McLaren’s transition from Renault engines to Mercedes next year will be closely monitored by the FIA to ensure the team does not gain an advantage from revising its chassis design.
McLaren will use Mercedes engines from 2021 onwards and had originally planned for the new deal to coincide with Formula One’s major regulation changes the same year.
However, as a cost-saving measure to protect all teams from the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the new regulations have been delayed until 2022 and teams will be forced to use their 2020 chassis in 2021.
That means McLaren will have to adapt its current chassis, which was originally designed with the Renault engine in mind, to fit the Mercedes power unit next year.
“First of all, it is a change of plan for us because we planned to integrate the Mercedes power unit into the new car with the 2021 regulations,” team principal Andreas Seidl told ESPN.
“For sure there will be restrictions in terms of how well we can integrate this power unit into the current car, and we have agreed together with the FIA that they will monitor very closely that we are only allowed to do the changes that are absolutely necessary to install the Mercedes power unit.
“So they will monitor closely that we don’t change any other areas in the surroundings of the power unit that will give us additional performance gains. We fully understand and agreed to that as, in the end, we need to look at the bigger picture which is to agree and support the freezing [of regulations] that is happening at the moment because it ensures maximum cost savings for everyone.”
Asked if there was any consideration given to remaining with Renault for another year, Seidl added: “I don’t think it [the change in engine suppliers] can be done in the most efficient way because there are some restrictions, but at the same time we did that switch because we have contracts in place, and so for us there was no reason not to continue with that plan.”
McLaren is among the most successful teams in F1 history and harbours ambitions to return to the front of the grid in the coming years. It had been banking on the new regulations to start from zero and cut the gap between F1’s top teams, but the opportunity will now be delayed at least one year.
“We have been strongly in favour to have these regulations in place as soon as possible, but at the same time we fully understand and support why they have to be delayed,” Seidl said. “Together with this crisis, I simply think it will delay, potentially, our way back up the grid.
“But at the same time, that is the challenge we are in and we know we have a lot of work to do, but we have a great team with a great spirit and a lot of committed and talented people, so we simply have to focus on ourselves.”
Seidl admitted that McLaren is lagging behind the top three teams — Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull — in more areas than just budget.
“Well, I would say, independent of budgets, the top three teams are simply doing a better job,” he added.
“They have a better organisation in place, they are more efficient, they have better infrastructure in place and better methodologies and better ways of working together. That’s simply something where we have to catch up, independent of budget caps and timings of regulations. And that is how I approach it with the team.
“It is important to focus on ourselves and we know we still have a lot of points where we have to get better and tackle, and that is something I do together with the team. I am happy with the steps we have made already, but at the same time there are still a lot of steps we have to do.”