“Let’s suppose Red Bull are maybe 0.8 second or a second ahead at some circuits,” began the McLaren managing director. “Based on our own experience, we know that we closed a 2.5 second-a-lap gap between the start of the season and Hungary last year. So we’ve demonstrated that kind of gradient is doable. They have a quick car so now it’s just up to the rest of us to get the job done.
“I suspect that they won’t have that advantage all season. I think they are eminently catchable and we fully intend to do that. It’s all still to play for. At the moment Red Bull have the upper hand, but I’m confident that won’t be the case by the middle of the season.”
Although clearly optimistic McLaren have what it takes to catch the championship leaders, Neale admitted that the British team still have their work cut out to improve their car’s qualifying pace, which in turn will enable drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton to make more of an impression on the results.
“I don’t think we’ve given Jenson or Lewis, a car that can put them at the front of the grid yet,” he said. “They’ve got their work cut out. Both are working really well, and in terms of the car both leave nothing on the circuit. The obligation is now on us as a team to give them a car to get the job done, not for the drivers themselves to look at what they need to do next.”
Neale freely acknowledged the team has lost out on points over the last few races because of procedural errors. From Hamilton’s DNF in Spain to the mistake in Monaco that saw Button retire after he was despatched with a foam bung left in one of his car’s sidepods, McLaren - like their rivals - know they must prevent similar issues in future.
“Formula One is not at all tolerant and nor should it be," he explained. "We came out of China on a high and then we dropped points in the last two races and, when it’s as tight as it is in the championship, you can’t afford to make those kinds of mistakes. You need to eliminate those from the game, like everyone else… I think Red Bull would say the same thing. If you look at the potential of that car, and the points that they didn’t score, I’m sure they have their own frustrations.”
While admitting it is something of a relief to know Red Bull have similar concerns, Neale is hopeful that McLaren’s experienced driver line-up will ultimately pave the way to rapid development progress.
Although there are plenty of differences in their driving styles, the similarities between Button and Hamilton are such that they free the engineering department to focus on specific areas rather than spreading themselves too thinly to suit each individual’s needs. This, Neale believes, could be important as the title battle hots up.
“Jenson and Lewis have slightly different preferences for braking, but you’re into a second order of magnitude, compared to fundamentals like suspension, wheelbase etc,” he concluded. “So we’re very happy that having these drivers doesn’t mean the chief engineer has to open up two or three development paths, which sap the organisation of energy.
“It means we can then focus on getting more downforce and getting more out of the tyres on to the car, which is essentially where we are going to close the gap to Red Bull. That and being operationally more effective.”
McLaren, currently third in the standings on 129 points to Red Bull’s 156, will be back in action at this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix.
