The McLaren updates for the Miami Grand Prix have been officially confirmed directly from Woking, with a full list of new components introduced on the MCL40.
The MCL40 is currently the third-fastest car on the grid, just behind Ferrari and Mercedes, but still ahead of the RB22 of Red Bull Racing. The goal of these updates is clear: close the gap to Ferrari and extend the advantage over Red Bull.
At McLaren, everything is set to reduce the deficit to the dominant Mercedes, and the month of April has been crucial in preparing the Miami debut of a heavily revised MCL40, especially from an aerodynamic standpoint. The break allowed for extensive wind tunnel work, with all teams aiming to arrive in Florida in a “2.0” configuration.
Read also: F1 | Jock Clear on Charles Leclerc: “With Ferrari, he can do what Schumacher did”
In addition to the work done in Woking, the papaya team also took to the track with the MCL40 “1.0” during Pirelli tests at the Nürburgring, sharing the program with Mercedes. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed around 1000 km using the C3, C4, and C5 compounds, before returning to the simulator to validate the upgrades ahead of the championship restart.
In the official statement, McLaren outlined the areas of development for Miami: “FP1 will now last 90 minutes, as the team aims to maximize on-track learning ahead of the competitive sessions later in the day. This will include the introduction of the first phase of MCL40 developments, with updates to the front and rear brake ducts, bodywork, floor, and rear wing. The main focus will remain on key areas such as extracting further performance from the power unit.”
Photos credits: McLaren
