Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo help put McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown’s team in the mix for Formula 1 championship.
McLaren has taken the wraps off its 2022 Formula 1 car, the MCL36, and Autoweek takes a look at the reasons for optimism, and pessimism for this year’s team:
Reasons to Be Optimistic
For the first time in almost a decade, McLaren, which finished fourth in the 2021 F1 Constructors’ Championship, enters a new season as a race-winning team. It’s capable of even bigger things this season. At Monza in 2021, the team enjoyed its best points return of the hybrid era with a 1-2 finish, and it went on to field its most competitive car in years.
Londo Norris scored four podiums in 2021, including this one at the F1 Austrian Grand Prix.
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Under the leadership of American and CEO Zak Brown, McLaren Racing is in its strongest position structurally, with team principal Andreas Seidl, technical director James Key and executive director of racing Andrea Stella now fully embedded in their roles. Seidl has instilled a refreshed culture that has facilitated McLaren’s ongoing recovery from the low points of 2018 (team finished sixth in the standings with just 62 points), the year before his arrival.
Financially, McLaren is in a healthier position after rocky moments during the pandemic. The partial buy-in by MSP Sports Capital in late 2020 facilitated much-needed investment (with new equipment either under construction or on order) and permitted McLaren to compete up to the newly-introduced $145 million cost cap. That cap is $140 million this season.
Zak Brown is back to lead McLaren’s fortunes.
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On the driver front, McLaren has stability, with Lando Norris signed to a massive $94 million contract through 2025, and Daniel Ricciardo contracted through 2023. It is a potentially potent mix of youth and experience, speed and guile, with the pair having developed a cordial relationship. That was witnessed during Ricciardo’s win at Monza, where Norris nobly played the team game, rather than push for a win that could a put 1-2 McLaren finish at risk.
Norris, who was sixth in the Drivers’ Standings, was one of the standout drivers of 2021, continuing his upward momentum, and his maiden victory is surely not too far away. Now entering year four, both in Formula 1 and at McLaren, he has standing both in the sport and within the team.
Ricciardo, now into his second decade in Formula 1, remains much-loved, determined to rejuvenate his reputation after an underwhelming 2021 when he finished eighth in the standings. He returns revitalized after a winter off-season spent in his native Perth, Western Australia for the first time since early 2020.
Reasons to Be Pessimistic
McLaren is still a team on the rise—but there are reasons to be cautious.
While the upgrade to infrastructure is positive, a new wind tunnel and simulator are not expected to be fully operational and correlated for use until the development of the 2024 car. That means two more years of treading water until it can utilize up-to-date equipment.
Inherent weaknesses remained in McLaren’s 2021 package. While it was quick through short, slow-speed corners, its car was lethargic on longer medium-speed turns, limiting it to just single-digit points on occasion. While 2022 ostensibly provides a technical reset fixing its weaknesses, while retaining its strengths, is a challenge it must meet.
Operationally, McLaren has room for improvement. Last year, it was only eighth on pit stop times, and at only two Grands Prix was it among the three fastest stops. It’s only tenths, but vital tenths at critical junctures in Grands Prix make a difference.
McLaren, while a customer team to Mercedes in terms of power units, remains proud of its relative independence. But there are issues to such a stance. Without an ally, McLaren risks falling into a gap between Formula 1’s leaders and its clients.
Or as Brown says: “The current situation allows ‘B teams’ to be overcompetitive compared to constructors, and A teams to be overcompetitive by having the benefit of a B team. Without a correction, the way things stand mean that any team with championship aspirations needs to have a B team in place and that simply is not Formula 1.”
It is also a big year for Norris in Formula 1 to maintain the momentum of 2021. He has spent three years at the same team, with a similar style required, and 2022 could be a test of his adaptability. He now has to maintain that momentum, particularly after being rewarded with an improved four-year deal.
Ricciardo, while a winner at Monza, had a weak season elsewhere, as he took time to marry his driving style to the approach needed at McLaren. His standing within Formula 1, which was high during his Red Bull years, has slipped as a result of 2021. Falling behind the team’s younger star, who is now under a longer deal on enhanced terms, is reminiscent of how his Red Bull tenure played out.
What We Expect
This is a very, very tricky one, at this stage. It is difficult to envisage a title run, but multiple wins must now be a target, and the outcome of Norris versus Ricciardo will define each other’s medium-term prospects.
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McLaren’s place in Constructors’ Championship, total points:
- 2021 – Fourth place, 275 points
- 2020 – Third place, 202 points
- 2019 – Fourth place, 145 points
- 2018 – Sixth place, 62 points
- 2017 – Ninth place, 30 points
Keyword: Why McLaren Is Contender for F1 Constructors' Championship This Season