McLaren reveals further upgrade plans for after the summer break. The title battle between the teams has this year more than ever turned into an upgrade battle between the teams, and the British team is not planning to throw in the towel. A ‘major package for Baku’ is on the schedule, says technical director Neil Houldey.
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Just like the title battle, the upgrade battle is far from over in Formula 1. Even before the summer break, teams tried to gain an advantage by introducing new upgrades as quickly as possible. For example, Ferrari brought a large upgrade package to Barcelona. Lewis Hamilton then won his first race for the Scuderia. In Hungary, it was McLaren’s turn, after which Lando Norris secured his first victory as world champion.
McLaren continues the upgrade offensive even after the return of Formula 1 in Zandvoort, says top man Neil Houldey. “At the moment, smaller upgrades are planned for the upcoming series of races, and then possibly a more significant package for Baku,” Houldey said during a Q&A session by McLaren itself.
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Switch to 2027 car
To what extent the British team will continue the offensive afterwards is still unclear. “After that, it really depends on whether we find something significant in terms of aerodynamics after the summer break,” continues the McLaren top man. “And whether we find it worthwhile to put together a package for the end of the season or fully switch to next year’s car.”
For McLaren, just like for the other teams, the challenge then awaits to find the balance between further developing the current car and developing the challenger for 2027. “I think there is a good chance that after Baku we will have upgrades that allow us to get more performance out of this car, without this affecting 2027,” says Houldey, who also immediately reveals that McLaren does not yet have a deadline for when it will switch to developing the 2027 car. “That is still open at the moment,” the top man concludes.
Read everything about the GP Netherlands in Zandvoort here
