McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has admitted its 2018 Formula 1 car has less downforce than the 2017 version.

Recently, the team announced a reshuffle of its management. This culminated with the resignation of racing director Eric Boullier. The move was triggered by McLaren’s disappointing season so far.

The team dropped to sixth in the constructors’ championship after last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. They fell short of their performance levels courtesy, a downforce deficit.

“We don’t have the same level of downforce this year that we had last year,” said Brown.

“So we have identified an area in which our car this year is weaker than last year’s car.

“Did we have the best chassis last year? No, definitely not.

“Did we have probably a better chassis? I think because of all the different variables it would be hard to definitively say yes or no, but we know we have less downforce this year than last year.”

The managerial shakeup included the appointment of Gil de Ferran as sporting director. Andrea Stella became the performance director and chief operating officer Simon Roberts has technical responsibility for the car technically.

“Realistically, this is going to take some time to fix, so I think we are years away,” said Brown.

“I don’t know if that’s two or 10 or somewhere in between, probably more like somewhere in between, but I don’t want to get into predictions.

“We have to be very realistic and honest with ourselves, with our fans, to say that this is going to be a journey, so I think everyone needs to recognise that.”

“Yesterday is the start of the journey, we’re not done,” he continued.

“We’re ultimately working towards developing a faster racing team and a faster racing car, so I would not look at what we’ve announced as a finished product.

“That is the starting point.”

“We’re in a pretty big fight for fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh – all the teams are very close there,”.

“I don’t want to make predictions, that has got us into trouble in the past so I don’t want to repeat some of the mistakes we’ve made.

“What I’d like to do and what we are going to do is fight like mad to finish fourth in the championship.”