McLaren set for 'significant step' after major Mercedes puzzle solved

McLaren will make a "significant step" forward in unlocking performance from its Mercedes F1 power unit in Miami, after early teething troubles.

In the first three races of the season, the team felt it was on the backfoot in understanding its Mercedes HPP unit, with both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri failing to start the Chinese GP owing to power unit electrical glitches pre-race.

With the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix cancelled, it meant F1 teams have had a full month to pour over data and unlock performance gains, something McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes will be delivered for the reigning constructors' champions in Miami, even with the raft of regulation changes coming into effect, including the reduction of energy recharge in qualifying from 8MJ to 7MJ per lap in a bid to limit super-clipping and lift and coast.

"Like we have seen from the simulations, to a certain extent, we will be able to predict the behaviour of the power unit once we apply the new regulations," Stella told media, including RacingNews365.

"You have to be forward-thinking in terms of considering everything which can happen and make sure the way in which you exploit the power unit is the most optimal, but I am quite confident we can achieve this with the current simulations.

"I can also confirm that in terms of working with HPP, in terms of developing the simulation tools, we have made a significant step forward compared to where we were in Australia, and as a team, we are now much more prepared.

"Whilst at the start of the season, a deficit might have existed for the natural consequence of being a customer team when the programme was so pushed, it was something we were ready to accept.

"We processed very constructively with HPP, but now, later in the season, I think we have filled this gap, and we should have all the tools which are required to extract the most from the power unit."