Will McLaren F1 succeed in winning the constructors' title in 2024? The Woking team is still favorite, with 36 points ahead of Ferrari and 49 over Red Bull.
But the game is not yet over since there remain no less than 147 points to be taken in total (the value of 4 doubles including 1 in the Qatar Sprint and the 3 best laps in the race).
Andrea Stella, director of McLaren F1, believes in any case that his MCL38 has the capacity to resist at the end of the season, but he is already thinking about 2025 since the MCL39 will be very closely derived from this single-seater.
“Yes, our car remains very solid and we still understand it very well.”
“We were also very encouraged that the data from the front wing and floor on the circuits matched what we had planned during development,” confirms Stella.
“The developments at the end of the season were not as significant as some in the past, but they contributed to the lap time. Exactly as we had planned.”
“It also gives us a lot of confidence as we prepare for the 2025 season.”
But despite its dominant position, Stella is adamant that McLaren will not become complacent even if it ends its spell without a world title this year, with the constructors' title.
“At McLaren we focus on ourselves. There is no particular opponent that we could focus on as a priority.”
“We have all our opponents in our sights. It doesn't matter if it's Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari. It's the same for us.”
Is there an opponent to particularly fear?
“Ferrari continually developed its car. There was a phase where the development didn't go as planned, but Ferrari overcame that.”
“I think she has got some of her problems under control and she now has a very strong car. Ferrari is doing a good job.”
