McLaren thinks the execution of Formula 1 weekends will be the “dominant factor” over outright performance in the team’s fight against Red Bull in the 2024 season.
The Woking-based squad has continued to build on last term’s remarkable turnaround to emerge as Red Bull’s closest contender since introducing updates in Miami.
Lando Norris backed up his maiden win in the States at the previous round with a late assault on race leader Max Verstappen at Imola, coming up seven-tenths short.
McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella contended that the pace difference between the two cars was minimal and boiled down to Red Bull maintaining track position.
And the Italian has highlighted the narrow one-tenth spread that covered the top three drivers over one lap as evidence that incremental aspects will dictate the order.
“The execution of the weekend is always a key factor, but when margins are so close, yesterday I think the first three cars in qualifying were within 0.1s, so clearly operations and the way you treat the tyres and execute the race will become the dominant factor,” Stella explained.
“I think between a McLaren and a Red Bull today, there wasn’t much to pick and it was other factors that made the difference.
“The other thing I can say today is that being in the dirty air was a big factor, so every time you had back markers you were losing pace.
“So I think certainly having the pole position and being ahead in the first corner gives you the free air where you can manage the tyres in a certain way and manage your own pace.
“So from this point of view, Max did a great job today both in the first corner and I think this paid off today in managing the tyres.”
Stella was encouraged by McLaren’s revised parts showing race-winning speed on another circuit configuration, despite Ferrari and Red Bull bringing updates to Imola.
However, he has acknowledged that this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix is an outlier that will not paint a representative picture of the team’s ongoing battle at the front.
“It is a confirmation in Miami and in Imola, which are they are definitely two different positions on the spectrum of the circuits we visit,” Stella commented.
“But the thing with Monaco is it is on the limit of the track characteristics. Last year, if I’m not wrong, think what happened to Alpine [Esteban Ocon landed a podium].
“They were mega in Monaco, and that’s Monaco – sometimes the car works really well, your drivers are really in the groove and so I would suspend the judgement for the moment, be prepared as possible with the race operations and have some track-specific upgrades as well.
“We will take some new parts to Monaco, which are track-specific for the maximum downforce configuration – and hopefully they will help us stay in the quest.”
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