McLaren’s return to the top

After a slow start to the season, McLaren look to be making their way back to the top of the grid.

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McLaren are making a comeback from a disappointing season opener in Bahrain, Piastri with a DNF at his debut and Norris finishing at the back of the grid in P17 after 3 retirements from the race. The bad luck following McLaren into round 2 in Saudi Arabia, this time both drivers able to cross the finish line but with Piastri and Norris finishing in P15 and P17 respectively.

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With an unfortunate start for the Woking based team, and many disappointed fans, McLaren look to have come alive in the latter half of the first half of the season ahead of the summer break.

McLaren brought 11 new upgrades to Norris’s car at Silverstone, before bringing the same upgrades to Piastri’s car in Hungary. The most talked about feature of the new upgrades being the changes to the front wing. McLaren inheriting the semi-detached flap layout. Previously the front wing being fully merged to the endplate, now the front wing is curved up more sharply creating a bigger gap for the airflow and outwash to power the vortices down the side of the car. The new upgrade resulting in less drag on the straights. Former McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton commented on Norris’s car, describing it as a ”Rocketship”, as the Mercedes struggled to pass the McLaren.

The new upgrades showing their power with Norris making a major comeback to the podium, finishing his home race in P2 at Silverstone. Piastri without the upgrades finishing the race in P4. Both cars with the upgrades in Hungary finishing in P2, and P5, Norris’s first consecutive podium.

McLarens success carrying on into Belgium. Piastri showing his skills in the sprint, starting the race in P2 after being outqualified by Verstappen by 0.011s. Piastri inheriting the lead as Verstappen comes into the pits at the end of Lap 1, Piastri making the swap from wet tyres to inters as the race began with a rolling start. Piastri leading his first lap in F1, before being caught by Verstappen on lap 3. Piastri putting in a strong performance holding on to P2 as he took the chequered flag. On Sundays race Norris put in another impressive performance as he finished in P7 after a struggle with tyres at the start of the race which sent him to the back of the grid at the start of the race.

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Earlier in the season, the slow start led many to wonder if this would lead to Lando Norris’s departure from the team, after the young brit expressed his disappointment over numerous occasions. At the Belgium Grand Prix in a media session on Thursday, Norris clarified “there were frustrating times and just difficult times but at no point did i think this is not where i want to be”. Norris dropping all transfer rumours and seems to be clear that his intentions are to stay with McLaren for a while longer.