Can McLaren beat Aston Martin at the end of the season?

At the beginning of the season, it was disappointment on the grid. After being considered an outsider in recent years, McLaren found itself at the back of the grid. The new car was not developed as it should have been, and right from the first Grand Prix, the British team was facing a significant delay compared to the rest of the field. And above all, compared to its main rival: Alpine.

Although Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were scoring points, Alpine experienced technical issues and a double retirement that proved costly in Australia. These setbacks allowed McLaren to secure a spot in the midfield. But without that, the Orange team would be far behind.

But since the British Grand Prix, it’s a transformed car that is on track. This is evidenced by Lando Norris’ four podium finishes and Oscar Piastri’s podium finish in Japan. McLaren has managed to close the gap thanks to successful development during the season. And, it is paying off.

Before the Silverstone race, the British team only had 29 points. After Japan, McLaren has a total of 172 points. That’s 143 points more. At the same time, Alpine, who was supposed to be the direct competitor, only scored 37 points.

Alpine in the rearview mirror

So, admittedly, Alpine has faced new problems and a double retirement, right from the first corner of the Hungarian Grand Prix, which surely cost them valuable points. But that doesn’t take away from McLaren’s progress.

Today, Zak Brown’s team is in a position to take fourth place from Aston Martin, who was the second best team at the beginning of the year. This is something that Lando Norris is well aware of. In fact, he believes he is capable of beating the Green Team by the end of the year. Especially since Lance Stroll is not at the same level as Fernando Alonso.

« There aren’t many races left. I’m sure there will be a few where Aston will be more competitive, but I think our current advantage over almost all the teams is that we have two drivers at the same level, fighting for those positions and points. Currently, not all teams have that, so I think it helps us. We can help each other, we can use each other, and I think that’s a good advantage for us compared to many other teams at the moment. »

What about Ferrari and Mercedes?

However, McLaren can still aim even higher. With performances like in Suzuka and some fortunate circumstances, third or even second place in the constructors’ standings could be possible. Even though there is a gap of 113 points against Ferrari and 133 against Mercedes, anything is possible.

With six races left, including three with a sprint weekend format, there are still 309 points to be awarded. So, even though Red Bull is expected to take the majority of them, a poor performance from one or even both teams, with at least one podium for McLaren, would completely reignite the championship.