Why McLaren's 2023 may be a building year, despite new F1 car's Red Bull hints

By:

Jake Boxall-Legge

Feb 13, 2023, 5:42 PM

Styling cues from the 2022 Red Bull are evident in McLaren's direction of travel. But as the team admits it is "not entirely happy" with the current state of the car's aerodynamics as a byproduct of its current infrastructure, it appears as though the papaya team faces a season of treading water until its new windtunnel comes on stream later in the year

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There was always going to be convergence, wasn’t there? When Formula 1’s 2022 aerodynamic overhaul entered the lexicon, each of the 10 teams had created 10 different interpretations of the newly defined rules. Only one of those could be the best way in, and it was evident that Red Bull’s RB18 fit the bill.

And as the old saying goes: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. That’s not to say that every team is in the game to shamelessly copy the Milton Keynes squad, but rather that last year’s benchmark is naturally going to offer some degree of inspiration. In two of Monday’s unveilings, there were clear traits that had been inspired by the RB18, but with their own distinct flavour.

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Jake Boxall-Legge F1 Writer

Jake studied engineering at university, as his original ambition was to design racing cars. He was bad at that, and thus decided to write about them instead with an equally limited skillset. The above article is a demonstration of that. In his spare time, Jake enjoys people, places, and things.

Why McLaren's 2023 may be a building year, despite new F1 car's Red Bull hints

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