McLaren has revealed it is holding back on bringing a new floor for its Formula 1 car because the team thinks it risks the same downgrade problems rivals have faced.
The Woking-based outfit is locked in a tight fight with Red Bull for the F1 championships this year, and accepts it has a shout of winning both constructors’ and drivers’ crowns.
With so little performance difference between cars, McLaren is aware that any gains that can be made from upgrades could be decisive.
However, the squad has admitted to some caution about introducing a floor upgrade that it has been working on, in case it triggers the kind of unintended consequences that other squads have encountered.
Throughout the 2024 season, a host of outfits have hit trouble when new floor designs, aimed at increasing downforce, have also delivered unwanted side effects.
Aston Martin’s season took a downturn at Imola with a major upgrade there, Ferrari encountered a return of high-speed bouncing from Spain, and Mercedes had some questions over its Spa development.
More recently, Red Bull has been questioning whether the balance problems it is facing are a consequence of a new floor design it introduced at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella says one of the keys to his squad not hitting any mid-season hurdles so far this year is that it only brought one proper major upgrade – so the risks of trouble have been minimised.
And he adds that, while work is ongoing back at the factory on an upgraded floor, McLaren will wait until it is certain the new part works before introducing it.
“We haven't brought a significant upgrade since Miami,” said Stella about why the team had escaped the fate that other squads have hit with upgrades.
“The next relevant upgrade, not as big as Miami, was in Zandvoort, and it didn't involve the [whole] floor - it was just a detail. It was some other areas of the car.
“But there's a reason why we haven't brought some upgrades – because we see that, had we pressed the go button, we might have had some doubts when these parts were tested full-scale on the real car.
“So we are taking our time to convince ourself that the development is mature to be taken trackside.”
While McLaren was able to dominate the recent Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Stella thinks that performance was the exception rather than the norm – with gaps between the cars minimal.
However, he reckons that a strong showing at Monza last weekend – where McLaren locked out the front row and secured a double podium finish – shows it can be quick anywhere now.
Stella added: “I think actually the grid order is very much to do with the drivers being able to nail the grip available, rather than the car being a dominant car.
“If we look at the real lap times, rather than just simply looking at positions P1/P2, then we see that every driver of the fastest four teams was in condition to actually lock the first position on the grid.”
