Mercedes engine fits easily, but McLaren not benefitting from small design

McLaren switches from Renault engines to a Mercedes power unit for the 2021 season. Regulation and the coronavirus have come at an unfortunate time for this changeover, but technical director James Key  believes the installation of the Mercedes engine in the McLaren chassis is going well.

"It seems to have almost picked up from where it left off," said Key about working with Mercedes to RaceFans.net . He is referring to the almost twenty years that McLaren received factory support from Mercedes and conquered three world titles during that time.

McLaren cannot benefit from smaller Mercedes power unit

The Mercedes power unit itself also fits neatly in the back of the MCL35. The adjustments that need to be made for this are not unusual. "No nasty surprises, no negative points have popped up at all. It's all been pretty normal and some pleasant surprises, actually, in some cases."

Key does not elaborate on that, but he did admit that certain regulations for next season will prevent them from taking full advantage of the smaller design of the Mercedes power unit. Indeed, the development of aerodynamics is largely frozen for 2021, so Key can't make the car more compact.