Despite a Positive 2023 Season, McLaren Does Not Want to Be ‘Result Oriented’

McLaren had a tough start to the 2023 season, but turned it into one of their most memorable campaigns in recent times. The MCL60, though troubled at the start, quickly became the only car to be able to give the all-conquering RB19 a run for its money on a consistent basis. It all boiled down to the work put in at their factory back in Woking. Some went as far as tipping them to win races and contending for the championship in the near future. However, with the 2024 season on the horizon, team principal Andrea Stella has divulged that they won’t be chasing numbers.

While speaking to Autosport, Stella explained (as quoted by Motorsportweek.com),

“I won’t talk about how we want to be second, first, third – because that’s not even the language we use internally at McLaren. We don’t talk about this.” 

Stella strongly believes that if the focus is shifted to developing the car, the “results take care of themselves.” With this, Stella wants the team to focus on building on the base that the MCL60 provided to close the gap further and even take the lead from Red Bull.

McLaren was struggling to get into the points in the initial stages of 2023. Then, the Austrian GP marked a turning point for them. Their drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri took nine podiums, including a sprint race victory for the latter.

To put things into context, other than Red Bull, only Ferrari and McLaren have more podiums than the rest of the grid, with 9 a piece. Naturally, in 2024, the team is expected to only do better and pose a greater threat.

Despite deficit to Red Bull, McLaren salvaged their season with 2023 highlights

In terms of out-and-out performance, McLaren did lag behind considerably to Red Bull. However, as was evident on many occasions, what really hurt the team’s race pace was its aerodynamic optimization. With the latter half of the season being dominated with low-speed corners, this area caused problems in terms of their overall competitiveness.

That being said, the MCL60’s design limitations did not impede a solid run of handsome results for the team. Arguably their greatest highlight would be the time when Oscar Piastri single-handedly staved off a chasing Max Verstappen to clinch his maiden win during the 2023 Qatar GP sprint race.

The team has already kicked the 2024 season off, though. With a surprise January unveiling, the team showcased its 2024 livery to the delight of the fans on social media. Now, pre-season testing awaits to corroborate what every F1 fan is expecting from McLaren this season.