“They Were Weaker Than Haas”: Grandson of Ex-World Champion Shocked by Meteoric Rise of McLaren From the Ashes

After a dismal start to the season, McLaren saw a rapid rise in performance starting from the Silverstone GP. Before the British GP, McLaren had 29 points till then, but they scored 30 points from that race alone, sparking a resurgence within the team. Pietro Fittipaldi- Haas reserve driver and grandson of former world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, expressed his shock at the meteoric rise by McLaren during the post-race show by F1 TV.

The improvement by McLaren is even more impressive when considering the fact that they are now the closest in competition with Red Bull. A team that at one point was struggling at the bottom of the barrel now finds itself close to the top after a resurgence not many saw coming. Thus, every F1 expert and fan is in awe of what the team is achieving, including Fittipaldi.

Pietro Fittipaldi baffled by the rise of McLaren this season

In the post-race show by F1 TV hosted by Will Buxton, a hot topic of discussion was the improvement being showcased by the McLaren cars. Buxton asked Fittipaldi what his thoughts were after seeing McLaren be the 9th or 10th-best team on the grid at the start of the season to them now being the second-best on the track.

The Haas driver expressed his amazement at the feat achieved by a team that was once slower than his team.

“They’ve definitely been making moves since the pre-season testing. I remember being there, in person, watching the McLaren cars, and they were weaker than the Haas cars. They were right in the back of the field.”

Fittipaldi also pointed out that it was incredible for a team to have such a stark change in their performance over one season. Despite McLaren being fifth in the constructor’s championship, they have become the second-best team on the track following their latest upgrade package. Heading into the 2024 season, the Woking-based team will look to continue this performance and become one of the topmost teams on the grid.

2024 might be McLaren’s best year in a long time

With only a handful of races remaining in the year, the focus is shifting to the 2024 season. While Red Bull retained their title, McLaren are currently the closest to them when it comes to clinching the highest possible points from a race.

With several P2 and P3 finished, they would be looking to finish at least P2 in the constructor’s championship next season.

 

🏆 DOUBLE. PODIUM. 🏆

So proud of these two! 🧡#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/2762ue3SeU

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 24, 2023

While hoping to be the second-best team in the championship next season, McLaren will also look to pick up a few wins along the way. Their last GP win came in 2021 when Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian GP as Lando Norris finished P2. Following Norris’ latest claims, there is a possibility McLaren could take up the top spot on the podium before the 2023 season ends. But if it doesn’t happen, 2024 would certainly be the year when McLaren will push to win races.