McLaren MCL38

The McLaren MCL38 is a Formula One car constructed by McLaren under the direction of Rob Marshall to compete in the 2024 Formula One World Championship.

The car is driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, for their sixth and second seasons with the team respectively. The MCL38 made its competitive début at the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix and has since proven itself to be a competitive car and a significant improvement over its already-accomplished predecessor, the MCL60. An early upgrade package improved its performance in slow-speed corners, addressing a long-standing weakness of McLaren cars. To date, the car has achieved two race victories, nine other podiums, two poles, one sprint pole, two sprint podiums, and two fastest laps.

Development context
The MCL38's predecessor, the MCL60, was initially designed by then-technical director James Key. It became apparent early in the 2023 season that the initial specification of the MCL60 was highly uncompetitive, and as a result Key left the team. Existing employees Peter Prodromou and Neil Houldey were promoted to lead the design department. Sanchez was hired from Scuderia Ferrari as part of the technical restructure, but was placed on gardening leave until the beginning of 2024. However, Sanchez left the position in April 2024, only three months into his contract.

Following Key's departure from the team, the new technical team implemented several rounds of mid-season upgrades for the MCL60 that resulted in a turnaround for the team's performance. Journalist Lawrence Barretto observed that the radical changes on the MCL60 had opened up ample development opportunities for McLaren to pursue on the MCL38.

Early development
McLaren had previously used a wind tunnel in Cologne owned by Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe and previously used by the Toyota Formula One Team. This arrangement posed a major challenge for the team, as parts had to be shipped from the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England to Germany in order to be tested. The team had invested in a wind tunnel of their own, which had been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. McLaren began development of the MCL38 in July 2023. The wind tunnel was ready for operations in August, and models began to be run in wind tunnel that same month. McLaren reported good correlation as well as cost and time savings. Team principal Andrea Stella said in September 2023 that early data was encouraging, but stressed that McLaren couldn't know how fast they were developing compared to other teams.

Of particular concern was driveability, which long-time driver Norris had observed was poor in all McLarens he had driven. Stella speculated that although the mid-season upgrades delivered to the MCL60 radically improved performance, they may have introduced undesirable handling traits which would have to be investigated during the development of the MCL38. Some of these driveability improvements were installed on the launch specification, but others will be delivered later in the season. Further, Stella said that the development would prioritise improving tyre degradation, McLaren's main weakness compared to field-leading Red Bull Racing, which would require mechanical as well as aerodynamic changes.

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said that the team wanted to start the 2024 season where it had finished the 2023 season, and stated that he was optimistic about the MCL38's development. Stella said McLaren's focus was on achieving their development goals rather than a specific result, and said that the team had not hit a point of diminishing returns and found its progress to still be linear and sustainable. Stella theorised that McLaren may still struggle to match Red Bull Racing, who dominated the 2023 season, suggesting that Red Bull's lack of upgrades in 2023 meant they had built up a substantial backlog of improvements.

According to Stella, the team set three main goals for the MCL38: improving aerodynamic efficiency, mechanical grip, and tyre performance. The car as initially presented to the public had several areas concealed. However, the MCL38 at its launch featured new front brake duct inlets, sidepod inlets, floor edge, and revised suspension layouts for the front and rear. Gary Anderson, writing for The Race, concluded that the changes visible on the launch specification car were intended to produce more controlled suspension, improving the MCL38's aerodynamic profile.

Liveries
The MCL38 featured a livery similar to the one used on the MCL36 and MCL60, dominated by papaya orange and exposed carbon fibre (which McLaren referred to as anthracite). Two changes were inspired by one-off variant liveries used on the MCL60: the increase in exposed carbon fibre which was used in the "Stealth Mode" livery, and the use of chrome elements as in the British Grand Prix livery. The livery does not include any blue, which had been a prominent feature of every full-season McLaren livery since the MCL33 which competed in.

McLaren again collaborated with sponsor Vuse to run a special livery featuring the work of a local artist, in this case a design by MILTZ for the Japanese Grand Prix.

A second special livery – in the colours of the flag of Brazil (yellow, green, and blue) – was used for the Monaco Grand Prix to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna, who won his three World Drivers' Championships with the team.

Pre-season
Stella stated that not all the new developments McLaren had planned for the MCL38 had been ready in time for the launch specification car, but would become early season upgrades.

