The McLaren MCL35 is a
Formula One car
A Formula One car (also known as an F1 car) is a single-seat, open-cockpit, open-wheel formula racing car with substantial front and rear wings, and an engine positioned behind the driver, intended to be used in competition at Formul ...
that was designed under the direction of
James Key and constructed by
McLaren to compete in the
Formula One World Championship
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
. The car was originally intended to compete in the season only, but as the championship was
heavily disrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the lifespan of all 2020 cars
was extended into . McLaren produced an upgraded version of the car, the McLaren MCL35M, for the championship as the team returned to using
Mercedes engines. Both variants of the car were considered competitive and the team's results improved considerably during the two seasons it was used in, with McLaren regularly the third-fastest team and significantly closer to the leading teams than had been the case since the
turbo-hybrid era began in .
The MCL35 represented a substantial development over its predecessor, the
MCL34, featuring a new design that increased aerodynamic efficiency and was better optimized for
Renault engines
Engines used by French automaker Renault SA have historically been referenced in technical specifications along two distinct systems:
* a purely numeric system used from the origins of the company until the mid-1980s
* an alphanumeric system in ...
. The MCL35 made its début at the
2020 Austrian Grand Prix
The 2020 Austrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Großer Preis von Österreich 2020) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 5 July 2020 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. The race was the opening round of th ...
after the start of the season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was driven by
Carlos Sainz Jr. and
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Form ...
. McLaren finished in third place in the World Constructors' Championship for the first time since and achieved podiums at the
Austrian
Austrian may refer to:
* Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent
** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law
* Austrian German dialect
* Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...
and
Italian Grands Prix, while also claiming three fastest laps and setting a track record at the
Red Bull Ring.
In 2021, the MCL35M was driven by Norris and
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Joseph Ricciardo ( "Ricardo", ; born 1 July 1989) is an Italian-Australian racing driver who last raced in Formula One driving for McLaren, under the Australian flag. He made his debut at the 2011 British Grand Prix with the HR ...
. The updated car made its competitive début at the first race of the season, the
2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, and set two fastest laps, one pole position, and scored five podiums in total. The car took McLaren's first win since 2012 and first one-two finish since at the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
. McLaren finished fourth in the Constructors' Championship, losing third place to Ferrari.
Competition and development history of the MCL35
Original design and development
James Key was recruited from
Scuderia Toro Rosso
Scuderia Toro Rosso (; literal translation of "Red Bull Racing Team"), commonly known as Toro Rosso or by its abbreviation STR, was an Italian Formula One racing team. It was one of two Formula One teams owned by Austrian beverage company Re ...
in 2019 to replace the outgoing
Tim Goss, and was the MCL35's lead designer.
In October 2019 team principal
Andreas Seidl stated very little of the
MCL34 would be carried over to the MCL35, with the aim of reducing the overall pace deficit to the leading teams which at that point was still over a second.
Lando Norris
Lando Norris (born 13 November 1999) is a Belgian-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One with McLaren, racing under the British flag. He won the MSA Formula championship in 2015, and the Toyota Racing Series, Eurocup Form ...
stated that one of the team's major areas of focus was to improve the MCL35's cornering capability.
Compared to the MCL34, the MCL35 design had a greater emphasis on the outwash effect – moving air around the tyre rather than over it – and a higher rear rake.
The front wing also had increased outboard loading in order to maximize downforce.
The MCL35 featured a thinner nose and a more complex
bargeboard
Bargeboard (probably from Medieval Latin ''bargus'', or ''barcus'', a scaffold, and not from the now obsolete synonym "vergeboard") or rake fascia is a board fastened to each projecting gable of a roof to give it strength and protection, and to ...
,
with more space between the front axle and the sidepods to better meet the cooling requirements of the Renault engine.
The car utilized a much slimmer sidepod profile,
with re-designed brake ducts to increase cooling ability over its predecessor.
Key explained that the suspension geometry of the MCL35 had been redesigned to incorporate developments the team had not been able to implement on the MCL34,
which included the repositioning of both the upper and lower wishbone elements to influence airflow over the bargeboards and floor.
The success of both the MCL35 and the MCL35M have been in part credited to a change in design process from their predecessors, which emphasised the car as a whole and its performance relative to its competitors rather than the performance of individual components.
Livery
The MCL35 and its livery were originally unveiled in February 2020, featuring the McLaren corporate colour of papaya and blue. Prior to the first race of the season in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, McLaren revealed the addition of a rainbow graphic on the sidepod and
halo
Halo, halos or haloes usually refer to:
* Halo (optical phenomenon)
* Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head
HALO, halo, halos or haloes may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Video games
* ''Halo'' (franch ...
in recognition of Formula One's ''#WeRaceAsOne'' campaign.
The changes were interpreted by some as representing the
LGBT+ rainbow flag, but McLaren stated the rainbow represented their support for diversity in general and provided recognition for essential workers rather than for any specific cause.
In contrast to the MCL34 and its glossy paintwork, the MCL35 was the first McLaren car to be
wrapped with vinyl rather than painted,
featuring a matte finish and greater use of black in order to lower the weight of the car and reduce the time required to prepare bodywork.
Engine supplier change and preparation for the MCL35M
Aside from minor upgrades, 2020-specification cars were meant to be kept largely unchanged for the 2021 season in order to limit the financial strain on teams that would be incurred by developing a new car under the already fragile financial conditions imposed by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. Since McLaren had already signed a contract to use Mercedes engines in 2021, they received special permission – subject to
FIA
FIA is the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (English: International Automobile Federation), the world's governing body for all forms of motor sport where four or more wheels are used.
Fia or FIA may also refer to: People
* Fia Backs ...
inspection – to modify their chassis to accommodate the new engine. This requirement led directly to Formula One's adoption of a token-based system for 2021 vehicle development. Despite switching engines, McLaren did not switch gearboxes and continued to design and manufacture their own.
Key stated in November 2020 that the planning for the switch had gone smoothly, with the MCL35M to feature "a couple of changes to architecture
ade
Ade, Adé, or ADE may refer to:
Aeronautics
*Ada Air's ICAO code
* Aden International Airport's IATA code
*Aeronautical Development Establishment, a laboratory of the DRDO in India
Medical
* Adverse Drug Event
*Antibody-dependent enhancement
* A ...
necessary by the shape of the engine compared to this year's. But it's not fundamentally different." However, Key also stated that the aerodynamic potential of the car could not be maximized due to the FIA's token system,
leading McLaren to implement most chassis upgrades and some aerodynamic changes before the switch in the 2020 season.
In a post-season statement, Key said that knowing the team would be restricted for development in 2021 "changed our approach when it came to developments this
020
020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...
season."
2020 season
Pre-season
Prior to the beginning of the 2020 season, the team publicly established their aim to defend their status as 'best of the rest' – fourth place in the Constructors' Championship behind the then-leading trio of
Mercedes,
Ferrari and
Red Bull – and close the gap to those respective teams.
In
pre-season testing however,
Racing Point
Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...
