F1: McLaren working on ‘B-spec’ car

McLaren is planning a suite of upgrades before Formula 1’s summer shutdown that team principal Andrea Stella described as “kind of a B-spec car”.

The team has recently undergone a technical restructuring with James Key making way for a three-pronged leadership team in terms of car development.

“The improvement in Baku should affect an area of the car that has been clear I think from the presentation of the car we weren’t entirely happy with,” he said when asked by Speedcafe about the new model’s impact on car development.

“In terms of development, it’s just the first step.

“We would expect definitely another major upgrade which will interest more areas of the car and will be more apparent.

“That is what somebody may call like kind of a B-spec car.

“And then we have a further round of upgrades in the second part of the season after the shutdown.

“So we have three main steps; Baku, later on – I don’t want to commit to any date, but before shutdown – and then after shutdown.

“We hope that each of them will be able to provide a few tenths of a second.”