Photo by Peter Fox – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
After some ‘missed opportunities’ McLaren is looking for more this weekend in Hungary
As has been discussed here and elsewhere, Mercedes is the hottest team in Formula 1 at the moment. Back-to-back wins from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, with Hamilton’s victory at Silverstone coming largely on race pace, have seen the Silver Arrows bank 125 points over the past four race weekends, the most of any team in the sport.
Second in that category? McLaren, with 111.
Truthfully, McLaren could have banked even more had things at both Red Bull Ring and Silverstone gone differently. A wheel touch between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen late in the Austrian Grand Prix ended any chance of the McLaren driver doubling up his career F1 Grand Prix win total. Meanwhile, at Silverstone, several strategic decisions saw McLaren settle for a P3/P4 finish from Norris and Oscar Piastri when earlier in the race the duo was running at the front and papaya fans were dreaming of a front-row lockout.
Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the team outlined how they are ready to turn the page after a busy tripleheader.
“It was good to have some time to recharge and reset after a busy couple of weeks. I was back at the MTC with the team to celebrate the last three races,” said Norris in the team’s Hungarian Grand Prix preview. “While at the factory, I was able to jump in the sim and go over everything we’ve learned ahead of Hungary.”
Norris knows that at the Hungaroring, Saturday is critical.
“I’m looking forward to returning to Hungary. Qualifying is important here, as it isn’t an easy track to overtake at, but we’ll be competitive. It’s incredible to be in a position to lead a Grand Prix, but there is some more work to do,” added Norris.
On the other side of the garage, Piastri noted that while there were “missed opportunities” at Silverstone, the bottom line is that the MCL38 is fast, and that should create more opportunities over the second half of the season.
“I’m heading to Hungary off the back of two strong weekends in Austria and Great Britain where I’ve been happy with my driving,” said Piastri. “We had some missed opportunities at Silverstone but it was clear that there was good pace in the car and that is encouraging.
“The Hungaroring is a track that I had success at in the junior formulae so I’m looking forward to returning. The whole team is going into this race with a lot of confidence and motivation.”
Team Principal Andrea Stella took a moment to reflect on just how far the team has come over the past calendar year. At the midway point of the 2023 F1 season, McLaren was sitting fifth in the Constructors’ Championship standings with 87 points, 80 points behind fourth-place Ferrari.
At the moment McLaren sits third in the Constructors’ standings, just seven points behind second-place Ferrari.
“With the British Grand Prix over, we’re now past halfway into the 2024 season. It’s a good time to reflect on how far we’ve come. We’re in good standing in the Constructors’ Championship, thanks to both our drivers and the incredible team we have at McLaren, and have outscored our closest competitors over the past few events,” said Stella. “That consistency is important if we are to challenge at the very top of our sport.”
Now, according to Stella, it is time to keep the pressure on the teams at the front of the grid.
“Last week we took time to celebrate a successful triple header where we returned with three trophies and two Sprint race trophies. However, there’s more to be done,” said Stella. “We’re encouraged to keep improving to ensure we keep the pressure on the competition. We’re prepared and looking forward to returning to the Hungaroring circuit.”