, whose
car strongly resembled the
2019 Mercedes car, was very quick compared to the other midfield teams and caused McLaren to be less than optimistic about their chances to secure fourth place. Despite this, Sainz said that he was "shocked in a good way" by the MCL35's performance compared to its predecessor, and the team said they were happy with the car's pace. Key would later say that "we didn't really show our pace in winter testing."
After McLaren's withdrawal from the
Australian Grand Prix and the race's subsequent cancellation,
the season was
heavily disrupted by the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
and the calendar was reorganized which delayed the car's début for several months. Prior the opening round,
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufacture ...
stated that they would not provide any upgrades to the E-Tech 20 engine. Therefore, the MCL35 used the same specification engine for the entire 2020 season.
Opening rounds and double-header events
McLaren used a new floor, diffuser, and brake ducts at the
Austrian Grand Prix as well as a tweaked front wing.
Sainz qualified eighth, while Norris qualified fourth and was promoted to third after a penalty was given to
Lewis Hamilton
Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Mercedes. In Formula One, Hamilton has won a joint-record seven World Drivers' Championship titles (tied with Mic ...
, achieving McLaren's best grid start since the
2016 Austrian Grand Prix. After Norris lost positions in the opening laps to Hamilton and
Alex Albon
Alexander Albon Ansusinha ( th, อเล็กซานเดอร์ อัลบอน อังศุสิงห์; , , born 23 March 1996) is a Thai-British racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Williams Racing, under th ...
, both McLarens ran comfortably in the top ten for the remainder of the race. In the closing laps, Hamilton collided with Albon and was given a five-second penalty. On the final lap, Norris (then in fifth) overtook
Sergio Pérez and set his first fastest lap to finish within five seconds of Hamilton, achieving his first Formula One podium. Sainz finished fifth after also overtaking Pérez. This was McLaren's second podium in three races after the
2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2019) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 17 November 2019 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. The race was the twe ...
, in contrast to their previous gap of 118 races. The result placed McLaren second in the World Constructors' Championship (WCC) behind
Mercedes, with Norris third and Sainz fifth in the World Drivers' Championship (WDC). In an article on strategy calls published in 2021, the team said the result was possible because of the "flawless" double-stacked pit stop allowing Norris to be in position to capitalize on Hamilton's penalty.
McLaren used a new chin spoiler design during the
Styrian Grand Prix.
Sainz qualified third, the best outright qualifying position for McLaren since . Norris qualified sixth but was demoted to ninth due to a penalty from practice. Norris finished fifth after overtaking both
Racing Point
Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...
drivers on the final lap, while Sainz finished ninth and set the fastest lap and a
new track record in the process, a record which still stands
2022 Austrian Grand Prix
The 2022 Austrian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Großer Preis von Österreich 2022) was a Formula One motor race held on 10 July 2022 at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. It was the second Grand Prix weekend of the ...
. Sainz fell to seventh in the WDC.
McLaren used a new engine cover and T-wing design during the
Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...
. Norris qualified eighth and Sainz ninth. Both drivers lost positions changing tyres on lap four, being held up by traffic in the pit lane. Norris fnished thirteenth. Sainz finished tenth and was promoted to ninth after
Haas driver
Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Jan Magnussen (born 5 October 1992) is a Danish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Haas F1 Team.
He is the son of four-time Le Mans winner and former Formula One driver Jan Magnussen. Kevin Magnussen came up through Mc ...
received a penalty. Norris fell to fourth and Sainz to ninth in the WDC, while the team was overtaken by
Red Bull in the WCC.
At the
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
, McLaren removed the T-wing and reverted their engine cover design to the pre-Hungarian version, while using a new front wing, rear wing, and floor design. Norris and Sainz qualified fifth and seventh respectively, and by the closing laps ran seventh and fourth before a puncture for Sainz dropped him to fourteenth. He was promoted to thirteenth after
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
driver
Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and rac ...
was penalized, while Norris finished fifth. Sainz fell to tenth in the WDC.
The following week at the
70th Anniversary Grand Prix
The 70th Anniversary Grand Prix (officially known as the Emirates Formula 1 70th Anniversary Grand Prix 2020) was a one-off Formula One motor race held on 9 August 2020 at the Silverstone Circuit in Silverstone, United Kingdom
The Unite ...
, Norris qualified tenth and Sainz thirteenth, the latter being the first time a McLaren had failed to reach the final part of qualifying (Q3) in 2020. Sainz later said that the team had discovered an overheating issue in third practice, and in order to be able to complete the race the car had to undergo bodywork changes that compromised his qualifying pace. During the race, Sainz's pitstop was compromised by a wheel gun malfunction. Both drivers referenced tyre management as their main challenge, and Norris and Sainz finished ninth and thirteenth respectively. McLaren was overtaken by two points by
Ferrari in the WCC and left the round in fourth place. Norris fell to fifth in the WDC and Sainz fell to eleventh.
Remaining European rounds
At the
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...
, Sainz's MCL35 continued to have cooling problems and he was given a new chassis. When this failed to solve the problem, the power unit on his car was replaced; McLaren later stated the issue was unrelated to the chassis.
This was the first power unit change for an MCL35 and successfully fixed the issue. Sainz and Norris qualified seventh and eighth respectively, but were concerned about the impact of high temperatures during the race.
Despite this, Sainz finished sixth and Norris tenth, meaning they respectively improved to ninth and fell to seventh in the WDC. Having scored 62 points already in the WCC, the team matched their
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
total in six races.
McLaren installed a new rear wing and rear brake duct at the
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of ...
, as well as a new bargeboard. During practice, the team tested a new floor and diffuser compliant with regulations.
After qualifying, Sainz, who had qualified seventh, expressed concern at the possibility of a wet race, saying that the car was set up for lower downforce and that McLaren would be "in trouble" should it rain during the Grand Prix. He did not start because his Renault power unit had failed and destroyed the right exhaust bank before the race, resulting in the first non-finish for McLaren in 2020.
Norris, who had qualified tenth, climbed three places to finish seventh. He improved to sixth in the WDC, and Sainz again fell to eleventh. McLaren recovered third place from
Racing Point
Racing Point F1 Team, which competed as BWT Racing Point F1 Team and commonly known as Racing Point, was a British motor racing team and constructor that Racing Point UK entered into the Formula One World Championship. The team was based in ...
in the WCC.
The MCL35 was equipped with low downforce front and rear wings for the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
. Norris missed the majority of the second practice session due to a sensor issue. The Italian Grand Prix was also the beginning of an FIA ban on qualifying engine modes. Sainz qualified third and Norris sixth. Both drivers overtook others on the first lap to end the first lap second and third respectively, and held position until the first safety car of the race.
After
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...
and
red flags caused by incidents for Magnussen and Leclerc, Sainz restarted the race seventh and Norris eighth. Norris finished fourth while Sainz attempted to catch race leader
Pierre Gasly
Pierre Gasly (; born 7 February 1996) is a French racing driver, currently competing in Formula One under the French flag, racing for Scuderia AlphaTauri. He is the 2016 GP2 Series champion, and the runner-up in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 ...
