When Williams went through its gradual fall from grace from being Formula 1's dominant force to an also-ran, comparisons were made with the fortunes of Tyrrell, which from the 1970s to the 1990s went from a world championship contender to a backmarker.
So if Williams was once the new Tyrrell, is McLaren the new Williams? Right now, it should simply be aspiring to be worthy of that tag.
McLaren may turn its nose up at such a comparison, since Williams is 'only' a customer team in F1 and it has got used to keeping its realistic ambitions in check.