“For Miami, we will finally have the first round of upgrades for our car,” confirmed team principal Stella in Shanghai.
The team acknowledges that it may need another year of ongoing development to challenge at the forefront of the grid, and the upgrade package set for Miami marks the initial step in that direction.
Besides enhancing performance, the upgrades are also intended to improve the car’s tire management, with a focus on reducing rear tire degradation, which has been crucial at the recent Shanghai event.
“These upgrades will also aim to address tire degradation issues, as we strive to make progress,” explained Stella.
“Considering the necessary improvements to close the gap with our competitors, we expect to implement multiple rounds of upgrades to enhance tire behavior.
Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“Continuous development is essential in this sport. We always strive for further improvements in tire management to optimize performance.
“The next upgrades will be particularly interesting from a tire perspective.
“Especially if Miami experiences high temperatures similar to what we have seen previously, as the track tends to be rear-limited due to high traction demands in low-speed corners and during acceleration.”
Norris and Piastri secured the fourth and fifth positions in the qualifying session for the upcoming Grand Prix, following their sixth and seventh-place finishes, respectively, in the 19-lap sprint.
Stella noted that Red Bull and Ferrari seem to have better strategies for preserving rear tire life, with less concern about front tire graining than anticipated.
“The rear axle overload seems to be the primary limitation on this track, which favors cars like Ferrari and Red Bull over us.”
“Interestingly, we have observed less front tire graining since the introduction of wider tires in 2017, compared to before.