, reducing the gap to 0.415 seconds by the final lap. This was Sainz's second career podium and McLaren's second podium of the season. Seidl stated that McLaren had been the second-quickest team behind
Mercedes and that the team would have finished second and third had the race been less chaotic.
Sainz credited the red flag for his second place, saying that without the tyre change advantage it gave to those ahead of him after the safety car he would have been able to claim first.
AlphaTauri team principal
Franz Tost later said that Gasly's advantage through the second sector which allowed him to hold off Sainz was down to the AlphaTauri team's decision to run a higher downforce on their
AT01. Norris also claimed that the red flag and the advantage it gave to Stroll was the reason he could not reclaim third place. The race resulted in McLaren's best finish since , and increased their lead for third place in the WCC, while Norris took fifth and Sainz ninth in the WDC. In an article on strategy published in 2021, McLaren said the team "could have won
..had we not pitted under the Safety Car and instead changed tyres when the race was brought to temporary halt by a red flag" but Director of Sporting and Strategy Randy Singh said the team "made the right call" at the time.
![Lando Norris 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix - race day](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Lando_Norris_2020_Tuscan_Grand_Prix_-_race_day.jpg)
During the first practice session of the
Tuscan Grand Prix
The 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Pirelli Gran Premio della Toscana Ferrari 1000 2020) was a Formula One motor race held on 13 September 2020 at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello in Scarperia e San Piero, Tusc ...
, McLaren tested a new nose intended to be raced later in the season for it to be applied to the 2021 chassis. After the second practice session, Sainz commented that the car lacked rear stability, but its "performance can improve considerably" with the right changes. He qualified ninth and Norris eleventh, the first time in 2020 the latter had not made it to Q3. Both drivers said that the MCL35 was highly sensitive to wind, particularly tailwinds, but were happy with the performance of the car compared to the practice sessions. During the race, Stroll collided with Sainz on the opening lap causing him to spin.
Sainz was then hit by
Sebastian Vettel who could not take evasive action, but unlike Vettel, Sainz's car was undamaged. After the safety car restart Sainz was involved in an
accordion effect
In physics, the accordion effect, also known as the slinky effect, concertina effect, elastic band effect, and string instability, occurs when fluctuations in the motion of a travelling body causes disruptions in the flow of elements following it. ...
crash with
Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Maria Giovinazzi (; born 14 December 1993) is an Italian racing driver who currently serves as the reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari, Haas and Alfa Romeo Racing. He was the 2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship runner-up and rac ...
's
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." "A ...
, the
Williams of
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Daniel Latifi (born 29 June 1995) is a Canadian racing driver who last raced for Williams Racing under the Canadian flag in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. Latifi made his Formula One debut at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix a ...
, and Magnussen which triggered the first red flag of the race.
Sainz became the first McLaren race retirement of the 2020 season; Norris finished the race sixth and took fourth in the WDC as his teammate fell to eleventh. At the conclusion of this race McLaren had scored in excess of 100 points in nine Grands Prix, much quicker than the 16 races it took in 2019. After the race Piers Thynne, McLaren's production director, stated that the team had "lost significant parts" in the race.
At the
Russian Grand Prix
The Russian Grand Prix (russian: Гран-при России, Gran-pri Rossii) was an annual motor racing event held at Sochi Autodrom – a permanent circuit built around the Olympic Park in Sochi – as part of the Formula One World Champion ...
, McLaren ran the MCL35 with a new front wing, and continued to test the new nose design introduced at the previous race. Sainz returned to the chassis he had used up until the Spanish Grand Prix after the restart incident at the Tuscan Grand Prix.
He and Norris qualified sixth and eighth respectively. When questioned about his drop from third in practice three to sixth in qualifying, Sainz explained that the team had again had issues with the MCL35's wind sensitivity. Seidl also stated that the new nose was "not a step forward really" but that the team was "quite restricted at the moment, with the number of parts" after the incident at the previous race and an accident Sainz had in practice; the new nose would form part of a future upgrade package introduced at the following race.
Both McLarens had poor starts from the dirty side of the grid. At turn two, Sainz ran off the track and "misjudged
isentry speed around the bollard" trying to re-join the track, colliding with the wall and retiring from the race. Norris was forced to run over debris from Sainz's car, causing a steering issue that compromised his performance for the rest of the race. Norris pitted during the safety car period, but his hard tyres did not last the entire race distance as hoped; forcing him to pit again and dropping him out of the points. McLaren stated this was done since Norris was already likely to drop out of the points on the ageing tyres, and was thus intended to take the fastest lap point away from other teams.
This was McLaren's first pointless race since the
2019 Mexican Grand Prix, ending a 12 race point-scoring streak and was the team's only pointless race in 2020.
McLaren announced ahead of the
Eifel Grand Prix
The Eifel (; lb, Äifel, ) is a low mountain range in western Germany and eastern Belgium. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Community of ...
that the rest of the aerodynamic upgrade would be installed on the car at that race.
It was later clarified only Sainz would run the new package,
a decision made because the cancellation of practice one and two limited opportunities to compare the old and new packages.
Norris qualified eighth and Sainz, who said he was unhappy with the upgrade package, tenth. McLaren credited Sainz's difficulties to the cancellation of the first two practice sessions, saying the package had not been properly set up for the track.
Despite installing a new power unit overnight, Norris ran in third place before an issue arose with his Renault power unit and dropped several positions until he was forced to retire, triggering a safety car. Sainz finished fifth. McLaren lost third in the WCC to Racing Point, and Norris fell to sixth in the WDC.
The team continued to develop the new aerodynamics package at the
Portuguese Grand Prix
The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...
. The team opted to run the MCL35 with the new nose box, delaying the rest of the package to future races. Despite further issues with wind sensitivity in qualifying, Sainz qualified seventh and Norris eighth. Both McLarens gained places on the opening lap, with Sainz taking the lead from laps two through to five and Norris moving up to fourth. This early advantage was partially attributed to the speed at which the MCL35 brought the soft tyres into the operating window. However, both McLarens began to lose positions as the medium tyre came into its operating window and the drag reduction system was enabled. Stroll attempted to overtake Norris in to turn one, but turned in on him on the apex of the corner, causing damage to both cars and dropping Norris to second-last after pitting. Sainz struggled with tyre graining but finished sixth, with Norris finishing thirteenth. Sainz improved to tenth and Norris fell to seventh in the WDC.
Norris and Sainz qualified ninth and tenth respectively at the
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ( it, ) is a Formula One motor racing event held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, often referred to as "Imola" after the town where it is located. The event takes the name "Emilia Romagna" fr ...
. Sainz finished seventh and Norris eighth, with Sainz saying the evasive action required after Albon spun in front of him prevented him from attacking during the final laps. McLaren drew level with Racing Point in the WCC, but both were overtaken by Renault. Sainz improved to eighth in the WDC. Seidl said that the team's race was limited by their qualifying position, while Norris said that the team still had competitive pace but were on a run of bad luck.
