McLaren makes major design alteration admission as the FIA technical directive expected to make an impact

McLaren boss Andrea Stella has admitted that the team would have to make changes to the design once the FIA technical directive comes into effect. The Woking-based squad is the reigning constructors champion and is embarking on what would be a very important season for the team.

The 2024 F1 season was the first title win for McLaren in the 21st century, even though the team came close quite a few times. This title was won by building the best car on the grid and having a driver lineup that tends to maximize whatever is on the table.

One of the areas that McLaren exploited in 2024 and that helped the team to gain an advantage over rivals was the flexi-wing solution that it implemented. Alongside Mercedes, the Woking-based squad introduced a wing that passed all of the FIA's load tests, but one could see with the onboard that it was flexing when the car was running.

While the FIA let the solution stay on the car in 2024, the governing body has introduced a technical directive that limits the flexing of any part of the car to a certain point. It would become active in the race in Barcelona, and plenty of teams would have to scramble to get the new solution in place.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella also admitted to Sky Sports that his team would also have to make the alterations. Trying to downplay the impact the alteration could have, Andrea Stella said:

"We don't have to make many adjustments at all for the start of the season. There will be a small adjustment required from race nine. I know it's become a big talking point, but in terms of what makes us busy and what gives us headaches, actually there are completely different topics which have much more to do with gaining those tenths of a second you refer to, that I might have made look simple."

He added:

"I don't want to look disrespectful to all the men and women at McLaren who work so hard and competently to actually make a faster car off what was already a very fast car in 2024."

McLaren boss on what the team has focussed on

The 2024 F1 season was an impressive one for McLaren. The team won multiple races and secured multiple pole positions. At the same time, it secured its first constructors championship since 1998. The car was the class of the field by the end of the season and hence there are certainly doubts over how much of an improvement the team could make with the car.

Explaining how the team has targeted making improvements on the car, Stella said:

"In terms of improving the car, in addition to downforce and aerodynamic efficiency, in reality that's by far the most important target that you have, which is what we tried to achieve with this new car, which is innovative."

He added:

"It's a car in which we tried to raise the bar in many areas, including the fundamental layout, something that definitely we evaluated carefully, because the MCL38 was already a competitive car. We needed to be conscious, considerate as to how much we wanted to innovate, but ultimately actually we went for a relatively challenging approach in terms of how much innovation is in this car."

McLaren would be hoping to retain the constructors championship in 2025 but at the same time try and secure the drivers' championship as well with either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.