The car first ran on track during a filming day at Silverstone Circuit in February, driven by both drivers ahead of the official pre-season test at Bahrain International Circuit. Stella said that the MCL38 performed as expected during the pre-season test, and that its most significant gain over the MCL60 was its increased rear grip.

Opening rounds
The MCL38 featured a new front wing, sidepod inlet, floor, engine cover, and beam and rear wings for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Norris qualified seventh and finished sixth, while Piastri qualified and finished eighth. Both drivers suggested they could have qualified in the top three had they set error-free laps. The result meant Norris and Piastri left the opening round in sixth and eighth respectively in the World Drivers' Championship (WDC), while McLaren was classified fourth in the World Constructors' Championship (WCC).

The car was fitted with modified rear and beam wings for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Piastri qualified fifth and finished fourth, while Norris qualified sixth and finished eighth. The drivers respectively moved up to fifth and down to eighth in the WDC, while McLaren moved up to third in the WCC.

Norris qualified fourth and Piastri sixth for the Australian Grand Prix, and were both promoted a place on the starting grid by a penalty for another driver. Norris finished third and Piastri fourth, a result which moved Norris up to sixth in the WDC.

The MCL38 featured a special livery for the Japanese Grand Prix (see ), and McLaren fitted the car with new front brake duct inlets. Norris qualified third but finished fifth. Piastri qualified sixth and finished eighth, losing places late in the race after making an error. In the WDC, Norris overtook Piastri for fifth.

McLaren expected that the car would be uncompetitive at the Chinese Grand Prix given the quantity of low-speed corners at Shanghai International Circuit, in which the MCL38 typically underperformed (see ). However, in a wet sprint qualifying session, Norris qualified on pole. Piastri, who qualified eighth for the sprint, suffered an issue with his car's transmission, which malfunctioned and shifted into neutral during his qualifying lap. In the sprint, Norris had a poor start and finished sixth, and Piastri finished seventh. For the Grand Prix, Norris and Piastri qualified fourth and fifth respectively. In a race twice interrupted by safety car periods, Norris moved up to finish second. Piastri, however, was struck by Daniel Ricciardo (who in turn had been struck by Lance Stroll), and finished eighth with significant damage to his car's diffuser.

Miami upgrade package
At the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren introduced a range of upgrades to the MCL38. This included a new front wing, new front suspension geometry and updated rear suspension, revised front and rear brake ducts and winglets, new floor, revised sidepod inlet, and a new engine cover and bodywork including a new louvre arrangement. Aside from these performance upgrades, the car also featured a circuit-specific beam wing. Brown called the upgraded MCL38 "almost a B-spec car", and McLaren expected the upgrades to improve the car's performance across all conditions. Norris's car had all of the upgrades, while Piastri's had roughly half. Piastri qualified sixth for the sprint, and Norris qualified ninth. Piastri finished the sprint in sixth, however Norris did not finish after was struck by Stroll in a first-lap incident that also involved Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. Norris and Alonso both blamed Hamilton for the incident. Norris and Piastri qualified fifth and sixth respectively for the Grand Prix. During the race, a pit stop cycle moved Norris into the lead, just as a safety car was called for a collision between two other cars. Norris pitted under the safety car and defended his lead to the end of the race, achieving his first Grand Prix win. Piastri, however, was involved in several close battles with Carlos Sainz Jr., one of which resulted in damage to Piastri's front wing which required an additional pit stop, and a penalty for Sainz. Piastri set the fastest lap of the race, but finished fourteenth and was promoted one place after a penalty for another driver. The results of the weekend meant Norris drew level on points with Sainz, and took fourth place in the WDC on the countback.

The MCL38 was fitted with circuit-specific beam and rear wings for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and Piastri's car received the remaining upgrades. Piastri qualified second and Norris third, but Piastri was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Kevin Magnussen: Piastri started fifth, and Norris second. Norris finished second and Piastri fourth.

The car featured a special livery for the Monaco Grand Prix (see ). McLaren fitted circuit-specific beam and rear wings to suit the high downforce requirements of the Circuit de Monaco. Piastri and Norris qualified second and fourth respectively, and they finished in the same positions. Norris moved up to third in the WDC.

