The McLaren team is looking forward to racing in Melbourne again. The British racing stable – which must defend both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles this season – travels to Australia with a good feeling about their work during the winter break, and is especially looking forward to the moment when all teams have to ‘put their cards on the table’. ‘The car we are bringing to Albert Park will largely have the same specifications as in Bahrain’, team principal Andrea Stella already reveals.
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McLaren has a drivers’ title to defend for the first time in nearly twenty years. Lando Norris became the first McLaren driver since Lewis Hamilton in 2008 to take the world title at the last Abu Dhabi GP. The Briton still doubted after the test days in Bahrain whether the MCL40 would be immediately competitive enough to compete for victories again, but team principal Andrea Stella has full confidence in the season opener in Australia.
“We are going to Melbourne with a good feeling about the successful work we have done in recent months during the tests in Barcelona and Bahrain,” the team principal says in the McLaren preview. “The car we are bringing to Albert Park will largely have the same specifications as in Bahrain, with some minor aerodynamic refinements. We continue to work on key aspects such as weight reduction and optimization of weight distribution, and unlocking further potential from the power unit.”
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‘Hard work is only just beginning’
The Australian race is the first Grand Prix where the new regulations apply. The teams are thus on the grid with completely different cars than a year ago. “This season promises to be an exciting but complex challenge,” Stella also says. “It’s great to be able to race again, that’s the reason why we are in this sport. We look forward to finally putting the cards on the table in Melbourne and seeing where we really stand as the first races unfold. Everyone at McLaren has played an important role in getting the MCL40 on track, but the hard work is only just beginning, and we embrace the task ahead of us.”
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