PICTURED: The upgrades in the McLaren v Alpine midfield battle
Starting with McLaren, the Woking outfit have been pinning their hopes on this Baku upgrade after failing to hit their development goals over the winter break.
McLaren were very open ahead of F1 2023 with how far behind they were, with their prediction becoming a reality with no points scored in the opening two races.
Australia was positive for McLaren as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri scored big points to move the team ahead of Alpine in the constructors’ championship.
With a substantial upgrade available for this weekend in Baku, McLaren will be hoping it can turn their season around.
Their upgrade includes a new floor and a heavily modified rear wing.
Speaking during Sky Sports' F1 coverage, Ted Kravtiz gave his view on McLaren’s new parts.
“This is the car McLaren wanted to start the season with. It’s got a new front wing. The crucial thing is a new floor - a new section called ‘the throat’ to get as much air flow underneath to be worked by the floor, as possible.
“This is following the trend set by the big teams. They also have a lower downforce rear wing. That is common among all the teams - to suit the Baku conditions.
“In some races this year, McLaren had the second-slowest car. They are hoping [these upgrades] get them to the middle of the midfield.”
Fellow Sky Sports pundit Naomi Schiff was concerned that McLaren will struggle to optimise their new package given that there’s just 60 minutes of running ahead of qualifying due to it being a sprint weekend.
“It’s going to be a challenge for them,” Schiff explained. “They run these simulations back home, but they’ve only got one session to get a different car into a sweet spot. But it’s a positive place to be in.”
Alpine
Like McLaren, Alpine have been busy working on new upgrades to bridge the gap to the top four teams.
While Alpine didn’t come away from Australia with the points they deserved, they would have been encouraged with how Pierre Gasly was able to run at the front of the grid before his crash with teammate Esteban Ocon.
Team boss Otmar Szafnauer believes Alpine can challenge Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari for second with an aggressive development path.
Speaking about Alpine, Kravitz added: “A floor and a new front wing - they hope it’s enough to challenge Aston Martin at the top of the midfield.”
