F1 News: McLaren "Need A Little More Time" For Strong 2024 Comeback According To CEO

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has indicated that the team will not be fully maximised for the 2024 Formula 1 season, needing more time to harness their full potential. Despite significant improvements and podium finishes in 2023, the team acknowledges the need for further development before making a strong comeback.

Key Takeaways:

• McLaren's CEO Zak Brown has cautioned that the team won't reach its full potential in 2024, despite significant advancements this year. This is attributed to the need for more time to fully exploit new technology and team enhancements.
• The team experienced a challenging start to the 2023 season with the MCL60 car but made a remarkable recovery in the latter half, highlighted by nine podium finishes and a win in the Qatar Sprint race by Oscar Piastri.
• Major technical additions, including key hires from Ferrari and Red Bull, and the implementation of advanced technology like a new wind tunnel and simulator, are set to bolster McLaren's future performance. However, these changes will take time to fully integrate into the team's operations, pointing towards a more competitive 2025 season.

After a challenging start to the 2023 season, McLaren's Formula 1 team made significant strides, largely attributed to a major upgrade package introduced mid-season. The team, based in Woking, admitted to missing development targets with its MCL60 car but turned their fortunes around with the updates. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri played pivotal roles in this turnaround, combining to secure nine podiums, including a victory for Piastri in the Qatar Sprint race.

This resurgence placed McLaren as a regular challenger to Red Bull in the season's second half, sparking speculation about their potential to contend for the championship in 2024. However, CEO Zak Brown has tempered expectations, emphasising the need for more time to maximise the team's capabilities fully. Brown's statement to MotorsportWeek:

“We have everything we need, but we need a little bit more time.

“The upgrades were not done with some of our latest technology, and we’re now in our wind tunnel, we have our new simulator, our new manufacturing unit, so that is quite exciting for us because we haven’t benefited from those [before].

“We’ve got great people back at McLaren but we do have a couple of big hires that start in early January but of course, our 2024 has already been started.

“We will have everything in place come January but 2024 has already started, so I think it will be 2025 before we’ve fully maximised everything, but I feel good about the ’24 season.

“It’s been an awesome effort by Andrea and the entire team. The upgrades have been fantastic.

“The drivers are doing a great job, we’ve got great power coming out of our Mercedes power unit, so it’s been a wild ride.”