Mclaren reveals its new car as Red Bull gears up for a fresh challenge

Mclaren has given us the first hint of what Formula 1 2021 will look like with the launch of the MCL35M this week (see page 4). As we discussed in the 4 February issue, it’s a team on the up, and the switch to Mercedes power should allow Mclaren to see exactly where it stands, even though installing the engine has provided challenges.

But even if Mclaren has done a brilliant job over the winter, the main threat to Mercedes this year is likely to come from Red Bull. As team boss Christian Horner reminds us on page 18, the team has been able to fight for wins since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014. It’s won that contest 17 times, but hasn’t done enough to snatch a title to add to those it scored during its heyday in 2010-13.

This week we look at the things Red Bull has to do to achieve that final step, from making the most of its second car to hoping Honda really pushes the boat out with its final engine before leaving F1.

The recently announced F1 engine freeze from 2022 is something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it helps keep costs under control and ensures Red Bull can take on its power needs in-house. On the other, with no balance of performance mechanism allowed, if anyone steals a march (Mercedes?) or misses the mark (Ferrari?), that deficit will be ‘baked in’ until new engine rules arrive in 2025.

Let’s hope that the move helps create the parity we saw in the late 2000s, which created some of the closest fields in F1 history.