McLaren rightly being backed to challenge Red Bull in 2024
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner believes McLaren could be their closest challenger next season in F1, and it is hard to disagree with him on last year’s evidence.
The Woking-based team had a sluggish start to proceedings in 2023 but gradually got their act together with a host of upgrades being applied to the car and in the second half of the year they made some really strong progress.
Indeed, they were keeping Red Bull honest for much of the second half of the year, and Horner believes they could be chief challengers to the champions in 2024:
“I think McLaren had a great second half of the year,” Horner told Sky Sports.
“There were times when they were our closest competitor. They have strengthened their team and Rob [Marshall] will be an asset, but it’s not just about one person
“There are seven or eight hundred people in an F1 team and it needs the whole team to come together.
“With Lando [Norris] and Oscar [Piastri] – who was really impressive as a debutant – they could well be a factor next year.”
With the current crop of cars being all about aero, Horner’s prediction could well prove to be accurate in 2024 too.
The McLaren package came alive once their sizeable upgrades had been applied, with much of them focused on the aero side of things.
Indeed, if they can keep building on the sound footing they found in 2023, there’s every chance they will be closest to Red Bull in 2024 – time will soon tell.
Featured image credit: McLaren Racing
