F1 News: McLaren suffers 2023 development setback
McLaren must wait before seeing the benefits of its new wind tunnel, which is only expected to be operational halfway through the 2023 season.
Initially, the British squad was scheduled to complete the new wind tunnel this year as the team prepares to rebuild and reassert itself as a contender for victories in F1.
According to AMuS, this optimistic deadline has been pushed back further due to covid-related delays and interferences.
With the 2023 season ahead, McLaren's next F1 machine will not see any benefits from the new wind tunnel and simulator.
Considering the estimated completion of McLaren's new facilities, the 2024 car will be the first to be influenced by the new wind tunnel.
Even then, it will take some time before the papaya squad can fully adjust to this new equipment and maximise its potential.
Therefore, it will take at least two full seasons before McLaren can confidently lean on these new facilities to lead the team's development.
This does not mean that next season is a write-off, given that new facilities are no guarantee of speed or performance.
Red Bull's wind tunnel is one of the oldest in Formula 1, yet they consistently find themselves competing for race victories and Championships.
With that said, these delays will not be welcome news at McLaren.
More than anything else, the additional time needed to adjust and recalibrate to the new wind tunnel and simulator will frustrate the team.
F1 teams consistently mention the importance of correlating data from the factory to the track, and this process of re-learning will become slower than McLaren would have liked.
Regardless, the British team has a reasonable foundation to build upon for the remainder of these regulations, so they will be expected to push further up the midfield.
Lando Norris does not expect race victories next season but has set 2024 and 2025 as the years of judgement for McLaren.
It remains unclear whether they will pass this test.