F1 News: Former Team Owner On McLaren - "Will Be A Big Surprise Next Year To Most People”

Former Formula 1 team owner Eddie Jordan believes that the McLaren F1 team, which concluded the year on a positive note, will make a surprising comeback next year to challenge Red Bull.

Though Jordan has been "tough against" McLaren on many instances in the past for some of the decisions it has taken, he agrees with former driver David Coulthard on how the Papaya team ascended on the performance scale this season, while having two of the best drivers on the F1 grid.

McLaren started the 2023 season with uncertainties as it had plenty of work pending on the MCL60. Though the team took one step at a time by developing the car through the season, its attempts to pitch a challenger that could help secure podiums started to materialize soon after the introduction of upgrades from the Australian Grand Prix.

Unlike a typical trial-error method, the Papaya team timed its upgrades perfectly. Rookie driver Oscar Piastri's debut season in Formula 1 was excellent as he secured two podiums and one Sprint race victory this year.

On the other hand, a more seasoned Lando Norris secured seven podiums and got the team up to a level where it could challenge Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin. Of course, he did try and challenge Red Bull's RB19, but only until Max Verstappen started to pull away rather expectedly.

By the end of the season, McLaren finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, one spot below Ferrari and one spot above Aston Martin. In conversation with Jordan, Coulthard termed the Woking outfit's successful year as a “great comeback” on the Formula For Success podcast. He said:

“McLaren, what a great season.

“It looked a bit shaky in Bahrain, but great comeback.

“Great to see Oscar show his potential against Lando.

“Lando continues to be a breath of fresh air, really owns his good performances in a modest way, and probably a bit hard on themselves when things aren’t going so well. But, great to see someone who’s so open and so honest.

“And McLaren have just, I think, been one of the breaths of fresh air this season.”

Agreeing with the "breath of fresh air" description from Coulthard, Jordan adds his view of McLaren's placement for 2024. He said:

“Beyond any doubt.

“And you know, again, there’s a team that I was tough against, some of the things that they did in the past I was critical about and I’ve made my opinion clear.

“Similarly, I will make my opinion clear about the season they’ve just had and that was exactly it, the breath of fresh air, exactly right.

“Oscar for me was sensational. For a rookie like that to come in and do what he did against somebody with the outstanding talent of Lando Norris, and we all know about how quick he is, the car has to be very nicely balanced.

“And they in my opinion, will be a big surprise next year to most people.”

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