McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella has responded to Mercedes' observations that the MCL60 upgrade resembles Red Bull's all-powerful RB19 bodywork. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stunned Mercedes and Ferrari to finish second and third in qualifying for the British Grand Prix, behind dominant championship leader Max Verstappen. Both Lewis Hamilton and Silver Arrows Team Principal Toto Wolff made reference to the Red Bull-esque sidepods on the McLaren since Norris was given the upgraded MCL60 at the Austrian Grand Prix, but Stella told media including RacingNews365.com : "Every team takes inspiration from any other team. "Teams are equipped to try and absorb the IP from looking at the photos from the car displays on Friday. "So you do take inspiration from the other cars, but taking inspiration doesn't mean you copy the geometry, you install it in your CFD runs, in the computer simulation, or in the wind tunnel and the car lights up in terms of downforce. "Normally what happens is it goes down, because your car is already optimised around what you have done up until that point. "The key element is understanding that some concepts have more potential that allow you to develop faster and for longer. That is where you need to have the right people in the right place."
Former Red Bull staff praised
McLaren had been forthright in addressing its early-season woes, with an overhaul of its engineering team behind the scenes. Former Red Bull aerodynamicist Peter Prodromou now heads up the department at the Woking-based outfit and has been singled out for praise by Stella. "I would like to mention one name here: Peter Prodromou, who is leading the aerodynamic development at McLaren and is doing an exceptional job in terms of setting the conceptual direction, but also organising and inspiring the entire aerodynamic group," he said. "So really well done to Peter."
Most read