For the Canadian Grand Prix, Norris qualified third and Piastri fourth. Norris worked his way into the lead of the race, but missed the pit entry when the first safety car was called and rejoined third. He finished second, while Piastri finished fifth after losing positions to George Russell and Hamilton in the closing stages of the race.

Mid-season European rounds
Norris qualified on pole position for the Spanish Grand Prix. Piastri qualified tenth as he failed to set a lap time in the final stage of qualifying due to a driver error, although he started ninth after a penalty for another driver. Norris lost the lead on the start but recovered to finish second and set the fastest lap, and PIastri improved to finish seventh. Following the race, Sainz said he considered the MCL38 the fastest and most consistent car, although Stella and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner believed it was evenly matched with the Red Bull Racing RB20. The result moved Norris up to second in the WDC.

The MCL38 was fitted with a new front wing and front suspension for the Austrian Grand Prix, with the intention of better balancing its performance through different corner types. Norris and Piastri qualified second and third respectively for the sprint, and they swapped positions in the sprint itself. For the Grand Prix, Norris qualified second and Piastri seventh, the latter losing his final lap time due to a track limits violation. Norris and Verstappen raced closely for the lead in the final stages of the race until a collision between the two: Norris suffered a puncture and terminal damage to his car, while Verstappen suffered a puncture and received a penalty for the incident. Piastri was a beneficiary of the incident, and improved to finish second. Despite not finishing, Norris was classified twentieth as he had completed more than 90% of the race distance. McLaren fitted a new rear wing assembly designed for a higher top speed to the car, alongside a different engine cover and cooling arrangement, for the 2024 British Grand Prix. Norris qualified third ad Piastri fifth. During the race, three significant errors were made. Firstly, McLaren did not double-stack the drivers during the first pit stop cycle. Secondly, Norris overshot the pit mark during his second stop, causing delays, and thirdly, McLaren chose to fit his car with soft tyres rather than the better-performing mediums. Norris finished third and Piastri fourth, with the latter moving up to fifth in the WDC.

The car remained at the Silverstone Circuit after the race to test tyre prototypes for sole supplier Pirelli. Mick Schumacher, one of McLaren's reserve drivers, completed 53 laps on the first day, while Norris completed 95 on the second. Both days of the test were held in wet conditions.

Norris qualified on pole and Piastri second for the Hungarian Grand Prix, McLaren's first front-row lock-out since. Piastri had a better start than Norris and moved into first place, but lost the position during the second round of pit stops. Norris was instructed to return the position to Piastri, but instead created a substantial gap of six seconds to Piastri, before eventually slowing and returning the position. Piastri and Norris finishing first and second was McLaren's first 1–2 finish since, and meant the team overtook Ferrari for second in the WCC.

Assessment and characteristics
In the car's early races it exhibited strong performance in medium- and high-speed corners and proved a significant improvement over the early-season MCL60. However, it also displayed a lack of top speed, an inefficient drag reduction system, and poor performance in longer corners. Compared to its nearest competitor – Ferrari's SF-24 – the MCL38 lacked race pace largely due to the SF-24's superior tyre management, but excelled over a qualifying lap. Despite these flaws, the MCL38 proved to be the overall third-fastest car early in the season.

Performance in slow-speed corners improved with the implementation of the Miami upgrade package, to the extent that the team needed to investigate why the package had been so much more successful than expected. McLaren had intended for the upgrade to increase downforce across all conditions and the upgrade did achieve the increase modelled by the factory, but it had not expected it to lead to such a noticeable gain in an area that had been a weakness for recent McLaren cars. Although Stella said the improvement was down to technical changes, he speculated at least some could be attributed to the drivers having greater confidence in the car, calling the improvement in handling an "intangible benefit" that couldn't be modelled in factory simulations.

Commentators have generally agreed the MCL38 has not achieved its best possible results, arguing that a range of strategic errors by McLaren, as well as mistakes by its two drivers, hindered its performance. After the British Grand Prix (the twelfth race of the season) Alex Kalinauckas of Motorsport.com, the editors of The Race, Luke Slater of The Telegraph, and Nigel Chiu of Sky Sports F1 all wrote that McLaren could have won an additional five races with the MCL38 had these errors not been made, and that Norris and McLaren could have been serious contenders for the World Championships.

Haas adopted the MCL38's distinctive sidepod inlet design on their VF-24.

Complete Formula One results
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