Closing rounds
Several components on the MCL35 were redesigned to account for the high-load nature of the
Turkish Grand Prix. Sainz suffered an issue with his power unit's electronics in the first practice session, triggering a virtual safety car and causing him to miss most of the session. Norris and Sainz originally qualified eleventh and thirteenth respectively. However, Norris was given a five-place grid penalty for breaking yellow flag conditions, with stewards stating "Car 4 was not attempting to set a quick lap time, due to the changing track conditions he nevertheless did so and thereby breached the referenced regulations."
Sainz was given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Pérez, which Sainz said was due to the weather conditions. Recovering to fifth in the race, he took seventh in the championship from his teammate who finished eighth and set the fastest lap of the race. The result meant that the team exceeded their 2019 total of 145 points over 21 races, having scored 149 points in 14 races.
McLaren spent a portion of practice at the
Bahrain Grand Prix continuing tests with their 2021 floor and diffuser.
Norris stated he was lacking confidence with the car, saying "I didn't feel the most confident throughout today
..Just because it's quite tricky with the wind, even though it's not very windy." During the second part of qualifying (Q2), Sainz's rear axle locked as his rear brakes failed, ending his qualifying session early and limiting his choice of tyre compounds for the race. Norris qualified ninth and Sainz fifteenth. Norris finished fourth in the race and Sainz fifth, allowing the Norris to reclaim seventh in the WDC from his teammate. The result combined with the retirement of both Racing Point cars meant McLaren re-took third in the WCC by 17 points.
Sainz predicted ahead of the
Sakhir Grand Prix
Sakhir ( ) is a desert area located in the Southern Governorate of Bahrain, near Zallaq. It contains the Al-Sakhir Palace, built in 1870.
Camping in Sakhir during the winter months is a popular activity in the country.
Notable sites
In the early ...
that choosing the correct setup – particularly downforce levels – would be challenging because of the circuit's lengthy straights. McLaren ultimately ran the MCL35 with a lower downforce aerodynamics kit, featuring a "spoon-shaped" rear wing. During the second practice session, Sainz experienced an issue with his gearbox that interrupted his running. Norris damaged the floor of his MCL35 on a kerb and then experienced power issues. Both drivers expressed surprise at their apparent loss of pace from the previous week. Sainz qualified eighth, which he said was "the maximum our car could do", while Norris qualified fifteenth which he attributed to poor out-lap timing and an error. Norris was required to start nineteenth after replacing his internal combustion engine and turbocharger, exceeding his component limits. In the race, Sainz had a good start and was in third by the end of the first lap, and briefly challenged
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Viktor Bottas (; born 28 August 1989) is a Finnish racing driver currently competing in Formula One for Alfa Romeo, having previously driven for Mercedes from to and Williams from to . Bottas has scored race wins and podiums. H ...
of Mercedes for second place. However, shortly after Sainz's second pitstop, a safety car gave rivals who passed him after his pitstop a tyre advantage. At the restart, Sainz overtook Bottas to take fourth place.
Norris recovered to finish tenth after being passed by
George Russell's Mercedes on the last lap, and said that he lacked the pace to challenge for higher positions,
which he attributed to the MCL35's struggle with dirty air. McLaren dropped to fourth in the WCC after Racing Point finished first and third, while Sainz took seventh and Albon overtook Norris for eighth in the WDC.
Norris qualified fourth and Sainz sixth for the
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ( ar, سباق جائزة أبوظبي الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The first race took place on 1 November ...
. Norris said he was surprised by the small difference between himself and polesitter Verstappen, which was only 0.251 seconds, calling it his best lap of the year. Norris finished fifth and Sainz sixth, scoring enough points to take third place in the WCC, McLaren's best finish since the season. Sainz took sixth in the WDC, while Norris finished the season ninth. The team later called the race "quite possibly our smoothest" of the year in terms of strategy.
McLaren did not participate in the post-season young drivers' test, making the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the final outing for the MCL35.
Assessment and characteristics
Although taking third in the WCC, the MCL35 was rarely the third fastest car on pure pace and was usually outperformed by the
Racing Point RP20 and often the
Renault R.S.20.
Lawrence Barretto summarised the car as "lack
ngdownforce, lack
nglow speed balance and
ota fan of a tailwind", but also said that "the overall package was better, with a key strength lying in the high-speed corners", and pointed to Sainz's opening lap performance in Portugal as evidence of the MCL35's capability in cold conditions.
McLaren later labelled the car's wind sensitivity "the MCL35's
Achilles' heel." Overall, the majority of McLaren's retirements in 2020 where not due to the chassis or driver error; usually retirements were due to incidents caused by other drivers or issues with the Renault E-Tech 20 engine.
Journalist
David Tremayne
David John Tremayne is a UK-based motor racing journalist. He has written extensively about the Land Speed Record.
He was the Formula One correspondent for ''The Independent''.
He is one of the founding partners of '' GrandPrix+'', the sport ...
described the MCL35 as "a consistent points scorer", a characteristic that enabled McLaren to remain competitive in seeking third place in the Constructors' Championship. Barretto made a similar assessment, saying that the MCL35 allowed its drivers "to get the very best out of it more consistently – something Renault or Racing Point could not replicate."
In a reflection on the 2020 season, McLaren Sporting Director
Andrea Stella said that the car's performance early in the season allowed the team to be "very competitive and at the front of the midfield" but this advantage was not retained over the second half of the season. Key said "Certain tracks and conditions, particularly in the latter part of the season, have not played to our strengths."
Comparing the MCL35 to the MCL34, Key said the team had been "only around 50% successful in addressing the
CL34'sweak spots" but "there's nothing fundamental about the car that is preventing us doing that
mproving the car It's predominantly aero-related, with some set-up aspects."
Competition and development history of the MCL35M
Development from the MCL35 to the MCL35M
Due to the restrictions imposed by the FIA's token system for 2021 development, most of the aerodynamic changes for the MCL35M were introduced in the 2020 season. McLaren "substantially re-engineer
dsome areas" of the MCL35 to adapt to 2021 regulations that reduce the overall downforce of the car, while the switch to the Mercedes power unit necessitated the redesign of hydraulics,
cooling, electronics,
pipework for air and fluids, and control boxes.
These changes were driven by the different layout of the M12 over the , since the Mercedes engine's
turbine
A turbine ( or ) (from the Greek , ''tyrbē'', or Latin ''turbo'', meaning vortex) is a rotary mechanical device that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work. The work produced by a turbine can be used for generating ...
and
compressor are in different locations: the E-Tech 20 had both the turbine and compressor at the rear of the engine, while the M12 places the compressor at the front and turbine at the rear to allow for a larger and more efficient power unit. The MCL35M also saw the introduction of a new gearbox,
which McLaren continued to develop independently.
This new gearbox necessitated the extension of the car's
wheelbase
In both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front ...
.
Key described the MCL35M as "akin to a new car".
Key identified two target areas for improvement with the MCL35M: low-speed cornering performance and wind sensitivity, two areas in which the MCL35 struggled. Production Director Piers Thynne said that "The number of new parts on the MCL35M is about the same as when we built the MCL35," meaning "essentially, we've been building a new car." However, gearbox internals were not changed, nor were some suspension components as these were allowed to be carried over from 2020 outside of the 2021 budget cap.
