If you are Zak Brown, you may not be quite happy seeing the competitive state of your team. 24 years since they last won a constructors title, McLaren has been envying a spot at the top of the field for years now. The gambles taken with engine partners have not paid off and now they face a crucial deficit relative to other teams.

McLaren has a major infrastructure deficit to its rivals. The Woking outfit had launched an infrastructure project that included a driving simulator and a state-of-the-art wind tunnel. Though this wind tunnel, expected to be completed in 2021, has been delayed further.

As per Auto Motor und Sport, they currently use an old wind tunnel on rent from Toyota in Cologne. Certainly, they would prefer a modern aero-testing wind tunnel on their Woking premises than in Cologne. This has probably limited the team’s progress in recent years.

Even though the infrastructure project work is ongoing, the delay in supply chains globally due to the pandemic has caused a major setback. Mclaren now expects the wind tunnel and the simulator to be ready for use by mid-2023. Thus, they will develop their 2023 car (MCL37) using the current resources only.

As a result, 2023 may not bring any major step forward for the Papaya team. The 2024 car might be the first one, the team may develop using the new facilities.

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McLaren has almost been a second off the ultimate pace alongside Alpine in 2022. If they can shave some time off this deficit next season, they shall be happy.

McLaren 1998-99: When Adrian Newey contributed to bringing glory to Woking

The 1998 MP4/13 was the first McLaren car to have the magical touch of aero genius Adrian Newey. At the start of the season, McLaren was easily the top team and asserted its dominance on the field. Though steadily Ferrari caught them resulting in an amazing title battle.

Mika Hakkinen was the leading challenger for the championship, with David Coulthard supporting the Finn as his teammate. While Ferrari had Michael Schumacher, he tussled well with Hakkinen to take their fight to the finale of the season.

Eventually, McLaren and Hakkinen triumphed, taking both titles in 1998. While the 1999 season was not so straightforward as Ferrari was better placed despite Schumacher facing an accident at Silverstone. The Scuderia took the constructors that year with Eddie Irwine leading the charge.

But Hakkinen held on to defend his drivers’ title and became a double world champion for the Woking team. While Newey had joined in 1997, his influence on the development made value in the following 2 seasons.

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Coming back to the present day, McLaren will be hoping to see this comeback to fight for the titles. Though they need to be patient this time around. What do you think? When can you expect McLaren to fight for championships again?