Nick Fry, casts doubt on McLaren’s ability to outpace Red Bull in 2024, citing past investment mistakes and the need for realistic development strategies under team principal Andrea Stella.
Former executive director of Mercedes F1, Brawn GP, and Honda, Nick Fry now follows Formula 1 from the outside. According to him, McLaren will continue to make progress in 2024, but not enough to beat Red Bull. He believes the team has suffered from past spending choices that were not justified.
“I think McLaren will keep improving. I hope they will be able to win races,” predicts Fry. “I’m not sure they’re good enough to consistently beat Red Bull or Ferrari. I think it’s a bit tight.”
“McLaren needs to be realistic about its development. They have a very experienced team principal in Andrea Stella, who is calm, sensible, and understands the steps a team needs to take to win.”
“Some of the investments made at Mercedes, like the world-class wind tunnel, were done in my time. The wind tunnel was built around 2005 or 2006, so it has been contributing for a very long time.”
“McLaren is starting to invest in some of these facilities, but it should have been done a long time ago. Instead of hiring Norman Foster to design their factory building, they could have invested in better engineering equipment.”
“That was the decision made a long time ago, and fortunately, McLaren’s owners have understood and invested in these facilities. It will be a good investment for the future. I’m crossing my fingers for them this season, but it’s hard to believe they can beat Red Bull.”
Fry Skeptical of Mercedes’ Ability to Top Red Bull
Fry sees Ferrari closing in on Red Bull, although he believes the reigning world champions will still be the dominant force in Formula 1 this season: “I think they will continue to dominate, but Ferrari will keep improving.”
“[Fred] Vasseur is very experienced as a team boss, and I think he will provide air cover against the pressures of the Italian media. I think he will do a good job and maintain calm in the team. You need to be quite unemotional.”
Fry Skeptical of Mercedes’ Ability to Top Red Bull
On the other hand, Fry is convinced that Mercedes will still lag behind, due to a technical team that he considers not strong enough: “I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t consider the technical team of my former team, Mercedes, to be strong enough.”
“Competing with Adrian Newey’s team is no small feat. It’s a formidable team, but it has fallen behind by taking a different technical path.”
“The rate of improvement is significant year over year, but spending a year or two with a different concept that doesn’t work causes problems. It’s easy to say in hindsight, but they’re learning what Red Bull learned a long time ago. Catching up is hard.”
“I’m sure they’ll be good, but I’m not sure they’ll be exceptional. I can’t see Mercedes consistently beating Red Bull. It’s hard for me to admit because I’m very attached to them, but I think it’s going to be tough this year.”
Fry jokes about the reasons why he cites Ferrari as Red Bull’s biggest rival in 2024: “Ferrari would be my pick to push Red Bull. My eight-year-old daughter is a big fan of Charles Leclerc, and she told me I had to say Ferrari!”
McLaren’s 2024 Red Bull Prediction: Is It Realistic?. McLaren’s 2024 Red Bull Prediction: Is It Realistic?
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