McLaren "scratching heads" to trace characteristic origin

McLaren racing director Andrea Stella believes difficult car characteristics in this season's MCL35M have been engrained over multiple seasons.

Lando Norris has excelled so far this season but both he and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo have struggled to match Ferrari through slower corners with quick changes of directions.

McLaren has suggested certain 'special characteristics' are "typical" of an F1 car and believes there has been a carryover from recent seasons.

“We have been scratching our heads like how long these characteristics they go back in time? How much have we embedded the characteristics?" Stella told media including GPFans Global.

“Because of the aerodynamic development, I speak a lot about aerodynamics but that is where the forces come from essentially and indeed, I think it goes back to some seasons before the current season.

“In a way, it is a McLaren set of characteristics in terms of how the car delivers the aerodynamic forces which is not new to this year’s car. This year’s car is a close sister of last year’s car and there is certainly a close relationship to the previous year’s car.

“In a way, it has to do with the methodology if you want which can produce quick cars."

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