F1 News: McLaren Chief Realistic For 2024 – “Not All Areas Have Been Completed”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella have opened up on their cautious optimism for the upcoming 2024 season. McLaren Racing’s CEO Zak Brown and team principal Andrea Stella tempered expectations for the upcoming F1 season, acknowledging the ongoing developments.

Key Takeaways:

• McLaren’s performance surge in the latter part of the previous season has set a cautiously optimistic tone for 2024, with the team unveiling their new car, the MCL38.
• Zak Brown stresses the competitive nature of F1 and the importance of remaining realistic about the team’s prospects in the upcoming season.
• The team acknowledges that while there have been significant advancements, not all targeted areas have been fully addressed in the launch-spec car, indicating a focus on in-season development.

The McLaren team, under the guidance of CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella, has introduced their latest challenger, the MCL38, with an air of hopeful caution. Last year’s performance, particularly in the second half of the season, saw McLaren’s Lando Norris securing impressive results, only outscored by the dominant Max Verstappen. This resurgence, following a significant car upgrade, has evidently set a positive backdrop for the team’s 2024 campaign.

However, Zak Brown’s words resonate with a pragmatic approach, acknowledging the relentless progress across the grid during the off-season.

“Every team will have made progress in the off-season.

“The fantastic thing about this sport is how competitive it is, and therefore we must remain realistic.

“The true test of whether we’ve made steps in the right direction will be qualifying in Bahrain.

“We’re all excited to go racing again, but we know there’s a long season ahead of us and a lot of work still to do to ensure we build on the progress we made throughout 2023.”

Stella’s insights further illuminate the team’s direction, highlighting the comprehensive groundwork laid in terms of infrastructure, personnel, and culture. The pre-season testing in Bahrain will be critical, not only for the MCL38 but also for refining the team’s strategies and readiness for the season opener. He commented:

“We now have everything in place from an infrastructure, people and culture perspective, so we continue to push forward and build on the work done to get us back to the front of the grid.

“Before we hit the track for competitive sessions, we have a lot of work to do, including putting the MCL38 through its paces during the Bahrain pre-season test.

“The team has done a good job over the winter, and we are confident we can hit the ground running, but we know we have important tasks at hand before the season starts.

“There are a number of innovations on the car, but not all the areas we want to address have been completed for our launch-spec car. Those areas now become the focus of our in-season development, which is already in progress.”