McLaren presented the single-seater it will race with in 2023, the MCL60, a name that evokes and celebrates the history of the Woking stable founded in 1963 by Bruce McLaren. On their own social the team had spoiled some details of the papaya-colored car which in 2023 will be entrusted to the Norris couple – Piastres. A completely new line up, young and ready to bring the McLaren name back to the top, on the anniversary of its foundation.
Innovation and history are two fundamental components which, mixing together, have shaped the team's identity over the years. Even for the launch of the MCL60, the words that are associated with the new car are "past" and "future". There is no future without the past and without the errors and knowledge that derive from this. So after a year of revolutions, of unknowns with the new technical regulation, McLaren has given life to the heir of the MCL36, presented by the entire team, including the new Team Principal Andrea Stella. Here are all the news.
Lots of black on the MCL60
In the presentations of the 2023 single-seaters there is one constant, namely black. McLaren has also decided to save some colour. The orange, or rather the papaya color that has characterized Woking's single-seaters in recent years, has almost disappeared on the rear part of the train. Which we usually see at the end of the season, with pieces of carbon fiber clearly visible. The Chrome logo still stands out on the bonnet, the colors of which are also present on the wheel covers, as in 2022. The blue color also remains, also less present than last year. In short, a similar version to the one seen at the end of 2022. Here is a comparison between the MCL60 and the latest version of the MCL36.
Red Bull goes to school, but McLaren has yet to figure it out
In addition to black, there is another constant in the single-seaters that have been presented so far, namely the inspiration from Red Bull and Ferrari, the two teams that set the standard in 2022 with their own aerodynamic solutions. In particular, the MCL60 is an evolution of the "updated" MCL36 already seen at the end of 2022, which however came even closer to Red Bull in the design of the bellies. The rear train of the MCL60 is almost the same as the updated one of 2022, as well as the design of the wing and the front nose. A change was made instead in the front suspension, which remains pull-rod, but with a different geometry of the upper triangle.
Speaking to the media at the launch of the MCL60, McLaren CEO Zak Brown said: “I think we identified the shortcomings on last year's car and worked hard to address them on this year's car. But we know there are still a couple of areas where we're not where we'd like to be“. A concept also expressed by the new team principal Andrea Stella, that he said he was not 100% satisfied with the current MCL60, the first of his operated by TP.
Stella said the reason he invites realistic expectations for the start of the season -- is because new solutions have been discovered. “It's always difficult to translate what you see over the winter in terms of development into where you'll be in terms of the pecking order. There are some areas – that we realized a bit late in development" he said.
A first major update in Baku
McLaren already has updates and new resources in the works which will hopefully mark a further step forward. Precisely in anticipation of this, the first step in the update program was signaled, scheduled for Baku, the fourth round of the world championship. In short, there is no hurry, also because the team must first of all beat the competition from Alpine, who finished fourth, before being able to appear among the top three. McLaren is working on a new wind tunnel, a new simulator. These investments should materialize towards the middle of the year. For 2023 the MCL60 aims to be more aerodynamically efficient.
Source statements: racer.com, Motorsport.com
