As the 2023 Formula 1 season reaches a critical juncture, McLaren is well aware that it requires additional upgrades to its MCL38 car to stay ahead of Red Bull at select tracks on the calendar. Despite Lando Norris’s impressive advantage over Max Verstappen at the Dutch Grand Prix, the team knows it cannot rest on its laurels, especially with the championship fight still closely contested.
Browsing: Car Performance
As the 2024 Formula 1 season unfolds, Mercedes has made significant strides in unlocking the potential of its W15 challenger, with three wins in the last four races. The team’s trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, reveals how Lewis Hamilton’s recent form is a direct result of the team’s improvements to the car, which initially posed challenges for the seven-time champion.
Despite showing significant improvement in recent Formula 1 races, Daniel Ricciardo and his team Red Bull still have work to do to address the car’s inherent weaknesses. The team’s upgrades have helped, but more needs to be done to address high-speed performance issues.
As Ferrari struggles to keep pace with its rivals, Carlos Sainz warns that the team’s weaknesses remain deeply ingrained in the SF-24’s architecture, and that even successful upgrades cannot eradicate these issues. The Spanish driver believes Ferrari’s struggles are rooted in its car’s inability to perform optimally in long, combined corners, a trait that has been evident since the early stages of the 2024 season.
Red Bull has conceded that eradicating the kerb-riding weakness in their 2024 Formula 1 car won’t be an easy feat, despite their current dominance. The Austrian outfit faces a challenging task in addressing this long-standing issue, which has been exposed as the competition has closed in. With circuits like Hungary and Austria coming up, Red Bull must work hard to overcome this performance limitation and maintain their lead in the championship.
Ferrari has conceded that it needs to ‘open our eyes a bit’ and endeavour to ‘broaden the scope’ of its 2024 Formula 1 car to ensure that it is competitive across all circuits. The Italian marque’s struggles in Canada and Spain have highlighted the need for a more versatile car to compete with rivals like Red Bull and Mercedes.
Mercedes Formula 1 team principal Toto Wolff has quashed rumors of talks with Max Verstappen over a potential switch to the team in 2025, stating that their focus remains on improving their car’s pace. With the Formula 1 standings still tightly contested, Mercedes’ efforts to close the gap with Red Bull and McLaren will be crucial in the coming races.
The debate surrounding the role of the Barcelona circuit in Formula 1 has been sparked by Spanish heroes Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso. As the calendar continues to evolve, with more street and semi-permanent tracks, the question arises: does Barcelona still provide the ultimate test of car performance?
Nico Hulkenberg failed to advance from Q1 during the recent Formula 1 Grand Prix, qualifying a dismal 19th. This poor performance was a significant departure from his previous efforts this season. The German driver suspects an underlying car issue, possibly related to aerodynamics, and is calling for a thorough review ahead of the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
As the 2024 Formula 1 season got underway, Williams Racing faced a significant challenge with their launch car, which tipped the scales at a considerable excess weight. Despite shedding 14kg during the off-season, the FW46 was still 4-5 tenths per lap slower than its optimal pace. The team is working hard to reduce the weight and improve performance, but the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona poses a tough test.