The rear end of the chassis and the gearbox housing were changed significantly, hence McLaren was the only team required to
re-homologate their chassis due to the changes in car architecture.
The MCL35M passed FIA crash tests in December 2020. The air intake of the MCL35M was significantly changed from the MCL35's, becoming a more conventional design similar to that seen on the Mercedes vehicles. The sidepods also adopted a more sloping design in order to dump air onto the floor and into the diffuser to create more downforce and counter the effects of the
2021 technical regulations which were intended to reduce downforce.
The MCL35M's diffuser was a point of discussion during pre-season testing, since the car appeared to have diffuser strakes significantly longer than permitted under the 2021 rules. By attaching the inboard strakes to the floor of the car, the team could effectively run a larger diffuser. Key said he was surprised no other team had implemented the workaround, but characterized it as part of a larger aerodynamic concept and did not expect it to be copied or a continuing point of controversy. In a review of 2021 development, journalists and technical analysts
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football coach and former player who is the manager of Bradford City.
During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, an ...
and Giorgio Piola called McLaren's diffuser the "most original" innovation of the season.
Liveries
McLaren elected not to include any Mercedes branding on the 2021 livery, in contrast to the MCL35 which featured Renault branding. Other than the removal of the ''#WeRaceAsOne'' graphic on the MCL35 halo (but the retention of the sidepod graphic) the MCL35M livery remained largely the same.
For the
Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren received special permission from the FIA and Formula One to run the MCL35M with a one-off
Gulf
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
livery (a light blue livery with an orange stripe, featured by many Gulf Oil-sponsored teams). The branding was also applied to driver overalls and team uniforms, and both drivers used matching helmet designs for the Grand Prix. The team ran a second one-off livery at the
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ( ar, سباق جائزة أبوظبي الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The first race took place on 1 November ...
in partnership with
Vuse
Vuse is an electronic cigarette produced by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company, a subsidiary of the Reynolds American tobacco company. In 2015, it was the most popular e-cigarette in the United States with 33% market share in Nielsen-tracked channels ...
, featuring the work of local artist Rabab Tantawy.
Both liveries, but particularly the Gulf colours, had a positive reception amongst fans. The
McLaren MCL36 featured
a new colour scheme inspired by the success of the Gulf livery.
2021 season
Pre-season
After the conclusion of the 2020 season, Seidl said he did not believe McLaren could compete with Mercedes and Red Bull (who finished first and second in the 2020 WCC) in the 2021 season, and that the team would instead work to reduce their pace deficit over multiple seasons. Brown said that the more competitive midfield meant McLaren "could find ourselves closer to Mercedes
..but slipping to fifth in the Championship". When questioned on the possibility of McLaren challenging for podiums more regularly in the 2021 season, Norris said "that's too much" and that "The Mercedes engine and back-end is a good step forward but it won't sort everything out. We won't be able to just get podiums in every race."
Hywel Thomas, managing director of
Mercedes Powertrains, said they "have got some issues with the power units" mainly due to the restricted
dynamometer
A dynamometer or "dyno" for short, is a device for simultaneously measuring the torque and rotational speed ( RPM) of an engine, motor or other rotating prime mover so that its instantaneous power may be calculated, and usually displayed by ...
use, but was confident these issues would be resolved by the start of the season. He announced that Mercedes would not deliver any upgrades to their 2021 engine, meaning the MCL35M used the same specification engine for the entire season. Key said that McLaren had not encountered these issues in its own dyno testing.
The MCL35M had its first shakedown on 16 February 2021 in a filming day at Silverstone Circuit.
McLaren was generally quick in pre-season testing (held at the Bahrain International Circuit), setting several fastest laps without any major reliability issues. Norris said the test had "gone well" and that the team was "maybe a little more confident than we were last year."
Opening rounds
Both drivers appeared quick in practice for the
Bahrain Grand Prix, but said they were dissatisfied with the MCL35M's handling and balance, and expected the team would be slower than Mercedes and Red Bull and closer to the rest of the field when it came to qualifying and the race. Ricciardo and Norris qualified sixth and seventh respectively. In the race, Norris overtook Ricciardo and Leclerc in the opening laps and held position to finish fourth. Ricciardo struggled with tyre temperature and finished seventh. Ricciardo's lack of pace was later attributed to damage to his car's floor after he was hit by Gasly in the opening laps. The result left McLaren third in the WCC after Red Bull and ahead of Ferrari, with Norris fourth and Ricciardo seventh in the WDC.
Ricciardo qualified sixth and Norris seventh for the
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix ( it, ) is a Formula One motor racing event held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, often referred to as "Imola" after the town where it is located. The event takes the name "Emilia Romagna" fr ...
, a result Norris was disappointed with given his final qualifying lap would have been third quickest had it not been struck for a track limits violation. In the wet race,
team orders
In motor racing, team orders is the practice of teams issuing instructions to drivers to deviate from the normal practice of racing against each other as they would against other teams' drivers. This can be accomplished either in advance, simply ...
were used to allow Norris to pass Ricciardo early in the race after the latter continued to struggle with pace. Norris finished third after losing second place to Hamilton after an extended battle in the closing laps, while Ricciardo finished the race sixth. McLaren remained third in the WCC, with Norris moving up to third in the WDC and Ricciardo remaining seventh. Seidl later said the team was pleased neither MCL35M chassis had sustained notable damage in the first two races, which would help ensure McLaren remained within their
cost cap for the season.
Norris and Ricciardo qualified seventh and sixteenth, respectively, for the
Portuguese Grand Prix
The Portuguese Grand Prix (''Grande Prémio de Portugal'') is a motorsports event that was first held in 1951 as a sportscar event, and then intermittently disappearing for many years before being revived again. In 1964 event was held as a spo ...
. Ricciardo's elimination in the first qualifying stage (Q1) was the first for a McLaren since the
2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2019) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 17 November 2019 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. The race was the twe ...
. In the race, Norris finished fifth and Ricciardo recovered to ninth, meaning McLaren remained the only team to have had both drivers score points in every race of the season.
McLaren ran the MCL35M with a T-wing and introduced a new front wing and floor for the
Spanish Grand Prix
The Spanish Grand Prix ( es, Gran Premio de España, ca, Gran Premi d'Espanya) is a Formula One motor racing event currently held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The race is one of the oldest in the world still contested, celebrating it ...
. The new front wing was optimized to suit a higher-downforce configuration, while McLaren became the eighth team to implement a Z-shaped floor cut-out. The overall effect of the upgrades was to reduce the pitch sensitivity of the car. Ricciardo qualified seventh and stated he felt more confident in the MCL35M with the upgrade package. Norris qualified ninth, a result he was disappointed with after he was impeded by Haas driver
Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin ( rus, Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин, p=nʲɪˈkʲitə ˈdmʲɪtrʲɪjɪvʲɪtɕ mɐˈzʲepʲɪn; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian professional racing driver who competes in rally raid.
