McLaren explain development advantage over F1 rivals

McLaren chief designer Rob Marshall has explained the advantage the squad has by delivering major upgrades rather than drip-feeding new parts.

The Woking-based outfit brought major updates this year to the races in Miami and Zandvoort as it bids for its first F1 title since 2008.

McLaren currently leads the constructors' championship by 41 points over Red Bull, with Ferrari a further 34 adrift, after successfully developing its way to the front of the field after commencing the 2023 campaign at the back.

While some teams opt to trickle upgrades throughout the season, Marshall explained why McLaren has implemented a different strategy.

“It's nice to be delivering lots of little upgrades all the time, a bit like our beam wing [in Singapore],” he told media including RacingNews365.

“But equally, sometimes you just have to hold on a little bit while you wait for a chunk of bits to come all at the same time.

“The advantage in doing that is that often bits don't combine very well, or as well as you think they would.”

McLaren's 'one-lump' approach

Marshall detailed it holds more confidence that parts will gel if they are developed together rather than introducing unforeseen complications.

“If you deliver them in one lump, then you know that sort of combination of parts has been in CFD together,” he said. 

“It was developed together. It's been through the wind tunnel together.

“You can be more confident that that combination of bits works well together, whereas you do it bit by bit, you might introduce an upgrade on one part and then work on another part and find out it's a bit compromised by the previous change you made.”