McLaren is alone in his world

Third in the constructors’ championship, McLaren has had a great start to the season. The Papas, isolated on the final stage of the podium, have left behind Aston Martin and Mercedes, but remain below Ferrari.

Without the failed strategy of Lando Norris during the Japanese Grand Prix, McLaren would have expected to fight for the podium against the Ferraris. Unfortunately, the second early station created misunderstandings among supporters and even among its main driver:

“So I listened to what I was told to do. But it is something that we will go through with the team. I think we did what was best at the time. But it is still unclear if Charles was expected to return. We covered George, which probably wasn’t necessary, to be honest. And… because we tried to cover George, we came at the same time as Charles, so I could do five or six more laps, create a gap with the tires and then come back like Carlos did, for example. So it is only one point of view, but it is something that we will discuss and look at,” explained Lando Norris after the Grand Prix.

🏆 MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP

Red Bull restore Ferrari’s lead by 21 points

McLaren continues to widen the gap ahead of Mercedes and Aston Martin

Alpine is still in last place#F1 #GPGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/qlhDRn49AP

– Sector F1 (@Secteur_F1) April 7, 2024

McLaren is confident in its progress

As F1 enters the fifth Grand Prix week of the season and returns to the Shanghai track, McLaren continues to rise to power. Instead, the Oranges want to secure their 3rd place in the constructors’ standings before they can aim higher. With 69 points, McLaren is ahead of Mercedes and Aston Martin by 35 and 36 points respectively after 4 Grand Prix. But the cars of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri do not seem to be fast enough to close the 51-point gap that separates them from Ferrari.

Last year, however, McLaren showed that a clear increase in leadership was possible with the progress made throughout the season. Papai certainly started from further away, but the performance gap with Ferrari and then Red Bull in the second round can be filled at the end of the season. At the beginning of the regulatory transition (2026), the performance gap tends to decrease as in 2021.

Woking team director Andrea Stella believes in it wholeheartedly:

“But last year we were able to be better than our competitors in terms of development. For us, that remains the goal. As long as we see what we plan to bring to the track comes to fruition, we are satisfied, because we know that we are on our way. And we think that’s a powerful approach.”

🚨 Théo Pourchaire can make his IndyCar debut behind the wheel of Arrow McLaren at the next round in Long Beach! 🇫🇷

The Frenchman, who has made his chair and spent time in simulation, will replace David Malukas if he does not recover from his injury.

(@RACERmag)… pic.twitter.com/qrrq5TTDNd

– Sector F1 (@Secteur_F1) April 9, 2024

Piastri, a little loose in Japan

Oscar Piastri has had a mixed start to the season. Arriving as a rookie last year in place of Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian had an exceptional first practice. This season, the former Alpine driver seems to be in more trouble, led by Lando Norris. In Japan, the Australian was in a difficult situation.

From the pace of his teammate, Piastri also made a few mistakes, rare for the young driver. On the downside, the Australian doesn’t seem to appreciate the Suzuka track after losing last year at this track. Piastri is also not left behind in points by his teammate.

The two McLarens shoot together (37 points for Norris and 32 for Piastri). Unlike his colleague, Piastri will get the Shanghai track next weekend as F1 returns to China for the first time since 2019.