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McLaren took a step back in 2022. If they finished fourth for two years in a row, it looks like this season will cost them more to finish there. Now they are fifth in the constructors’ championship, behind the Alps. A fierce battle between those from Enstone, embroiled in internal troubles between Szavanauer, Alonso and Piastre, and those from Woking where everyone seems to be rowing in the same direction but not finding the pace in the races. Despite the fact that McLaren is struggling to keep up, they continue to qualify but it is costing them a lot on Sundays of racing.
Performance difference between Saturday and Sunday
Norris finished fourth in Hungarian qualifying, three tenths behind the two Alpine cars, but the result in the race was not up to Saturday. Andreas Seidl, team manager, explained that Saturdays can mask some of the MCL36’s deficit.”If we compare our qualifying speed with that in the race, on Saturday we will see how far our car is from the top three. I would say it’s downforce, as you can hide something with the grip of the tires in one lap in qualifying.‘, detailed in AutoSport.
The result is completely different during the test. “But then over the course of the race the lack of performance or downforce leads to tire wear, and I think that’s why you see a bigger difference.The German explained.
Seidl argued that McLaren’s recent improvements have helped keep him in the hunt for fourth, but the top three teams are still a long way off. “In terms of race speed, compared to the Alps for example, we were in a good position in Hungary. Thanks to our update to Paul Ricard, which we’ve improved even more for Hungary, I think we’ve taken a good step forward. “Now we have to move on and keep improving the car“, he added.
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