Why McLaren F1 didn’t address its high drag problem sooner

McLaren started the season off the pace with a car that was both lacking overall downforce and suffering from a lack of aerodynamic efficiency, meaning it creates too much drag for a given downforce level.

Incoming team principal Andrea Stella rolled out a recovery plan to get the team’s MCL60 back on track, which included a philosophy change and then a comprehensive upgrade package overseen by a revised technical structure at Woking.

The fruits…