A fo ...
in Q1 and had to use an extra set of soft tyres, limiting the running he could do in Q3. The issue was compounded by floor damage Norris incurred after running wide in turns eight and nine in his first Q3 lap. Ricciardo finished the race sixth and Norris eighth, a result Seidl said he was happy with given the difficulty of overtaking on
the circuit. In the WDC, Norris lost third place to Bottas.
The MCL35M featured a one-off Gulf livery for the
Monaco Grand Prix (see ). Norris qualified for the race fifth, but Ricciardo was eliminated in Q2 and was classified twelfth. Ricciardo described the MCL35M as having a much narrower operating window than other cars he had driven, which was contributing to his struggles. In the race, Norris defended his position from Pérez to finish third after Leclerc did not start and Bottas retired. Ricciardo lost places on the race start before eventually being lapped by Norris and finishing twelfth. This was the first time a McLaren had been classified outside the top ten since the 2020 Portuguese Grand Prix, and ended McLaren's streak of both drivers scoring points at every race in 2021. Norris regained third in the WDC, while Ricciardo fell to eighth.
In a qualifying session interrupted with many yellow and red flags, Norris qualified sixth and Ricciardo thirteenth for the
Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the latter's qualifying ending after colliding with the barriers. Norris was awarded a three-place grid penalty for violating red flag procedures and started the race ninth. Norris had a poor start and fell to twelfth, but both drivers avoided the incidents occurring on track and worked their way up to fifth and ninth. Norris lost third place in the WDC to race winner Pérez, while Ricciardo fell to tenth. The team lost third place in the WCC to Ferrari.
European races
Major
McLaren Group
The McLaren Group is a British holding company based in Woking, England, which is involved in Formula One and other motorsport and the manufacture of luxury cars.
The group was founded by Ron Dennis shortly after his acquisition of the McLaren ...
shareholder
Mansour Ojjeh
Mansour Akram Ojjeh (25 September 1952 – 6 June 2021) ( ar, مَنْصُور أَكْرَم عُجَّة, Manṣūr ʾAkram ʿUjjah) was a French Saudi Arabian-born entrepreneur who owned part of TAG, a Luxembourg-based holding company with in ...
died shortly before the
2021 French Grand Prix, and his name was featureed on the side of the cars as a tribute. The MCL35M featured a new rear wing endplate for the race with horizontal louvres rather than vertical strakes to better control turbulence at the rear of the car.
The upgrade package also included a new, slimmer engine cover, and introduced 'horns' (fins mounted at the front of the car, just ahead of the halo) to redirect airflow over the top of the car. Norris qualified for the race eighth, and after falling to tenth after a poor start finished fifth; Ricciardo qualified tenth and finished sixth. McLaren reclaimed third place in the WCC as Ferrari struggled with tyre degradation on
their car, while Ricciardo moved up to ninth in the WDC.
At the
Styrian Grand Prix, Norris qualified fourth but was promoted to third due to a penalty issued to Bottas, while Ricciardo qualified thirteenth. Norris allowed Pérez and Bottas to pass him in the opening laps, as McLaren did not believe the MCL35M had the pace to maintain position ahead of the Red Bull and Mercedes cars, and finished fifth. Ricciardo made up four places on the race start until he suffered a power unit issue and fell to twelfth. Although the issue was fixed, Ricciardo finished thirteenth.
![FIA F1 Austria 2021 Post Qualifying Lando Norris 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/FIA_F1_Austria_2021_Post_Qualifying_Lando_Norris_1.jpg)
The car featured a new floor and additional guide vanes near the Z-shape cutout for the
Austrian Grand Prix, and the cut-out's area was reduced. Norris qualified second for the race, 0.048 seconds off polesitter Verstappen's time and out-qualifying both works Mercedes cars – the first time a McLaren had qualified on the front row since , and Norris' career-best qualifying result. Ricciardo qualified thirteenth. Norris held position for the first 20 laps, and in doing so attracted a five-second penalty for forcing Pérez to run wide. The penalty was served on-track at Norris' scheduled pit stop, and he recovered to overtake Hamilton for third place on lap 52 and finished on the podium for the third time in the 2021 season. Both Seidl and Norris said they believed the team would have been able to challenge for second place had they not been awarded a penalty. Ricciardo finished seventh, and improved to eighth in the WDC.
![2021 British Grand Prix (51349486418)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/2021_British_Grand_Prix_%2851349486418%29.jpg)
Norris qualified sixth and Ricciardo seventh for the first trial of
sprint qualifying at the
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
. Both drivers improved by one place to start the race fifth and sixth. Norris overtook Bottas on the race start and inherited third place after Verstappen and Hamilton collided, with the former crashing out of the race. He finished the race fourth but was disappointed after a slow pit stop allowed Bottas to recover his position. Ricciardo moved up to and finished fifth, defending his position from Sainz after both completed their scheduled pit stops. Norris moved up to third place in the WDC. After the race, Norris suggested that the
Ferrari SF21
The Ferrari SF21 was a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Ferrari to compete in the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc. The car made its competitive debut at ...
was a faster car than the MCL35M, and singled out the SF21's tyre management and high-temperature performance over the McLaren.
McLaren delivered their final major upgrade to the MCL35M at the
Hungarian Grand Prix
The Hungarian Grand Prix ( hu, Magyar Nagydíj) is a motor racing event held annually in Mogyoród. Since 1986, the race has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
History Origins
The first Hungarian Grand Prix was held on 21 ...
in order to focus on
the car's successor; the package featured revised bargeboards. Norris qualified sixth for the race and Ricciardo eleventh. Both drivers had good starts: Norris had made his way up to third place by the first corner, but was hit from behind by Bottas and then collided with Verstappen. Simultaneously, Stroll collided with Leclerc who was forced into Ricciardo.
Both MCL35Ms suffered heavy damage, and Norris retired during the red flag, becoming the first McLaren retirement since the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix and ending his fifteen race point-scoring streak. Ricciardo's damage was estimated to cost him approximately 0.8 seconds per lap.
He finished the race twelfth and was promoted to eleventh after Vettel's disqualification, making the Hungarian Grand Prix the team's first pointless race in seventeen Grands Prix. Ferrari drew level with McLaren on points in the WCC, and took third place after the count-back. Ricciardo lost eighth in the WDC. After the Grand Prix, McLaren remained at
the track
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
for two days to take part in a test session for Pirelli's 2022 tyre prototypes. Both Ricciardo and Norris drove a mule car based on the MCL35M during the test, which focused on the soft compound tyres.
New brake ducts were introduced to the MCL35M at the
Belgian Grand Prix
The Belgian Grand Prix (French: ''Grand Prix de Belgique''; Dutch: ''Grote Prijs van België''; German: ''Großer Preis von Belgien'') is a motor racing event which forms part of the Formula One World Championship.
The first national race of ...
