McLaren in trouble after the Belgian GP
The team of Formula 1 From McLaren he was brought back to reality following his performance at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. Andrea Stella, the team boss, acknowledged that his team needs “urgent work” to remedy the weaknesses that were exposed during the GP. Despite him introducing a significant upgrade package for his MCL60, expectations have been steadily lowered in recent races by drivers and team bosses.
With a recent history of podium finishes at the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone and the Spa-Francorchamps sprint race, more than McLaren. However, the weekend at Spa was a revival. Lando Norris finished seventh after losing three places during the first stage with medium tire problems.
McLaren’s difficulties at Spa
A pit stop to switch to the hard tires also proved to be a serious mistake, leaving the Briton feeling he was “in one of the last positions”. Oscar Piastri he had to retire due to damage to the steering of his car after a first corner crash with Carlos Sainz.
Director Andrea Stella he admitted the weekend at Spa was a “reality check”. The reality is that the team has “press work” to do to address its weaknesses. All this before the Italian Grand Prix in September, an appointment on a circuit with characteristics similar to that of Spa. Stella acknowledged that “this weekend has shown us where we should work”.
New areas of improvement for McLaren
While the car has improved in some areas, Stella stressed that areas that still need to be addressed have also been confirmed. “It has given us real control that there is still work to be done and, to some extent, it confirms that these areas need to be addressed urgently,” she said.
McLaren showed themselves vulnerable at Spa by investing heavily in a major upgrade and arriving at the high-speed circuit without an optimized specification low-drag rear wing, a key element for Monza. Stella candidly admitted that while this setup had been beneficial in the past, it had become a major problem at Spa.
