit a talent like Oscar Piastri to replace him. Only Charles Leclerc can hold a candle to Piastri’s junior career.
Andreas Seidl: Piastri can deliver immediately
The Australian won back-to-back Formula Renault Eurocup, Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before taking on the role of reserve driver at Alpine last year. The contract saga that questioned his future didn’t dampen enthusiasm for him, despite attacks on his character and accusations of lack of loyalty.
But the story, which seemed to go beyond the usual confines of Formula 1, also means he will be one of the most scrutinized newcomers Formula 1 has known in a long time.
However, Seidl felt that there is “no reason Oscar can’t have a fairly rapid development” at McLaren and achieve results “rather early”, citing what Norris has achieved. “In 2019, for example, we saw with Lando how fast things can go,” he said.
Seidl departure hurts McLaren, but…
Ricciardo’s departure may have been deemed necessary by McLaren, but the same cannot be said of Seidl, whose departure came as more of a shock when announced in December. The former Porsche LMP1 boss had thrived since his return to Formula 1 and helped put McLaren on the right track for the future – but he is now gone.
A long-term plan to join Sauber and link Porsche with VW’s sister brand Audi was brought forward when Ferrari poached Frederic Vasseur, allowing Seidl to step up to the role of CEO.
It was a big loss, but one that McLaren was counting on and had plans for. Brown had already spoken to Andrea Stella, McLaren’s director of racing, about one day taking over the chief post, meaning the Italian could succeed Seidl once his departure was announced.
Brown said in December he was pleased with the move as it “puts everyone in their place for the foreseeable future.” McLaren can now focus on the next steps in its rebuild, a process that has been going on for a number of years. Investments are made to build a new wind tunnel and bring the infrastructure in Woking up to the level of the leading Formula 1 teams.
How 2019 a successful new beginning?
Changing a driver and team principal in the off-season is still a big change for McLaren – but it’s not a new phenomenon for the team. A similar move occurred in 2019, the year Norris, Seidl and Carlos Sainz joined, and it turned out to be a hugely successful season.
She helped refresh McLaren and clear up some of the last cobwebs of the Ron Dennis era, and again everything was geared towards planning for the future. Stella knows the team and has vast experience in Formula 1 while Piastri’s talent is undeniable. The team should stay in good shape.
But maintaining the status quo would not be a successful season for McLaren, especially if Norris’ stock continues to rise. The midfield battle is only going to get tougher, especially considering how much Aston Martin has invested in the team and the revival the British team has shown in the second half of last year.
Norris warns: Must make progress in 2023
McLaren need to show they are able to close the gap to the leading trio without waiting for elements like the wind tunnel to take effect; there is no time to lose.
“We have to do a better job and the team has to do a better job of building a better car because the job we did this year with the car we had this year wasn’t good enough,” he said Norris in Abu Dhabi 2022.
“I think that has been made very, very clear. So I don’t think we have to wait. I think we have to make progress as early as next year. And I have a lot of confidence that we can make good progress.”
Norris: I have time but don’t want to wait forever
He also made it clear that the time he has on his side is not part of his considerations. “My contract runs until the end of 2025, so I still have a lot of time,” said Norris. “I can afford to wait but I don’t want to wait. The team knows they have to do a better job.”
This will be an important year for McLaren. The team needs to stop the constructors’ championship slide, deliver a car that’s more of an all-rounder and really show Norris that he’s in the right place over the long term.
Norris himself will take on the role of team leader for the first time in his career, which creates an interesting dynamic alongside such an exciting candidate as Piastri. The MCL60 is a throwback to McLaren’s trophy rich past. But it could also be a crucial car for what kind of fame it can achieve in the future.