McLaren exceeded expectations last season.
Bolstered by a new customer deal with Mercedes-AMG that reignited a winning partnership, the team fought steadily for podiums, and Daniel Ricciardo led Lando Norris on home soil for a sensational double at the Italian Grand Prix, ending a team record. barren run of 170 runs. As such, he finished the year fourth.
Expectations are therefore high for 2022, especially as the team has long focused on developing the new technical regulations for this season. But there are no guarantees in F1. Do you remember Pastor Maldonado? Venezuelan Mercurial’s stunning win at the 2012 Spanish GP ended a record 130-race winless streak for Williams, and with the team’s new customer engine deal with Renault (reviving a winning partnership), it seemed to be the spark of a renewal. However, the team has not won since.
Now Ricciardo is much better than Maldonado, but the truth is that progress in F1 isn’t always linear and can’t be measured by somewhat chance wins. So, despite being optimistic and the team showing good form in pre-season testing, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is keeping expectations in check.
It’s a mantra Brown has been pushing since taking over in 2016, at the bottom of the team with uncompetitive and unreliable Honda engines. “My first year was the worst year in McLaren’s history on track,” he said.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-18 02:01:23
