Fighting for F1 podiums a “distant dream” at the start of 2023

Piastri looked set for a low-key debut season with McLaren as his team missed its development targets for its 2023 car and started off the season on the back foot.

The MCL60’s deficiencies only allowed the Australian to score five points in the first nine races, while experienced team-mate Lando Norris similarly failed to wring a string of results out of the relatively inefficient and hard-to-drive machine.

But McLaren’s summertime B-spec, which…