McLaren team principal, Andrea Stella responded to Mercedes teams’ allegations regarding the resemblance between the McLaren MCL60 upgrade and the formidable bodywork of the Red Bull RB19.
After the McLaren team left Ferrari and Mercedes were astounded by securing P2 and P3 in Saturday’s British GP qualifying session. Their impressive performance in the British GP allowed Lando Norris to achieve a podium in his home race, finishing in 2nd place. His rookie teammate, Oscar Piastri finished an impressive P4, behind the 7-time world champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren cast aside Red Bull copycat suggestions
Both Lewis Hamilton and Silver Arrows team principal, Toto Wolff have previously made allegations that the side pods on both F1 cars look very similar since Lando Norris received an upgraded version of the MCL60 at the Austrian GP.
However, Stella responded to the media by stating, “Every team takes inspiration from any other team.”
“Teams are equipped to try and absorb the IP from looking at the photos from the car displays on Friday.”
“So you do take inspiration from the other cars, but taking inspiration doesn’t mean you copy the geometry, you install it in your CFD runs, in the computer simulation, or in the wind tunnel and the car lights up in terms of downforce.”
“Normally what happens is it goes down because your car is already optimized around what have done up until that point.”
In the end, Stella stated, “The key element is understanding that some concepts have more potential that allows you to develop faster and for longer. That is where you need to have the right people in the right place.”
McLaren duo experienced significant improvement in MCL60
Lando Norris’s impressive fourth-place finish at the previous race in Austria indicated that McLaren’s recent updates were paying off. Further confirmed at the British GP, where Norris secured a second-place finish and Oscar Piastri finished fourth.
Using the safety car period to their advantage, the McLaren team opted for an alternate tire strategy. While frontrunners chose soft tires, McLaren equipped both Norris and Piasti with hard compound tires which allowed both drivers to defend against their rivals.
Despite Hamilton’s constant pressure, Norris skillfully kept the Mercedes veteran at bay, crossing the finish line within four seconds of Max Verstappen.
What do you think about McLarens new upgrade? Do you think it resembles the RB19? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