. The car performed well in a wet qualifying session, with Ricciardo qualifying for the race fourth, his best with the team. Norris set the fastest times in Q1 and Q2, but
lost control of his car at
Eau Rouge
The Eau Rouge is a small, stream in the Belgian province of Liège. It is a right tributary of the Amblève.
It starts in the Hautes Fagnes ("High Fens") and ends in Challes, near Stavelot in the river Amblève. The French words mean "re ...
and crashed heavily, ending his qualifying session and damaging his gearbox. After penalties for Bottas from the previous race and for Norris's gearbox change were applied, he started the race fifteenth. Heavy rain prevented the race from starting, with three laps completed under safety car conditions before the Grand Prix was abandoned and results drawn from the end of the first lap. Thus, Ricciardo was classified fourth and Norris fourteenth. Half points were awarded, allowing McLaren to take third place from Ferrari.
Ricciardo qualified tenth for the
Dutch Grand Prix, while Norris was eliminated in Q2 after missing his final qualifying attempt due to red flags, the first time he failed to make Q3 in 2021. He started the race thirteenth. Ricciardo's car suffered a clutch malfunction at the start, costing him places on the first lap. Both drivers struggled for pace, with Norris finishing tenth and Ricciardo eleventh. Norris fell from third to fourth and Ricciardo from eighth to ninth in the WDC, and the team again lost third place to Ferrari in the WCC.
The MCL35M featured a low downforce set up for the
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix ( it, Gran Premio d'Italia) is the fifth oldest national Grand Prix motor racing, Grand Prix (after the French Grand Prix, the United States Grand Prix, the Spanish Grand Prix and the Russian Grand Prix), having been he ...
, with modified front and rear wings. Norris qualified fourth and Ricciardo fifth for the second sprint of the season. During sprint qualifying, Ricciardo moved up to third, and both drivers were promoted a place after provisional polesitter Bottas took an engine penalty. During the race, Ricciardo overtook Verstappen into the first corner, while Norris defended from Hamilton behind. After the first round of pit stops, Verstappen and Hamilton collided, leaving the McLarens free to challenge for the win. Norris was instructed in the closing stages not to challenge Ricciardo's position. Ricciardo set the fastest lap on the final lap, leading Norris to the finish to claim McLaren's first one-two finish since the
2010 Canadian Grand Prix
The 2010 Canadian Grand Prix (formally the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada 2010) was the eighth round of the 2010 Formula One season. It was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on 13 June 2010. This was the first Grand ...
and first win since the
2012 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Grande Prêmio Petrobras do Brasil 2012) was a Formula One motor race that took place at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil, on 25 November 2012. The race was t ...
. Ricciardo regained eighth in the WDC, while McLaren reclaimed third place in the WCC. The MCL35M was the only car to achieve a 1–2 finish in the 2021 season.
![Starting grid on 2021 Russian Grand Prix 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Starting_grid_on_2021_Russian_Grand_Prix_03.jpg)
Ricciardo suffered a power unit malfunction during practice for the
Russian Grand Prix
The Russian Grand Prix (russian: Гран-при России, Gran-pri Rossii) was an annual motor racing event held at Sochi Autodrom – a permanent circuit built around the Olympic Park in Sochi – as part of the Formula One World Champion ...
which necessitated a change to an older engine. The car was run with a high downforce aerodynamic kit. Norris qualified on pole for the first time in his career, while Ricciardo started fifth. Although he lost first place to Sainz on the opening lap, Norris regained the lead and led the race. With nine laps to go, Hamilton unsuccessfully began to attack for first place.
Although the race had been dry up to this point, it began to rain lightly with six laps remaining.
With four laps left, McLaren recommended Norris switch from hard slicks to intermediate rain tyres,
which Norris refused, a decision he later said "was right at the time for the conditions at the time" but ultimately "cost us everything" as he slid off track and down to seventh place by the time he pitted.
Seidl, Norris, and Hamilton all said the result was ultimately not a reflection of the MCL35M's pace and potential at the track, and Norris set the fastest lap of the race.
Ricciardo, however, switched to intermediates earlier and finished fourth.
Closing rounds
McLaren used a high-downforce package and a double T-wing for the
Turkish Grand Prix, for which Norris qualified eighth and Ricciardo sixteenth. Both were promoted a place on the grid by engine penalties for other drivers, but Norris said the MCL35M was "not easy to drive" at
the circuit while Ricciardo said he was not "on top of it today". McLaren decided to replace several engine components on Ricciardo's car, triggering the team's first component penalty of the season and sending him to the back of the grid. Norris finished seventh and Ricciardo thirteenth.
Ricciardo qualified seventh and Norris eighth for the
United States Grand Prix
The United States Grand Prix is a motor racing event that has been held on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The Grand Prix later became part of the Formula One World Championship. , the Grand Prix has been held ...
, with both being promoted a place due to another engine penalty for Bottas. Both drivers said they were surprised to be out-qualified by the two Ferrari drivers. Ricciardo finished the race fifth, and said he was satisfied given the superior pace of the Ferraris. Norris finished eighth and called his performance "disappointing", losing fourth place in the WDC.
The car was fit with a high-downforce rear wing and T-wing for the
Mexico City Grand Prix. Ricciardo's running in practice was limited by a gearbox issue. Ricciardo qualified seventh, with McLaren using Norris to provide a tow since his car was fitted with multiple new power unit elements requiring Norris to start from the back of the grid. As a result, Norris started eighteenth. Ricciardo had a strong start and ran alongside polesitter Bottas into turn one, but the two collided and dropped to the back of the field. Ricciardo finished twelfth after managing damage on his MCL35M, and Norris made up positions to finish tenth. McLaren lost third place in the WCC to Ferrari.
Norris and Ricciardo qualified eighth and ninth respectively for the third and final sprint race of the season at the
São Paulo Grand Prix, but were both promoted a place by Hamilton's disqualification. Norris improved to sixth, while Ricciardo fell to eleventh. Norris was promoted a place on the grid due to a power unit penalty for Hamilton.
At the race start, Norris made contact with Sainz and suffered a tyre puncture that dropped him to last place. He finished tenth, while Ricciardo retired due to a power unit failure.
For the inaugural
Qatar Grand Prix
The Qatar Grand Prix is a Formula One motor racing event which is held in Qatar. It was held for the first time on 21 November as part of the championship at the Losail International Circuit, and after not taking place during the season due to ...
, Norris qualified sixth (and was promoted to fourth after grid penalties were applied) and Ricciardo qualified fourteenth. During the race, Norris ran in fourth until he suffered a tyre puncture, and finished ninth. Ricciardo finished twelfth while suffering from a system error affecting fuel usage on his MCL35M. Seidl said that the triple-header of Mexico, São Paulo, and Qatar had been disappointing given the team believed the car remained competitive with Ferrari's SF21.
Norris qualified seventh and Ricciardo eleventh for the first
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix ( ar, جائزة السعودية الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event which took place for the first time in 2021. The inaugural edition of the race was held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. It was the fift ...
