Magazine: Why McLaren can win again in F1

Following a number of lean years, McLaren's subsequent change of management and drivers has put it firmly back on an upward trajectory.

With the overnight disappearance of financial worries, a new supply of the Mercedes engines it should arguably never have got rid of, and Daniel Ricciardo on board to partner Lando Norris, things could get better still from 2021.

Luke Smith delves into McLaren's progress over the last few years, and considers what the team can achieve in 2021 with its forward momentum.

Chief Editor Kevin Turner has also picked out the top five cars produced by McLaren over its 55-year history in Formula 1 and, tellingly, not a single one was from the 21st century. While that doesn't quite tell you all you need to know about the team's recent plight (the 2007-08 weaponry, for example, was pretty handy), it is eye-opening.

The team's performance over the years has also been charted, and documents the team's downfall and subsequent return to podium contention en route to third place in the 2020 constructors' championship.

Continuing the McLaren theme, our IndyCar guru David Malsher-Lopez investigates the tie-up with the team formerly known as Schmidt Peterson Racing, with rising star Patricio O'Ward impressing in 2020 and the signing of Felix Rosenqvist for the Arrow McLaren SP second seat. The team has also reunited with Juan Pablo Montoya for the 2021 Indy 500.

Formula E correspondent Matt Kew assesses the team's potential move into the electric arena, although CEO Zak Brown admits that the series needs to work on implementing a cost cap to ensure that spending in the all-electric championship does not spiral out of control.

Furthermore, exciting new AlphaTauri F1 prospect Yuki Tsunoda, and those who have worked with him, get interviewed by Marcus Simmons following the Japanese driver's rapid rise to the top tier following his breakout year in Formula 2 with the Carlin squad.

In the world of endurance racing, Gary Watkins details the thrilling Daytona 24 Hours, in which Wayne Taylor Racing - this year, running Acura ARX-05 DPi machinery - scooped victory for the sixth time following a tense battle for the lead and a tyre blowout for the chasing Chip Ganassi Racing team at the death.

There's also the usual round-up of national news and news stories from the world of motorsport, and Stephen Lickorish details the lessons that club racing promoters have learned from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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