- Written by Andrew Benson
- chief f1 writer
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri drive the MCL38 at Silverstone on Monday
McLaren believes world champions Red Bull will still start the new F1 season earlier than the field.
Team principal Andrea Stella said after McLaren debuted the car: “We expect Red Bull to continue to enjoy some advantage at the start of the season.”
He added that the team would be “in a strong position” if they achieved their goals.
Driver Lando Norris said: “Can they win? We have to say 'yes'.”
He added: “The question is, 'Can they win all season?'” That would be very difficult. ”
The new McLaren MCL38 was driven for the first time in wet conditions at Silverstone on Wednesday, where Mercedes also took the new car's first laps.
The car is an evolution of the design direction McLaren followed last year.
Norris said it was impossible to draw any conclusions about the car in these conditions without real competition.
But he added: “The most important thing is that I felt very comfortable as soon as I jumped in.”
The 24-year-old Briton was the second-highest scorer in the final 12 races last year behind runaway champion Max Verstappen (Red Bull) following a major machine upgrade introduced at July's Austrian Grand Prix. Ta.
Stella said his belief that Red Bull would continue to create pace was based on the fact that they didn't develop last year's car much during the season.
“It's reasonable to think they're accumulating development for the 2024 car,” he said.
“Having said that, I think if we can maintain the speed of development in 2023 and hopefully add to the 2024 car, we will be in a strong position.
“We'll see if that's enough to challenge Red Bull and other top teams.”
McLaren was one of only two teams to beat Red Bull in the 2023 race.
New driver Oscar Piastri won the sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix from pole position.
The only driver other than Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez to win a grand prix last year was Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in Singapore.
Stellar said McLaren already has it in the pipeline, but it's not yet ready to put it in a car for sale.
He said McLaren is “aiming to improve aerodynamic efficiency, mechanical grip and interaction with the tires. We think there is potential for further improvement, but we are looking to improve all three areas.” I was able to do it,” he said.
Among McLaren's other immediate rivals, Aston Martin, announced on Monday, is already conducting secret tests at Silverstone, as is Red Bull, ahead of Thursday's official announcement.
Official pre-season testing will take place in Bahrain from February 21st to 23rd, with the first race taking place in the Gulf state on March 2nd.
Oscar Piastri talks about McLaren's driver lineup for the new season