, with the latter suffering floor damage. Seidl said that the team was underperforming relative to expectations because corners at the
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit ( ar, حلبة كورنيش جدة) is a motor racing circuit built in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia. The circuit staged the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on 5 December 2021 as the penultimate ...
were primarily medium-speed rather than high-speed as had been predicted. During the race, Norris pitted before the first red flag and therefore lost positions to all drivers who had not yet pitted by the restart. He restarted in fourteenth and finished tenth. Ricciardo was in the opposite situation and finished fifth. Norris lost fifth place in the WDC and fell to sixth.
The MCL35M featured a one-off
Vuse
Vuse is an electronic cigarette produced by R. J. Reynolds Vapor Company, a subsidiary of the Reynolds American tobacco company. In 2015, it was the most popular e-cigarette in the United States with 33% market share in Nielsen-tracked channels ...
livery for the
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ( ar, سباق جائزة أبوظبي الكبرى) is a Formula One motor racing event. It was announced in early 2007 at the Abu Dhabi F1 Festival in the United Arab Emirates. The first race took place on 1 November ...
(see ).
Norris qualified third for the race and Ricciardo qualified tenth. Norris had a poor start and lost two positions, maintaining fifth place until he suffered a slow puncture and gearbox issues; he finished seventh. Ricciardo finished twelfth, losing positions under the
virtual safety car. Norris finished sixth in the WDC and Ricciardo eighth, and McLaren finished fourth in the WCC. With a new generation of cars being introduced in 2022, the race was the final entry for the MCL35M.
McLaren participated in the post-season Pirelli test after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at
Yas Marina Circuit
The Yas Marina Circuit (Arabic: حلبة مرسى ياس) is the venue for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The circuit was designed by Hermann Tilke, and is situated on Yas Island, near Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Yas Marina w ...
. Unlike the in-season test, the tyres used were the final compounds. Ricciardo and Norris drove mule cars based on the MCL35M to test the 2022 compounds.
Pato O'Ward
Patricio "Pato" O'Ward Junco (born 6 May 1999) is a Mexican professional auto racing driver who competes full-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Arrow McLaren SP. He is the 2018 Indy Lights champion.
Early life and care ...
, an
Arrow McLaren SP
The IndyCar Series operation of McLaren Racing competes under the banner of Arrow McLaren SP. This entry is based in Indianapolis and was founded by former driver Sam Schmidt as Sam Schmidt Motorsports. Fellow ex-driver Davey Hamilton joined ...
driver in the
IndyCar series, tested the regular MCL35M.
Assessment and characteristics
Like the MCL35, the MCL35M was termed an "all-rounder" early in the season, and was closer to the cars of Mercedes and Red Bull than its predecessors.
Ricciardo's struggles with the car were attributed to the "strange" level of overlap in the braking and cornering phases, particularly in slow corners. As such, the MCL35M tended to perform better in high-speed corners, but struggled with low-speed cornering. McLaren themselves called the car's mid-corner performance "its Achilles' heel". The car had good straight line speed and effective power deployment, and Sainz (who drove for Ferrari in 2021) called it one of the most difficult cars to overtake. Conversely, the car's main competitor, the
Ferrari SF21
The Ferrari SF21 was a Formula One racing car designed and constructed by Scuderia Ferrari to compete in the 2021 Formula One World Championship. The car was driven by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc. The car made its competitive debut at ...
, excelled at cornering, especially at low speeds.
Later use
The MCL35M continued to be used in 2022 for private tests as part of McLaren's Testing of Previous Cars program.
FIA Formula 2 Championship
The FIA Formula 2 Championship is a second-tier single-seater championship organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Held on racing circuits, the championship was introduced in 2017, following the rebranding of the l ...
driver and
Red Bull Junior Team
The Red Bull Junior Team is a driver development program run by the energy drink company Red Bull GmbH in an attempt to identify potential future racing stars in open wheel racing. The similar Red Bull Driver Search, now ended, was an American ...
member
Jehan Daruvala
Jehan Daruvala (born 1 October 1998) is an Indian racing driver currently serving as a reserve driver for the Mahindra Racing Formula E team. He was a protégé of the Force India F1 team, after being one of three winners of a 'One in a Billio ...
tested the car over two days at
Silverstone Circuit prior to the
British Grand Prix
The British Grand Prix is a Grand Prix motor race organised in the United Kingdom by the Royal Automobile Club. First held in 1926, the British Grand Prix has been held annually since 1948 and has been a round of the FIA Formula One World Ch ...
, completing 130 laps. A second test at
Algarve International Circuit
The Algarve International Circuit ( pt, Autódromo Internacional do Algarve), commonly referred to as Portimão Circuit, is a race circuit located in Portimão, Algarve region, Portugal. The development includes a karting track, off-road tra ...
was held in July: IndyCar driver
Colton Herta
Colton Thomas Herta (born March 30, 2000) is an American open-wheel racing driver currently competing in the NTT IndyCar Series for Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian. He is the youngest person to ever win an IndyCar Series race.
He is the ...
completed 162 laps over two days, and McLaren simulator driver
Will Stevens
William Stevens (born 28 June 1991) is a British racing driver, who formerly competed in Formula One, Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0, Toyota Racing Series and the British Formula Renault Championships. In Formula One, he made his debut at the 20 ...
teted for one.
2021 IndyCar Series
The 2021 NTT IndyCar Series was the 26th season of the IndyCar Series and the 110th official championship season of American open wheel racing. The premier event was the 2021 Indianapolis 500, won by Hélio Castroneves (Meyer Shank Racing). It ...
champion
Álex Palou
Álex Palou Montalbo (; born 1 April 1997) is a Spanish racing driver who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing in the IndyCar Series, where he won the 2021 series championship. He is the first Spanish racing driver to win a National Championship in ...
and O'Ward tested the MCL35M at
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya during September 2022, together completing a total of 267 laps. O'Ward and Palou again tested the car at the
Red Bull Ring in October 2022, together completing 171 laps over two days. In November 2022, the car was used in a private two-day test at
Circuit Paul Ricard
The Circuit Paul Ricard () is a French motorsport race track built in 1969 at Le Castellet, Var, near Marseille, with finance from pastis magnate Paul Ricard. Ricard wanted to experience the challenge of building a racetrack. The circuit has h ...
for
Oscar Piastri
Oscar Piastri (born 6 April 2001) is an Australian racing driver who previously served as the reserve driver for Alpine F1 Team, having previously been in the team's driver academy. He won the 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup with R-ace GP, and wo ...
, who McLaren signed to replace Ricciardo in . Piastri had a second test in November at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, completing 150 laps.
Complete Formula One results
(
key)
;Note
* ‡ – Half points were awarded at the
2021 Belgian Grand Prix
The 2021 Belgian Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 Rolex Belgian Grand Prix 2021) was a Formula One motor race held on 29 August 2021 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the twelfth round of the 2021 Formula One World Champi ...
as less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed due to heavy rain.
Notes
References
Works cited
*
*
External links
*
McLaren Racing official websiteMcLaren MCL35 record at StatsF1McLaren MCL35M record at StatsF1
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLaren MCL35
MP4-35
McLaren MCL35
McLaren MCL35M