Former Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed how McLaren must operate if it wants to consistently compete with Red Bull.
Lando Norris took his first race win on Sunday at the Miami Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen who won four of the opening six races.
McLaren arrived at the Miami International Autodrome with a major upgrade package for Norris' car.
Speaking in the last episode of Racing News 365 podcast, former Aston Martin and Alpine boss Szafnauer explained that McLaren cannot afford to slow down its development schedule if it wants to constantly battle Red Bull.
“When you're not winning and you're chasing world champions, that's exactly what you have to do,” he said.
“You have to make sure you get promotions at a higher cadence than the guy you're chasing and you have to give promotions that always perform.
“You can't move sideways or backwards. Their big upgrades always lead to better performance on track which is critical.
Development race
While McLaren has successfully upgraded its car over the past year, Red Bull is not standing still in the battle.
Reports have suggested that the current world champions will bring upgrades to the upcoming event from Imola, prompting Szafnauer to highlight that McLaren should focus on ensuring the impact of its upgrades is greater than Red Bull's.
“The other thing you have to do is either bring them in more often or when you do bring them in, they have to be bigger than your competitors so you can make progress,” he said.
“It looks from the outside, since I didn't work there, that they were able to do it.
“Last year they started the season and were very poor. In the end, they were very good and continued on the same path.
“This is really important for them if they aspire to do better. Like I said, bring more of them in or when you bring them in, [make sure] They are more important than your competitors and [that] they are working.”
Evolution table
Red Bull has boasted a significant lead over competitors over the past two years, winning 84 percent of races since the beginning of 2022.
As its competitors look to close the gap, Szafnauer detailed the significant task it will take to take its concept to the track.
He added: “It depends on its size, but it takes a lot of time, effort and resources.” “If you do an upgrade like they did here, first the tunnel, you have to find those upgrades in the tunnel through the CFD, your model design, and the model makers.
“Once you have that and are happy with it, you can release it at full size. Sometimes you edit on the go so you can save some time.
“It goes through full-scale design, manufacturing and then puts it on the car.
“It could take eight, 10 or 12 weeks depending on what you're doing. It's a huge effort, and in those weeks, a big part of the organization is already working on it.”
“When you see McLaren's senior officials, the team principal and the CEO thanking everyone at the factory, they are absolutely right to do so because it is a great effort from the factory to do what they have done.”
Listen to the full RacingNews365 podcast with Otmar Szafnauer below.
