McLaren unveiled the MCL40 on Monday, the title defender for the upcoming F1 season. Where the papaya cars were overwhelmingly dominant last year, the team now faces big question marks. The ground effect regulations give way to a completely new F1 era, reshuffling the deck. The new cars, for now, make champion Lando Norris think of the machinery from ten years ago — although CEO Zak Brown hopes he doesn’t mean that too literally.
During the so-called season launch, Lando Norris was asked for his first impressions of the new rules. A week earlier the British champion had already been able to run extensively in Barcelona with a camouflaged MCL40. Norris initially compared the new kit — which has become notably smaller and lighter — to Formula 2 cars. “It certainly feels different to all the cars I’ve raced,” he said. The 26-year-old made his F1 debut in 2019 and has since gone through several regulatory cycles.
Zak Brown: ‘No repeat of 2017’
“It’s absolutely more like before 2017 and 2018,” Norris explained. “So it’s not what I’m used to. In some respects it’s more like Formula 2,” he reiterated. “In terms of power, but also grip. That naturally makes it more challenging. But in the end we just have to make do with the kit we get.” CEO Zak Brown cut in and joked: “I really hope it’s not like the 2017 car.” That drew laughter from both drivers and team principal Andrea Stella.
In 2017 McLaren scored just thirty World Championship points and finished second-to-last in the constructors’ standings. The MCL32, fitted with a problematic Honda unit, was a disappointment. “That certainly won’t be the case,” Norris grinned. “Yes, it’s exciting, but we also know we’re in a better place than ever before. I’m very curious to see what the team brings.”
