Formula 1 could see “IndyCar levels of competitiveness” in the midfield this season, such is the closed nature of the grid, according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
McLaren had a difficult pre-season campaign, as it admits it missed its development targets with the MCL60, but was still able to set comparable lap times with other teams. As the sport’s latest technical regulations enter their second year and convergence begins to take place as different design directions are understood, Brown believes the battle behind the top three or four or four teams will be intense.
“Looking forward to the first race, I think!” Brown told RACER. “It’s going to be super tight. I think what we’re going to start to see is that it’s going to be like IndyCar levels of competitiveness, where one weekend you can be P7 and the next weekend you’re P17 and you’re not really that much slower. Because in IndyCar, it’s like one weekend that we are pole and the next weekend we are 16, but that’s the way the whole field is.
“I think that’s what’s exciting, if Formula 1 gets to the point where there are maybe four or five different teams that can win and the difference will be ‘one weekend they’re in front, then the next weekend another team is in front.'” front’, but they all need to catch Red Bull at this point.”
Red Bull looks to be class of the field ahead of the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and even Aston Martin based on long race pace, but Brown is confident that McLaren can work its way into the favorites over the course of the season, even if could do it. be in danger of being backwards in the early rounds.
“We are not happy with where the car is, something we have talked about publicly, there is no point in exaggerating where we think we are. But we’ve got some good development coming up, just like everyone else, but hopefully ours will be at a faster pace to catch up with us, because that midfield doesn’t look like there’s any backfield now. It’s Red Bull, a couple of cars and then a great midfield. The last three teams seem to be very fast now.
“Everyone looks on top of each other, so I don’t think there’s a clear team in 10th place like there was; Williams seems to be doing pretty well now.”