Norris boost thanks to huge McLaren upgrade as Hakkinen fires Red Bull warning

20 June 2023 , 06:00

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McLaren's cars have been off the pace so far this season (Image: Getty Images)

McLaren are planning a car upgrade so huge that it will take three Formula 1 race weekends to fully implement it.

The Woking-based outfit is in desperate need of a boost after a tricky start to the season. Chief executive Zak Brown admitted at the first race that development targets had been missed and that set the tone.

McLaren was the best team in the midfield 18 months ago. But so far this season eight races have yielded just 17 points, leaving them sixth in the constructors' standings and closer to AlphaTauri at the bottom than they are to Alpine one place above them.

It has meant plenty of frustration for their drivers. Lando Norris has ambitions to win races rather than scrap for minor points, while Oscar Piastri's debut campaign hasn't quite gone as he would have imagined.

But the good news is that a potential game-changer is on the horizon. Their next package of upgrades is expected to be so significant that it has been referred to as essentially a B-spec car.

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It will be rolled out in the coming weeks, with the first changes on the car for the next race in Austria. But that will not be the extent of the package, with the roll-out continuing at the two races that follow, at Silverstone and in Hungary.

Explaining that phased introduction, team principal Andrea Stella said: "Relatively soon at the start of the season, we realised that the car needed a fundamental redesign. That's why the upgrades will be spread over the course of a few races.

Lando Norris will hope the upgrades propel McLaren back towards the front of the grid (Getty Images)

"It will be noticeable. We had to redesign even some parts under the bodywork. That's also why it took some time to be in condition to deliver these upgrades. I would say it’s pretty much the entire car."

It remains to be seen how effective the upgrades will be in terms of lap time. But McLaren legend Mika Hakkinen hinted that he might know something as he recently made a very bold prediction about his old team.

"The only surprise I think we'll see is McLaren's possible progress during the next two months," said the Finn, who went on to suggest the team could suddenly be one of the fastest on the grid. "I think they will surprise us massively. Just in terms of the speed of the car, they will probably challenge Red Bull."

Daniel Moxon