Norris could manage only fourth in sprint qualifying
McLaren’s Austin update package unveiled at the Formula 1 US GP is not the last of the season with more updates expected to come over the “next events.”
The package declared for the Austin weekend includes a new front wing and associated front suspension changes, revised front and rear brake ducts, and a new single element beam wing.
However there are no changes to the floor, which has remained largely unchanged since Miami in May.
Lando Norris was fourth in sprint qualifying on Friday, acknowledging that there had been some balance issues as the team adjusted to the new package.
McLaren technical director of engineering Neil Houldley confirmed that more updates that were not signed off for use in time for Austin will be seen at upcoming races. Although he gave no details logic suggests that the floor will be one area that will change.
“We brought a lot of upgrades, or a lot of small upgrades for this event, said Houldley of the Austin package. “I don’t really want to go into too many details about what will appear at the next events, but there’ll be more coming, for sure.
“I think what we’ve been doing is just continue our development progress throughout the year. And at the moment, it turns out, really, that what we want to do is bring something that we know works. So we’re not trying to deliver something early.
“We’re in a good position in the championship. But what we don’t want to do is, is bring any confusion into the team about the results of the components we’re bringing. So we’re waiting, and bringing them when they’re ready.
“Aerodynamically, we already know the upgrades that we’re going to be bringing to the next couple of events. So they’re ready in that sense, but they’re very much in manufacture, back at the factory.”
Houldley said the fact that Austin is a sprint weekend with limited practice did not influence the decision: “Not at all. We’re just ensuring that when we bring the parts, they’re the right ones, and they’re going to bring performance to the track.
“Actually the regulations that make it a little bit easier sometimes for a sprint event, when you’ve only got one component. For us we just bring it to the event that we can get it to in the fastest possible way. So whether it’s a sprint or a standard event doesn’t make a difference to us.”
The team only has one example of the new wing, which will be used by Lando Norris.
Asked by this writer if the cars were in the same spec Houldley sad. “Everything, apart from the front wing, we’ve got quantities of that both drivers can use.
“The front wing we’ve only got one of at this event, so we’re going to run that with both drivers in the practice session, and then it’s going to be given to Lando for the rest of the weekend.
“It just takes a while to develop and manufacture the parts, but they’ll all be available for Oscar in the next event.”
Adam Cooper F1 