McLaren Confident of Strong Performance at Spanish Grand Prix Despite Recent Low-Speed Gains
As the Formula 1 schedule takes us to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix, McLaren is confident that its recent upgrades will not compromise its performance on the high-speed track. The Woking-based squad’s MCL38 has shown significant improvements in low-speed corners, but the team believes it can still excel in the high-speed range.
The recent upgrades, which debuted at the Miami Grand Prix, have brought a substantial step forward in performance, particularly in low-speed turns. While the exact reasons behind this improvement are still unclear, McLaren is keen to keep its discovery under wraps to maintain a competitive edge.
“We are starting to understand that some of the things we were working on unlocked some of the important behaviors of the car, which become relevant for low-speed corners,” said Team Principal Andrea Stella. “But that is information that we don’t necessarily want to share because we don’t want competitors to look into that.”
Despite concerns that the low-speed gains might come at the expense of high-speed performance, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is optimistic about the team’s chances at Barcelona. “I think we can still be confident,” he said. “I wouldn’t say we’re weak in high speed, it’s just that others have probably caught up a little bit. I’m pretty confident we’ll be somewhere towards the front as well.”
Piastri’s confidence stems from McLaren’s impressive run of form, which has seen the team score the most points in the last three races. With 116 points, McLaren is ahead of Red Bull and Ferrari, and Piastri believes the squad can consider itself a potential championship challenger.
“It’ll be tough, definitely, but I think we’re in the fight,” he said. “We scored the most points in Canada as a team, not by much, but it’s definitely a really good result for us. We’ve both been very consistent in the last few weekends, and across some very different circuits, we’ve been strong at all of them.”
As the Formula 1 standings currently stand, McLaren is well-placed to mount a championship challenge. With the Spanish Grand Prix marking the start of the European leg of the season, the team will be looking to build on its momentum and stay in the mix at the front.
Formula 1 news: Stay tuned for live updates and analysis from the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
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