McLaren is performing really well in F1. Who would have said that at the start of last season, when Andrea Stella, the team’s new principal, had been cautious regarding the car’s competitiveness? The Italian promised a serious work plan, with a goal to return to prominence after years of battling in the middle of the grid. Few believed in the proclamations of the team led by Zak Brown. Yet, about six months later, during the summer of 2023, something changed. A package completely transformed the MCL60, rightfully placing it among the top teams.
A total evolution of the team, planned in detail, that worked in every aspect. This is good news, because a historic team like Ferrari’s peer could not continue in the competitive limbo it had fallen into. In the current racing campaign, the results have exceeded expectations. McLaren knew it could reach the top, but it didn’t think it could do so this soon. For this reason, the team wasn’t able to fully maximize the technical value of its car. Had it done so, it would currently be leading both world championship standings.
For constructors, the advantage is there. And although Red Bull will try to fight until the end of the season to confirm its world championship title, McLaren’s chance of success seems significantly higher at the moment. The drivers’ championship is a different story. Lando Norris is 53 points behind Max Verstappen with 6 Grands Prix remaining. That’s 150 points, to which 6 can be added for the fastest lap and another 24 for winning the Sprint Race. The British driver has a chance of catching the Dutchman. However, considering the course of the season, it doesn’t seem like an easy move.
Recently, there was a study conducted using specific calculation software to make a “prediction.” The result favors the current F1 world champion, who, with 98% certainty, should be able to confirm the title. This is why Lando must significantly change his performance to hope to reach the final race of the season with a chance to snatch the title from the Dutch driver. But now, let’s return to McLaren, to assess the situation and speculate on the English team’s performance in the next race weekend.
McLaren arrives at the United States Grand Prix with an extremely solid and balanced technical package. This is a feature that has made the Woking team competitive on circuits like Singapore and other strategic tracks. The MCL38 has shown a significant advantage in terms of traction, a quality that will be crucial on a track like the Circuit of the Americas, where exits from medium-slow corners, especially in the third sector, require great ability to put down all the power generated by the power unit.
Compared to Ferrari, therefore, McLaren starts from a more solid and reliable base when it comes to traction, an evident strength during the last world championship events.
Another characteristic of the MCL38 is the interaction between the car’s axles, which will allow it to be particularly competitive in T1, where high-speed corners require excellent dynamic behavior. This balance allows the papaya-colored cars to manage transitions between different track sections (low- and high-speed corners) more effectively.
Thanks to their wide operating window, McLaren will aim to maximize T3 as well, where traction and mechanical grip become essential. The English team will want to maintain high performance in both of the most technical sectors, exploiting the versatility of the car in a wide range of conditions. Top speed is not one of the MCL38’s strengths. On the contrary, the British car tends to lose something on long straights, such as the one in the central sector of Austin. However, the team compensates for this lack of top speed by adopting a different setup philosophy compared to other teams.
McLaren does not try to optimize parameters to achieve the best top speed. Instead, it prioritizes handling in the faster areas of the track, where aerodynamic load is crucial. This approach will allow them to be more effective in the technical sections and fast corners of the first sector, where stability and grip matter more than straight-line speed. For this reason, we expect them to adopt a medium-load wing, like the one used in the Netherlands. To achieve this result, the first step in the setup process will be to stabilize the car’s underbody.
This phase focuses on the correct ride height and suspension stiffness. Stabilizing the car’s aerodynamics is crucial to avoid problems related to high-speed instability and ensure that the MCL38 can maintain the necessary aerodynamic load throughout the lap. Once the optimal ride height configuration is found, McLaren will develop the rest of the setup around these parameters, “building” a car that can maintain a balance between mechanical grip and downforce throughout the lap.
Another strength of McLaren is optimal tire management. Without fear of making a mistake, we can say that the team, led by a former Ferrari engineer, is currently one of the best in the paddock at managing tire wear. This is due to the team’s ability to create an extremely precise and reliable mathematical model of the tire. The team has managed to design highly effective suspension schemes in this regard, capable of fully exploiting the characteristics of the compounds supplied by Pirelli.
This factor translates into a clear on-track advantage for McLaren, as both English cars are able to keep the tires always within their optimal working window, ensuring not only better grip and consistent lap performance but also superior degradation management compared to the competition. This aspect is crucial, especially on a track like Austin, where the mix of fast corners and slower sections requires careful tire management to avoid overheating and excessive wear.
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