McLaren Japan form a mirage despite major Mercedes breakthrough

On the face of it, McLaren’s performance thus far in the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, with Oscar Piastri fastest in FP2 and third on the grid, and Lando Norris fifth after a disrupted weekend, still represents a step forward for the Woking-based team, particularly in comparison to China. 

It is undeniable that the engineers, led by Andrea Stella, have gained a better understanding of how to manage the energy of the Mercedes power unit, which is unquestionably still the class-leader.

The performance of the MCL40, therefore, can only be partially surprising, as it had already emerged from the tests in Bahrain that, in terms of the chassis, the car was absolutely competitive, capable of rivalling the best on a flying lap. 

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to overlook the fact that the gap to Mercedes is still evident, not so much from what emerged in qualifying, but rather from the analysis of the long runs, where the race pace of the two W17s appears decidedly a step ahead of any other car, including the McLaren. 

Indeed, at Suzuka, the MCL40 demonstrated that it has a narrow window in terms of balance, capable of keeping the tyres within the correct operating range. 

Supporting this view are the difficulties linked not only to reliability issues that forced Norris into a double battery change, but also to the precision of the setup.

Essentially, whilst Piastri has still managed to optimise the MCL40’s performance, Norris has encountered greater difficulties in finding a balance that gives him confidence in both the Esses and Spoon curve, two sections where a lack of driver confidence can easily cost nearly half a second of lap-time.

So, whilst it is certainly fair to view McLaren’s performance as having improved based on more informed management of the power unit and its better integration into the chassis, this has not entirely eliminated residual critical issues with the MCL40, partly attributable to inherent characteristics of the project, which have not yet been resolved.

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