McLaren started the 2023 season on an underwhelming note and even team CEO Zak Brown admitted that his side began the season with a car running behind schedule. However, as the season progressed, each upgrade proved its worth. Resultantly, the papaya team was on the podium in the second half of the season more often than not.
McLaren carried that momentum to 2024 and this time around they did not even have to wait until the second half of the season to extract performance from the car. Their consistently top-notch performances have made them the favorites to win the championship.
While Brown is pleased with the trajectory, he is also pleasantly surprised by the quick turnaround. When asked on The Red Flags Podcast whether the team exceeded his expectations, he answered,
“It has. I thought we would have the chance to be in the position we’re in now next year because Formula One is so tough, you need to have everything in place… So, I’d say we’re a year ahead of schedule.”
Brown highlighted issues the team faced which made him doubt their chances of winning the championship in 2024. Among those was the readiness of their wind tunnel for which they had to wait until the fourth quarter of 2023.
The simulator had a similar problem. And so did the hiring of some key personnel responsible for applying the “finishing touches”.
After 23 races, it all comes down to the finale
McLaren lead Ferrari by 21 points, whilst further back Alpine leapfrog Haas #F1 #QatarGP pic.twitter.com/xudoKmWf5h
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 1, 2024
Brown considers the team to, therefore, be lucky to be in the position they are in. He believes they would have had to put in 110 percent of their effort to be on the summit. Instead, they have only used 95 percent of their energy and are 21 points ahead of Ferrari.
That, however, does not mean that McLaren cannot lose the constructors’ title. Ferrari has momentum going into the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Thus, even a minute mistake could cost the Woking-based outfit the championship.
McLaren hope to end 25-year championship drought
The last time McLaren won the constructors’ title was back in 1998 when the team had Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard driving their two cars. In an eerie coincidence, it was once again Ferrari trailing them and lost by just 23 points. Once again, the title showdown has gone right down to the wire.
This time around, McLaren will be walking on eggshells to make sure they finish the job they have set out on. They cannot afford to have any penalties like the one Lando Norris had in the Qatar GP that dropped him from P2 to P10. At the same time, the drivers and the entire track-side crew need to fire on all cylinders to beat the resurgent Ferrari duo of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
Failing to do that will result in a double whammy of disappointments for the team after losing the drivers’ championship to Max Verstappen. Guenther Steiner, who also appeared on the podcast, predicted McLaren to pull it off.
