“Other teams did a better job than us over winter” – McLaren boss believes it is important for the team to switch frustration into energy to strike back

McLaren has a lower ceiling of performance and is trying to understand the limitations of the MCL36 to improve it. 

McLaren managed to score only six points from the two races of the 2022 season. This is the worst start for the Woking-based team since 2017.

McLaren is trying to make the best of a bad situation on track while also trying to figure out the limitations of the MCL36.

Teams such as Mercedes and Aston Martin say the problem is with porpoising and there is still some performance that their new cars can bring out. However, the problem for McLaren seems to be that there is not much performance left to be unlocked.

Team boss Andreas Seidl said, “In the end, we have to accept that other teams did a better job than us over winter. That’s why we are where we are. That’s what we acknowledged quite quickly within the team.”

“It’s very important to be crystal clear on that and use the frustration, switch it into energy to strike back as quick as possible.”

Also Read: Stefano Domenicali confirms Saudi Arabian GP will be a part of the calendar for 2023 and beyond

McLaren has a lot of work to do

So far, McLaren seems to be a car that will struggle to score a lot of points and will run in the second half of the midfield. The team has a lower baseline than its competitors.

In Bahrain, both the McLarens were out of points and could only bring P14 and P15 home. Though Saudi Arabia turned out to be a little better.

Lando Norris made an impressive recovery from Bahrain with a P7 but McLaren views it as a cautious step forward at best.

Norris said, “It shows the difference between where the car can perform and where the strengths and weaknesses are.”

“There’s still a lot of work to do, so there’s not a lot of positives in those terms. But if there are similar tracks, we can look forward to them and be competitive.

“I’m not confident if we went to slower-speed tracks that we are going to be that competitive at all.”

Also Read: Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer opens about his Aston Martin departure