McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has confirmed that the new nose of the MCL35 tested last week at the Russian Grand Prix by Lando Norris brings a build-up, which means the British team are on the right track direction and should therefore bring other new parts in the next race at the Nurburgring.
Norris was able to ride with the new nose of the MCL35 last week in Sochi, not least because the McLaren team failed to manufacture enough parts for Carlos Sainz’s car after his crash at Mugello.
The Woking team principal confirms that McLaren is heading in the right direction with MCL35, which is estimated to gain one tenth on the exercise of a fast lap.
“We wanted to gain experience as quickly as possible. That’s why we tested the first parts of the package as soon as they were available.” Seidl said.
“Based on the wind tunnel results, the new nose appears to be the right way forward. There is more potential in the new concept which we hope will allow us to achieve even more performance.
“We will therefore have more parts to bring to the track gradually. We should always try to be in the small operating window of the car with the setup.
“If we are successful, we can win a tenth. On the other hand, if you make mistakes, you lose a tenth. In such a tight field, that can mean the difference between sixth and twelfth place. From the outside, this fight is certainly fascinating, but it still gives us headaches.” Seidl added.
Meanwhile Carlos Sainz had to retire on the first lap due to a crash, while Lando Norris’ race was ruined by the crash of his teammate at Russian Grand Prix.
McLaren is still third after ten races in the world championship, but the British team are only two points ahead of Racing Point and seven points over Renault F1. There are seven races to go before the end of the 2020 season.
