How McLaren’s F1 hopes rest on a game of millimetres

The team was open, ever since it first revealed its 2023 challenger, that the launch specification was not where it wanted to be, and that a new development path was needed.

The first fruits of that labour appeared at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, as McLaren introduced a revised floor that had some very alternative treatments around the edges.

The fact that the McLaren updates appear visually not too different, but have a big impact on the way airflow is managed throughout…