McLaren has flattered to deceive since the end of 2021. That season’s MCL35M ended the team’s winless streak and the new ground-effect regulations offered the chance of an F1 reset, with many squads eyeing the change as an opportunity to get to the front.
But McLaren’s form has headed in the wrong direction and it’s Aston Martin, which finished two spots (and 104 points) behind the orange team in 2022, that has made the leap towards the leaders.
McLaren is still waiting for its new facilities to come online but, as Alex Kalinauckas shows in our investigation this week, that’s not the only element the legendary squad has to sort if it is to ever add to its 12 drivers’ titles and eight constructors’ crowns.
The Woking operation’s IndyCar branch is already fighting at the sharp end and scored a fine 2-3 in the Indianapolis GP encounter last weekend. But it was Chip Ganassi (and future McLaren?) driver Alex Palou who really starred, as David Malsher-Lopez reports.
Another young talent stood out on Rally Portugal. Reigning World Rally champion Kalle Rovanpera had a relatively quiet start to his title defence but the Toyota driver’s emphatic victory has both launched him to the top of the table and laid down a marker for his rivals.
We also cover Valentino Rossi’s first GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup podium at Brands Hatch, Scotland’s Extreme E double-header and Cadillac’s IMSA success at Laguna Seca in our World of Sport section.
MotoGP celebrated 1000 world championship events at Le Mans last weekend and Lewis Duncan takes a look at what’s good and bad at the pinnacle of two-wheeled motorsport, while Jake Boxall-Legge argues it’s too early to write off AlphaTauri F1 rookie Nyck de Vries.
Former British Touring Car racer Paul Radisich is the latest star to commit to the Super Touring Power event at Brands Hatch on 1-2 July. That news leads our 17-page National section.
Ahead of the Indianapolis 500, our free 28-page Engineering supplement uncovers some set-up secrets and looks into the fascinating history of the current IndyCar design. The future of electric rallying and the story of the GT1 Mercedes CLK-GTR also feature.
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