La growth of McLaren could suffer a stop which could actually compromise the continuation of the F1 championship. The updates brought by the Woking team to Miami are giving positive results, but some suspicions appear to have caught the attention of the FIA.
McLaren promoted, with reservations
Since Miami Grand Prix the MCL38 is able to fight for poles and victories almost everywhere, with the two drivers managing to stay in the top positions. The brought updates allowed McLaren to make a sensational step forward enough to overall reach the values of the RB20. A victory - which was missing from Monza 2021 - and two more consecutive podiums suggest that the Woking team could be hot on the heels of Red Bull Racing at least until the next step of updates, which should be expected between the end of June and the beginning of July for everyone.
Positivity reigns at McLaren, true, but some suspicions could create problems.
From Leclerc's words to an FIA investigation?
The dots all lead to words by Charles Leclerc who, following the Imola race, commented on how McLaren manages to recharge the hybrid part of its power unit, having observed the tail end of the MCL38 for many laps. Words which, according to some rumors circulating in recent days, would have attracted the attention of the Federation.
According to the latest rumors, the FIA is in fact considering starting an investigation on the fuel pumps of McLaren and would have asked Mercedes – as its supplier – to send its components for comparison. By regulation, the engines of the official and customer teams must be identical.
The suspicion is that McLaren did “something strange“, some type of offense that could throw the British into a situation similar to the one that also involved Ferrari in 2019.
McLaren, Ferrari didn't have an easy life in 2019
That year, Ferrari appeared to dominate on circuits that required a lot of power, sparking suspicion and a subsequent investigation. It turned out that they had manipulated the fuel flow meter, bypassing the 100kg/h limit, allowing greater flow and, consequently, better performance.
The Federation therefore forced Ferrari to consume much less fuel during races, with negative consequences also for its customer teams.
It took a long time for Ferrari to become competitive again. Only with the change in regulations in 2022 did the Red Team conquer the top positions, giving the fans hope again.
Given the state of form, McLaren cannot afford a drop in performance. All that remains is to wait for official denials or developments in the matter. For McLaren, and F1, a lot is at stake.
