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McLaren shocked Formula One fans by seizing the spotlight with unexpected second and fourth place finished
Published : 10 Jul 2023, 07:30 PM
Until Sunday, McLaren’s season on the Formula One circuit was one to forget. But after the British Grand Prix, where drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri snatched second and fourth place, the team appears confident in their MCL60 car and determined to reclaim their competitive edge.
In contrast, new Williams manager James Vowles approached the Silverstone Circuit with more modesty, despite driver Alex Albon’s strong showings at Montreal and Styria.
However, to everyone’s surprise, the Williams FW45 outperformed all its competitors over the race weekend during the Friday Practice Sessions. Albon’s car was fast on straights and soft turns, but lacked downforce in tight corners. Despite the car’s mid-tier top speed, it displayed aero-efficiency and reduced drag, allowing it to cut through the air more efficiently, sometimes even better than their top competitors.
Still, Vowles’s cautious approach proved prudent. Albon was only able to place eighth.
The MCL60, on the other hand, felt like it was nerfed in the run-up to the race. Despite performing well around the corners, the car maintained subpar speeds throughout Free Practice as it struggled to stay competitive on Friday. But, to everybody’s surprise, the Working Squad qualified at the front row on Saturday, ahead of Aston Martin, Mercedes, and Ferrari. But what exactly contributed to this shocking result? How did McLaren snatch the underdog mantle from the Blue Arrows?
Before the Styrian Grand Prix, McLaren had introduced a new upgrade package that completely changed the team’s fortune for the remainder of the season. The MCL60 revised significant changes to its floor, side-pod, and other minor revisions to the other components, like the side-view mirrors, the Halo, and the side-pod inlet ducts.
The side-pods must be the most drastic and controversial changes of the new iteration of MCL60. Compared to the bulky geometric dent of what resembles a soap dish, the latest iteration looks much smoother, almost like a waterslide. If you’re wondering why the side-pod seems familiar, it’s essentially an exact copy of the AMR23, driven by Fernando Alonso. But, at the end of the day, the side-pod granted them the advantage of a better downforce, which the team had been striving towards since the start of the season.
The Orange Arrows also implemented new changes to its side-pod inlet ducts, side-view mirror geometry, and halo geometry to better accommodate airflow through the machine.
Heavy revisions on the floor of the MCL60 were also made, where we saw updated fences, floor edges, and diffusers. However, as there are no official images, the fundamental changes to the foundation are still secret.
The FW45, on the other hand, has had similar changes. Where most FW45s remained constricted to the Rear Lower Beam Wing, the Grove-based Outfit also recently unloaded a major upgrade package just before the Canadian Grand Prix. Their new package involved a brand new side-pod, much like the common trend of waterslide design. The FW45, on its previous iterations, had bulkier and sharp side-pod edges, much like the Ferrari F1-75 from last season. In this iteration, however, the edges were smoothed and fitted with a gully at the end to enable better airflow.
The FW45’s floor also significantly contributed to its surprising performance this weekend. Despite its “simpler” design compared to its competitors, the simplicity allowed the machine to achieve reduced drag. This was further confirmed when the team boss James Vowles commented on the leaked floor pictures after the FP3 of the Spanish Grand Prix, emphasising that the image was “deceptive” and that the photo only emphasized the diffuser of the FW, not the front.
Regardless, after last Friday, there is no doubt that Williams has one of the most drag-efficient cars on the grid and that its floor has a critical role to play in this. Still, this advantage also comes with the trade-off of potentially compromised cornering performance.
This, however, is not a new issue for the Blue Arrows. Since the calendar’s beginning, FW has been noticeably unstable around the corners. Albon’s crash in Monaco was a fitting demonstration. The FW45’s reluctance to turn in tight corners led to his car losing its grip on the exit of Sainte Devonte and clouting into the wall, ending his session.
Going into the weekend, the Williams team added more upgrades to the FW45, specifically a new front wing and a circuit-specific rear wing. This impacted Albon’s performance in Friday’s Practice and carried on into race day. Not only were the Williams fastest in the straights and soft corners, but at peak, the FW45 was 13 kph faster than Max Verstappen’s dominating RB19. In fact, the only way Verstappen achieved pole in Free Practice was through gaining time around the tight corners where Albon lacked pace.
Come Saturday, inevitable misfortunes certainly contributed to Albon’s performance. First of all, as soon as the Q1 began, there were reports of light drizzle, which soon turned to rain, which was quickly obstructed following Magnussen’s Engine Cutoff. More importantly, Albon and Sergeant had softs on, and the varying conditions of the track over the hour, from dry to wet to dry greatly hindered the maximum performance delivered by the newly modified FW45.
To last throughout the qualifying, Albon had to adopt an exciting strategy of restricting his full throttle to make the various turns and corners of the Silverstone with less braking, thus conserving speed and, therefore, time. However, this strategy also meant the car could not be pushed to its limit.
The MCL60, on the other hand, displayed tremendous balance throughout the grand prix. And although the car lacked drag reduction even after the newly fitted front wings and nose, the newfound downforce dominance of the MCL60 provided excellent stability around the corners, despite the car having a relatively slower top speed than others. Ultimately, the weather conditions and proper downforce gave Senna’s team its lucky chance to dominate and shine.
The MCL60, on the other hand, displayed tremendous balance throughout the grand prix. And although the car lacked drag reduction even after the newly fitted front wings and nose, the newfound downforce dominance of the MCL60 provided excellent stability around the corners, despite the car having a relatively slower top speed than others. Ultimately, the weather conditions and proper downforce gave Senna’s team its lucky chance to dominate and shine.
The performance displayed by the midfielders of the grid last night is evident that more exciting races are yet to come. The merciless tight turns of the British home Grand Prix did not let the FW45 stretch out its wings.
At the end of the day, the real weakness of the Williams Team is not its performance but its inability to develop its factory. However, the recent boosts in performance, alongside the new owners and team principles, certainly bring hope back to the table, as these results invite more investments and, therefore, an opportunity for the Blue Arrows to see its glory again.
The Silverstone Circuit has always been a challenge for F1 racers. With many tight and soft corners, the track is one of the most technically demanding of the season. But Silverstone's true reputation relies on its rich history. It has seen some of F1’s most furious races, making it an iconic circuit that serves as a hallmark for performance. Sunday’s race has delivered another fantastic event, full of uncertainty and suspense.
This article is part of Stripe, bdnews24.com's special publication focusing on culture and society from a youth perspective.
