McLaren to keep their “head down” going into 2020 season

McLaren CEO Zak Brown says that they will need to keep their “head down” for the 2020 Formula 1 season as they look “incrementally improve” to close the gap to Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing.

McLaren recorded one of the best years in F1 of recent times in 2019 as Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris helped them finish P4 in the constructors championship, up two places from 2018.
 
The regulation changes between 2019 and 2020 have little change with Brown hoping they can gain more ground than they did during the previous season to the top three teams by continuing to improve.

“So, a lot’s going to be happening in 2020 and 2021,” Brown said.

“Let me start with 2020. The rules don’t change a lot, so I our goal has to be to continue to incrementally improve. Keep our head down.

“We’ve still got a lot to work on. We started last season more than 1.5 seconds off pole in and towards the end of the year it was as low as eight-tenths.

“That’s still a big gap we need to close.”

But for 2021 McLaren will be returning to the use of Mercedes engines alongside the big changes in regulations for closer racing.

The Woking based team had a difficult period with Honda as engine suppliers from 2014-2017, prompting a switch to Renault up until 2021.

“And then, come 2021, it’s going to be the biggest reset in the recent history of Formula 1, and I think that’s going to be exciting,” he added.

“Not only for us, I think it’s going to be exciting for everyone who follows the sport.

“Again, with the budget cap coming in, that will help, but that’s not really going to settle in until 2022 and 2023.

“So, while we’re on forward progress up the field, it’s going to get harder the nearer we get to the front but all the men and women at McLaren are up for it.