Max Verstappen is again the favorite to win the championship this year because of the way he has begun the 2024 campaign. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff too has claimed that ‘no one will be able to match Verstappen’ this year. However, Oscar Piastri begs to differ from the Mercedes boss. Trusting on a McLaren setup that is on the ascendancy, Piastri thinks they have what it takes to close the gap to the dominant Red Bulls.
Speaking on the Fast and the Curious podcast, the hosts asked Piastri what he thinks about Wolff’s recent comments and whether anyone can challenge Verstappen in 2024. The Aussie replied, “I mean, I hope it’s us. I think generally everyone, more certainly the sort of teams around us, seems to be a bit closer to Red Bull.”
“I think we still have a decent amount of work to do, but we’re definitely closer than I think we were last year”, Piastri added.
There is immense optimism in the McLaren camp despite not being where they were at the end of 2023. Currently, the Woking team is third in the standings, having the best car after Red Bull and Ferrari. So, Piastri has good faith in their in-season upgrades to work and close the gap to the top two outfits.
The Australian agreed that Wolff may not necessarily feel this optimism, given how Mercedes is struggling with the W15. So, he cited that, “Ferrari and us [McLaren], I would say, I think there’s definitely optimism that we can try and take the fight to them later in the year.”
The McLaren MCL38 has done a decent job after the first four races of this season as Lando Norris has already managed a podium finish. However, the Papaya team is yet to unlock more potential from their car.
McLaren hopes to fight for podiums consistently
While Lando Norris got on the podium in Australia, McLaren have more pace to gain to be in the fight for the top three more consistently. Team boss Andrea Stella knows where they stand currently when it comes to their car’s performance. So, why is the team not bringing upgrades to improve and catch up soon?
Stella confirmed that the team will bring upgrades around race six or seven of the season [Miami or Imola]. The Italian boss elaborated that they need to understand the car better for their upgrades to be more effective. Rushing upgrades on the car may not instantly help the team gain performance, Stella reasoned.
Besides, this in-season development plan worked wonders for them in the second half of 2023. The McLaren drivers were consistent podium contenders after the team brought upgrades in Austria and Silverstone. Both Norris and Piastri made the most of the improved MCL60 to get nine podiums in tandem from Silverstone to Abu Dhabi.
So, Stella and Co. would hope to emulate a similar step forward. It may be difficult to gain as much performance as last season as even Red Bull and Ferrari will be bringing in upgrades. Therefore, McLaren have to make their upgrades work in a better manner to make any inroads at gaining a net advantage.
