McLaren reveal lofty target after 'challenging' pre-season

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has set his team the target of returning to F1's top four despite a torrid pre-season test.

McLaren has gradually slid down the pecking order since finishing third in the constructors' championship in 2020.

Although the team has repeatedly pointed to the light on the horizon of near-completed infrastructure improvements, the immediate future appears bleak.

Pace shown during pre-season testing must always be taken with a pinch of salt but with various reliability concerns and Lando Norris ending the combined timesheets 13th and Oscar Piastri 19th, it is clear that McLaren has work to do.

“It’s too early to make predictions about how the grid will shape up, but we have our sights set on reclaiming a place within the best four teams over the course of the year," said Stella.

"We know it will be challenging and we have a lot of work to do but we’re optimistic about the season as a whole.”

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McLaren concede "challenges on the horizon"

McLaren covered the least distance of any team in pre-season testing with both Norris and Piastri losing track time due to reliability issues.

"We’ve got a long season ahead of us, 23 races and some challenges on the horizon," added Stella.

"But we can count on an exciting new driver line-up in Lando and Oscar, a team of hard-working and talented people, a strong partnership with HPP and the support of our commercial partners and our incredible fans.

"We feel the strength of this united team."

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