McLaren want to attack Red Bull: 'If we succeed, we can win'

Andrea Stella and McLaren are happy with how the first four Grands Prix of the season have gone. No wins were achieved, but that is the goal for later this season, the team boss said. The aim is to catch up with Red Bull Racing during the year.

McLaren satisfied with season start

"In terms of our expectations, we are happy that we consolidated the development trajectory that we started 12 months ago," Stella said in the press conference after the first free practice session in China. "Being part of the first group of cars was important to see at the start of the season."

After four Grands Prix, McLaren occupies third place in the constructors' championship, behind Red Bull and Ferrari. "We are happy with [it], but ultimately we want to be competing for winning races and this means if anything we need to improve the development rate, bring upgrades to the car and if we continue what we have achieved over the last 12 months, we can compete for winning races. This is the ambition. But so far, happy with what we have achieved."

Difference with Red Bull Racing

Red Bull Racing - like in 2023 - seem to be on another level - especially when it comes to race pace. In the races, Verstappen won this year (he reitred in Australia), no one from the competition could put him under serious pressure. Did Stella perhaps expect to put something closer to Red Bull at the start of the season?

"Not necessarily to Red Bull, because I think, like I've said before, Red Bull haven't developed their car very much last year," Stella admits. "So we were kind of expecting that they had cashed in some important learning through last year's season that could have been capitalised onto this year's car. So in this sense, I said before, we were happy that we consolidated, if anything, this gap to Red Bull."

The Woking-based formation have big plans for 2024. Last year Oscar Piastri already won a sprint race, this year it needs to win a Grand Prix. Piastri and Norris have 20 more races to do so. "But now we want to try and reduce it if possible. We have to acknowledge that if anything, over the winter break, Ferrari, they might have made a slightly bigger jump forward than we have done. So they consolidated themselves as a second best team. And that's definitely something that we want to try and challenge Ferrari with in the near future," Stella concluded.