In the previous season, McLaren experienced a major shift in their performance during the latter part of the season compared to their initial performance. This was in contrast to Red Bull, which maintained a consistent performance throughout the season.
However, McLaren’s significant upgrades were the turning point for the team. The British team has also committed to surpassing Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in the upcoming season, a statement that has made the Dutch sensation express heightened caution in a recent interview.
Max Verstappen is wary of McLaren’s progress
Max Verstappen has named McLaren as the team that can prove to be the strongest rival for Red Bull in the upcoming season. McLaren faced the biggest improvement in their car after the introduction of significant updates during the latter half of the season.
Afterwards, their pace on the grid was incredible, with the British team securing 285 points and the two respective drivers, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, securing seven podiums out of eight Grand Prix along with clinching five second positions.
🗣️ Max Verstappen: “The one I think that was most impressive behind us from where they started to where they ended was definitely McLaren. It looks like they might be very strong next year.” 👀
— McLaren F1 Updates 🏴🇦🇺 (@TheMcLarenZone) January 5, 2024
[via: Talking Bull Podcast] #F1 #Formula1 #McLaren pic.twitter.com/1EOUUNmMpa
The team has also surpassed Aston Martin in the constructors’ world championship by securing fourth place, 22 points ahead of them, but lacked 104 points behind Ferrari, who was in third place.
Observing their progress, Max Verstappen believes that McLaren will prove to be one of the strongest contenders on the grid in the upcoming season, which can be quite challenging for Red Bull.
He said, “Afterwards, everything will depend on their improvement over the winter. But I think the one that was the most impressive, from start to finish, was definitely McLaren. It seems to me that they could be very strong next year.”
Max Verstappen points out areas to improvement for Red Bull
Even though Red Bull is currently the dominant force on the team, they too have some flaws to improve on for the 2024 season. Recently, the three-time World Champion has remained humble and stated that even though the team is at its peak of success, they surely still have a lot of hurdles to overcome.
F1: Max Verstappen wants Red Bull improvement: https://t.co/OCisfHvnt0
— jizmack (@jizmack) August 22, 2017
He stated, “It’s difficult to tell, but of course, we are also working on our car to try and make it better. I think we know our weaknesses as well in the car, and that’s what we’ll try to work on.”
“Low speed is definitely not our strongest point in the car. Bumps, kerbs as well. so that’s definitely an area where we can improve.”
Do you think McLaren will be able to defeat Red Bull in the next season? Let us know in the comment section below.
