Whitmarsh: McLaren Focus Remains on 2013 Despite 2014 Rule Changes
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh says the team will not shift its focus to 2014 yet, despite a poor start to the 2013 Formula One season and looming technical changes.
McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has ruled out abandoning the 2013 Formula One campaign, insisting the Woking squad is not yet shifting its efforts to next season’s car despite a poor start and major technical changes on the horizon.
After four races, McLaren trailed the constructors’ championship leader by 86 points, with Jenson Button sitting only tenth in the drivers’ standings. The team’s radical approach to its new car had failed to deliver the expected pace, leaving it behind not just Red Bull, Ferrari and Lotus but also Force India.
Despite this, Whitmarsh said he was not prepared to write off the current season. While rivals such as Mercedes had already started diverting resources to their 2014 projects, Whitmarsh maintained that McLaren’s priority was to recover competitiveness in 2013. He told French media he refused to think about 2014, reiterating his desire for the team to approach every grand prix with the aim of winning.
Rivals already looking to 2014
Mercedes, who had taken pole position in both China and Bahrain, confirmed it was already allocating a growing share of its technical staff to the 2014 car. Mercedes co-owner Toto Wolff said that by May, more than half of the Brackley team’s workforce would be working on the new car, reflecting the scale of the upcoming regulation changes. The 2014 Formula One rules would see the introduction of 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines and extensive changes to chassis and energy recovery systems.
Wolff said teams not in contention for the 2013 title would switch their main development focus to 2014 during the summer, given the complexity of the new regulations. However, he acknowledged that those still fighting for the championship would continue to prioritise the current season for longer.
McLaren’s approach and implications
McLaren’s decision to persist with 2013 development puts it at odds with the strategy adopted by several rivals. With a large performance gap to close and a major rule change ahead, the risk is that the team could fall behind in preparing for the new technical era. For McLaren staff, this means continued focus on the current car’s upgrades rather than an early switch to 2014’s all-new design.
The team’s stance also signals to sponsors and fans that it is not prepared to concede the season, even as the prospect of race wins looks increasingly remote. Whether this approach can yield results before the championship is out of reach remains to be seen, especially as other teams accelerate their 2014 preparations.
For more on McLaren’s future product plans, see McLaren Rules Out Hatchback, Confirms 2015 Sports Car to Rival 911 and R8.
