In a year dominated by Red Bull, many longer-established names have been left well behind. Ferrari are still living on past glories, Mercedes cannot find a car to get Lewis Hamilton back into race-winning form, and some – such as Williams – are now regulars at the back of the grid despite an illustrious history.
Amid all that, some may wonder what happened to McLaren. They were, of course, the team with whom Hamilton made his name, almost winning the Driver’s Championship in 2007, his first season, before going on to do so in his second.
Back then, their precision engineering was delivering great results, but times have changed, with several changes of engine providers being a feature of their struggle to return to the top.
However, it may be asked whether the green shoots of revival can be discerned this season. According to the Formula 1 website, here are a least some who think so, including McLaren boss Zak Brown in the wake of the team’s first podium finish of the year at Silverstone.
Brown said McLaren were “nowhere” at the start of the year and such was their mechanical underperformance that drastic action was needed. James Key left his technical director post and Andrea Stella came in with a new plan.
The upgrades, which were first unveiled in Austria, proved particularly effective at Silverstone where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified in second and third places respectively on the grid. Norris finished the race second, while Piastri came fourth after the safety car scuppered his podium hopes.
Of course, one swallow does not make a summer, but the improvements have been evident. Someone asked Brown after the race if McLaren are now the second-best team behind Red Bull. He replied: “No, I think it’s a little early to be that bold. I think what we are now is we’re back in the game.”
Overhauling Red Bull will be a big challenge for everyone in the next couple of years. But having enjoyed the most recent of their eight constructors’ championships in 1998, it may be high time McLaren recaptured former glories.
