Unveiling McLaren's concealed competition details

McLaren Takes the Lead in Formula One Practice Sessions

In the recent Formula One practice sessions, McLaren has shown a notable advantage over its competitors, particularly in high-speed corners. One of the key factors contributing to McLaren's success is its improved tire management.

Unlike other teams, McLaren's cars are less susceptible to bouncing and sliding, which spares the tires more. This is thanks to a clever design in the brake ducts that ensures better temperature control in the tires. This advantage was clearly evident in turns 9 and 10, where McLaren managed to keep its tires in their comfort zone, profiting in the two problem corners.

Red Bull, Aston Martin, and even Ferrari have noticed McLaren's dominance in these sections. Red Bull's team principal, Helmut Marko, believes Red Bull is capable of causing some disruption for the McLarens in the race. However, Red Bull seems to have sacrificed some downforce with Verstappen's setup, which could be a potential disadvantage in the high-speed corners.

Mercedes, on the other hand, lost some time in turns 7, 8, and 9 but was faster than McLaren in turn 10. Mercedes has since implemented specific measures to enhance car stability and cornering speed in these fast turns, focusing on aerodynamic and suspension adjustments tailored to these curves.

Ferrari, too, has been working on improving their tire performance in fast corners. Ferrari's drivers had to get used to a completely new setup in qualifying, but the team has taken measures to better protect the tires in these sections, reducing their delta in critical corners from six to three tenths.

Despite these efforts, Ferrari still suffered six tenths in turns 9 and 10 due to bouncing and sliding in fast corners. This is a concern for Ferrari, as they hope that in the race, the tires won't suffer as much in turns 7 and 8, which will help in turns 9 and 10.

Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, was as fast as the McLarens in turns 9 and 10, and even slightly better in sector 2. George Russell, driving for Mercedes, has the flexibility to choose where to leave his time in the race, either in the first sector or in the final section.

The competition is reacting differently to McLaren's dominance, and it will be interesting to see how the race unfolds as teams continue to adjust their strategies to challenge McLaren's lead.