Why McLaren was faster than Ferrari in 2024 F1 Chinese GP despite different expectations

24/04/2024 11:28

If we went back two weeks, Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren had fairly defined ideas about what roles they could have in Shanghai. The Maranello and Brackley teams were looking at the Chinese weekend with more positivity than Suzuka, unlike McLaren, which was more negative about the possibilities of the MCL38. However, in the end, the British car proved to be the most competitive.

Andrea Stella had not hidden a certain concern even before arriving in China because the layout of the track featured many long curves and multiple slow zones, areas where McLaren has shown some more difficulties compared to its opponents in this early part of the year.

Clearly, this was a theoretical discussion because in reality, Formula 1 arrived in Shanghai with many uncertainties, not having raced on this track for five years, making past data less productive, especially considering that it was the first time with ground-effect cars. Furthermore, there was the mystery of the track surface: no one, not even Pirelli, was aware of its conditions and it was later discovered that a light layer of bitumen had been poured without Pirelli being informed of this aspect, making grip conditions during the lap rather inconsistent.

However, at the end of the weekend, the result is clear and undisputed: among the three teams mentioned, McLaren is the one that showed the best pace in the race, somewhat surprisingly, because Ferrari itself expected to be more competitive over the long distance despite a subpar qualifying. Beyond the position gained under the Safety Car at the expense of Sergio Perez, the pace both in the first stint on the medium tires and in the second on the hards was excellent, never inferior to the Red car.

A surprising McLaren managed to climb onto the podium in the 2024 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix. The Woking team secured second place thanks to a splendid performance by Lando Norris, who managed to keep pace with Sergio Perez’s Red Bull in the latter part of the Shanghai race, leaving the Mexican behind and securing the honorable position behind the usual and unassailable Max Verstappen, who once again dominated with his RB20 car.

Yet, McLaren’s weekend had started with more pessimism than what actually happened at the 5.451-kilometre Shanghai International Circuit: the drivers admitted in the days leading up to the first and only free practice sessions that the MCL38 was not suited to the circuit’s characteristics, and considering the lack of significant updates, as McLaren will introuce its first big update in the next round, the Miami Grand Prix, everything was expected except for such a great performance.

It took less than one might think: after the Sprint Race, which ended badly due to a disastrous start alongside Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris made some adjustments to his car, making it more performant, gentle on the tires, and more stable in terms of aerodynamics. Probably aided by the rather low temperatures in Shanghai, and let’s say it, by a Ferrari having an off day, the Englishman had less difficulty than expected in delivering a remarkable performance.

McLaren: Norris on the podium thanks to a modification after the Sprint

Already from Friday, McLaren provided a respectable performance in China: Lando Norris took pole position in the wet shootout qualifying, which determines the starting grid for the Sprint Race, for clarity. Probably the short race on Saturday would have gone well too starting from the front, but the Englishman didn’t count on the vengeance of a very determined Lewis Hamilton who couldn’t wait to get ahead of everyone, even if only for about ten laps.

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The disappointment was quite palpable for Lando Norris, and perhaps some changes to his car would have facilitated him for the qualifying session, the real one, and for the Grand Prix held on Sunday morning. In fact, things went exactly like that, and McLaren was by far the second force on the track in China, much more performant than a Ferrari that, especially with the hard tires, failed to make the SF-24 work.

However, this positively surprised Lando himself, who didn’t expect such a race: the British driver thinks that the cold weather and the minor changes made to his MCL38 made the difference. Optimal tire management and excellent race pace, enough to prevent Sergio Perez from catching up for the second position. Even more than in Melbourne, where he managed to finish third but behind the Ferrari cars, the performance in the Chinese Grand Prix was the best for Lando Norris in 2024.

Looking back at the race of the British driver, one of the most important moments was the overtake on Fernando Alonso, effectively completed as soon as the Spaniard exited Sergio Perez’s DRS zone. Going back about 24 hours, Carlos Sainz had shown some signs of difficulty in overtaking the Aston Martin driver, to the extent that he had to invent a move outside of turn seven, a duel that ultimately ended negatively for both. On the contrary, during the race, Lando Norris wasted no time, overtaking the Spaniard at the first available opportunity after the latter had lost the chance to use the DRS.

A key overtake because, being able to express his pace freely, the Englishman immediately began to pull away from his rivals, creating a protective buffer of over six seconds on Charles Leclerc, which ensured great strategic freedom. Knowing that recovering those lost seconds would be difficult, Ferrari tried to play on the tactical side, switching from two stops to a single pit-stop, but McLaren was not caught off guard. When the engineers of the Woking team understood Ferrari’s plans, they immediately responded accordingly, raising the pace just enough to extend and cover the strategy of the Prancing Horse, but without showing any performance gap.

McLaren: Piastri out due to Ricciardo (because of Stroll)

However, not everything went smoothly for McLaren, as on the other side of the garage there’s immense disappointment for Oscar Piastri, eighth at the finish line also because of significant damage to his MCL38 caused by the incident between Lance Stroll and Daniel Ricciardo at the restart after the first Safety Car. The Aston Martin driver rear-ended the Australian in an incredible manner, who in turn hit Oscar Piastri from behind.

It should be noted that up to that point, the young driver’s race had been anything but impressive, but considering Ferrari’s difficulties, he might have aspired to something more, although Lando Norris achieved that performance due to his indications, and we don’t know if Oscar Piastri replicated what his more experienced teammate did.

The fact remains that the Australian’s season, up to this point, has not been exciting, except for that defense against Lewis Hamilton at the Jeddah circuit in Saudi Arabia under disadvantaged tire conditions that earned him fourth place in the end. After that, almost nothing. In short, there is work to be done both technically and mentally to come back stronger than ever starting from the next challenge, that of Miami. The talent is there, indisputably, but something is missing.

McLaren and Ferrari: subtle differences in China

It was interesting to compare the performance of McLaren with that of Ferrari. Both cars are essentially without updates, except for some routine adjustments from track to track, but nothing significant. Yet, last Sunday there was a call for mounting the first real updates of the season on the SF-24. Surely the total lack of race pace on hard tires was the crucial element of the Maranello team’s half-debacle in China.

True, we returned to Shanghai after a long time, it was cold and all the rest, but the conditions were the same for everyone, so these are arguments that hardly hold up. Rather, the problem with the red car is chronic, and last weekend it was accentuated. It is hoped that the updates will lead to an improvement in that regard, but before the Imola weekend, we will hardly have a clear picture, and at the Miami International Autodrome, it is true that the first part of these updates will arrive, but to judge them, we will necessarily have to wait for the complete package in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend, moreover without Sprint Race, something that we will find again in Florida.

For its part, the McLaren team had its best race of the 2024 Formula 1 season just yesterday, redeeming the disappointment of Suzuka, where instead everyone believed in a competitive MCL38 for the podium, then the affair of Red Bull and Ferrari at the checkered flag. The Woking team is working quickly and relentlessly to bring the first real update of the season to Miami, although Lando Norris was cautious about this aspect.

The McLaren MCL38 still struggles in low-speed corners, but the next step of the English team will not focus on this aspect, so judging the developments ready for Miami in a weekend where they should not be highlighted by the characteristics of the track, especially with only one hour of free practice available, will be difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, even regarding McLaren, every judgment could be postponed to the Imola weekend, which will clearly be crucial for many teams.

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