McLaren targeting Red Bull and Mercedes challenge from 2024

Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo at 2022 McLaren launch

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Zak Brown has claimed McLaren could challenge Mercedes and Red Bull at the front of the field once they benefit from a range of new technology. The team boss warned the team had new infrastructure coming in 2023 which could dramatically change the fortunes of the British manufacturer.

McLaren had a difficult season in 2022 with Lando Norris only securing one podium finish all season. However, Brown has stressed the team don’t have the equipment to consistently challenge at the front, which has proved to be an issue.

Speaking to RacingNews365, Brown said: “We’ve got the budget, we had a really good driver line-up, but obviously we had a challenge with Daniel, but Lando rings the neck out of our car, but we don’t have the technology infrastructure yet but our simulator and wind-tunnel come [in 2023].”

He added: “We’re planning on challenging and being in the mix of the top three when we have all of our equipment. That’s certainly our ambition – so I don’t see any reason why [this wouldn’t be the case especially] if we had what we’re going to have here in the next 12 months, 24 months ago.

“Our race team is operating extremely well and we know some of the deficit we have the pace of our car comes from not being at the top of our game with our technology infrastructure – which is fortunately around the corner.” Former team principal Andreas Seidl has previously stressed the team’s new wind tunnel may be ready for the middle of 2023.

This means some part of the 2024 car development will benefit from the new technology. But, McLaren will not develop their first full car using the new technology until at least 2025.

The former world champions are also working on a new simulator and have made upgrades to their CFD department. Seidl recently admitted the team had made updates to the production facilities in a bid to improve developments.

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Norris has also pinned his hopes on a resurgence in form with the British star warning the team had “no excuses” not to deliver with the new tools at their disposal. He explained: “The wind tunnel? I hope our new one will help us for 2024 and 2025.

“I have to have faith that my team can do a good job. [2024] will be our first year in which we have no more excuses. At the moment we can still come up with good excuses. Believe me, nobody likes to say that we had the best possible weekend and that we’re behind for the reasons just mentioned.

“We always look at what we can do better. 2024 will be the first year in which we operate with our infrastructure almost at the level of the top teams.”

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