The director of the McLaren Formula 1 team, Andrea Stella, has announced that the team will focus on determining the causes of its inferiority to Mercedes in straight lines. Currently, McLaren is losing around a one and a half tenths in this aspect, despite using the same hybrid engine.
Stella explained that the overall difference between the MCL40 and the championship-leading W17 is between three and four tenths per lap. Of this loss, 70% is due to corners, and only 30% to straights.
The cause of the performance loss in corners is clearer, as McLaren currently has a deficit of aerodynamic load compared to Mercedes. However, the reasons for the inferiority in straight lines are not so evident. It may seem that the MCL40 is more dragged, but Stella has also indicated that there may be differences in how each team exploits its engine.
Stella mentioned that at the beginning of the season, the advantage of Mercedes in optimizing its engine had already been identified. Nevertheless, he highlighted that there is effective collaboration between McLaren and Mercedes’ High Performance Powertrains (HPP) division.
According to Stella, to reduce losses in straight lines, it is essential to decrease the drag of the MCL40 and then verify if differences still exist. The quality of the available tools has also improved thanks to collaboration with HPP, allowing the team to make better use of the engine’s electric energy.
In summary, Stella concludes that the key to overcoming the deficit is to minimize the factors that generate drag and continue working alongside Mercedes to optimize engine usage while seeking to clarify the causes affecting the car’s performance in straight lines.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
