McLaren Formula 1 CEO Zak Brown admits that the team is alert to the possibility of Red Bull producing an “unpleasant surprise” by extending its competitive advantage in 2024.
Red Bull has dominated F1 since the return to ground effect aero in 2022, culminating in the squad proving virtually untouchable last term as it registered 21 wins out of 22 races.
Meanwhile, having begun the year struggling with an underdeveloped MCL60 car, a string of mid-season upgrades elevated McLaren into a position as Red Bull’s main contender.
However, with the Austrian outfit ceasing development on the title-winning RB19 early, Brown has warned that Red Bull could have taken another sizable leap over the winter.
“Clearly we want to continue to close the gap,” he told Autosport. “We finished up last year as the second or third quickest team, depending on what circuit you were at.
“Car development has been strong, but Red Bull certainly seems like they didn’t develop last year to the level they could if they wanted to. So that could be an unpleasant surprise for all of us.”
Also speaking at the reveal of its 2024 livery, Stella expressed that McLaren had still discovered substantial gains in the wind tunnel with its new challenger, the MCL38.
However, the Italian has shared Brown’s caution, citing that Red Bull would not have remained stagnant and McLaren’s relative improvement depends on the competition.
“When it comes to competitiveness on track [translating into results], this depends on what the opposition has done,” he noted.
“When we think specifically about Red Bull, there’s one element that obviously I think puts everyone in doubt as to what’s going to happen in 2024. It’s the fact that they haven’t developed their car very much [towards the end of last year].
“So, the question is, have they cashed in, and accumulated development that they will capitalise on to next year’s car? This is my theory.
“I can’t think that Red Bull were not in condition to develop their car, so they might have decided not to deliver upgrades. Certainly, this may mean that their gradient kept going.”
With McLaren heading into the season expecting Red Bull to remain the benchmark, Stella has insisted that his team must focus on maximising its own immediate prospects.
“I would say Red Bull should be extremely competitive and we will see where we are, and we will see what kind of challenge we will be able to set on track,” he added.
“But, for me, for us, it’s important that we see we are doing a good job out of our own performance development. We are confident that, if we keep doing this, over time, we have an opportunity to close the gap. So that’s our vision for the future.”
