McLaren introduce major floor upgrade for Norris’ car at Mexican Grand Prix · RaceFans

McLaren are seeking to reassert their position at the front of the field by introducing a major revision to their car’s floor at the Mexican Grand Prix.

The team took the lead of the constructors’ championship from rivals Red Bull by winning the Azerbaijan Grand Prix three rounds ago. They then dominated the Singapore Grand Prix but faced a renewed threat from Ferrari last weekend, their rivals scoring a one-two finish in Austin.

McLaren introduced several new parts for their car last weekend but made no changes to its floor at the sprint event where teams only had an hour of practice running. The team will run the new floor on Norris’ car only this weekend, a spokesperson confirmed to RaceFans. Pato O’Ward is due to drive Norris’ car in the first practice session but the team will fit the previous specification floor to his car.

The MCL38’s new floor has been “heavily revised” according to documentation submitted by McLaren to the FIA. It includes “geometric changes in all areas, resulting in an increase of aerodynamic load across all conditions.” Their front-running rivals Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have all experienced setbacks after introducing upgrades this year, and McLaren’s championship chances, as well as Lando Norris’ hopes of catching Max Verstappen in the drivers’ title race, will rest on a successful introduction of this new hardware.

McLaren has also brought improvements to its cooling package for this race, as the thin air in the high altitude of Mexico City makes it especially difficult for teams to manage internal temperatures. Many of their rivals have done likewise including Ferrari, who brought no upgrades last weekend in Austin, and Red Bull, who have also brought larger front brake exit ducts for improved cooling.

One other car on the grid will have a revised floor this weekend. RB have brought changes to the fences at the front of the 01’s floor, to improve the airflow into it, and the edges of the floor, to increase the load it generates. They also have new cooling parts for this race.

Williams is the only other team to have brought upgrades for its car, though these are all circuit-specific. The FW46 has larger cooling exits on its engine cover and a revised beam wing which is intended to perform more efficiently at a track where teams usually run maximum downforce levels.

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