F1: Austria Will be a Milestone for McLaren, Says Andrea Stella as MCL60 Upgrade Plans Begin

McLaren MCL60 will undergo phase two of its multi-part upgrade program between the Austrian and British Grands Prix in 2023. This update will be rolled out before the summer break begins. With Alpine, McLaren's closest rival, making big gains in the constructor standings during the Canadian weekend, the drivers and fans of McLaren will appreciate the timely updates. McLaren had a difficult 2023 season opener after admitting they would fall short of their "projected targets" in the offseason, landing sixth in the constructors' standings with just 17 points after eight races. As a result of the team's promising performance in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, McLaren fans can expect a deluge of news from their camp in the three races to come, beginning with this weekend's trip to the Red Bull Ring. Stella, speaking in anticipation of the race that will include the second Sprint of the year, said that Austria is a circuit where McLaren has always performed well. He estimates that out of the six or seven turns, four will be fast enough for the MCL60 to be competitive.

Also Read: F1: Alonso Expects Sprint Format to Impede Aston Martin AMR23 Progress in Austria

F1: McLaren’s 2023 Season So Far

The 2023 campaign for McLaren did not start well. The Woking team didn't have high hopes coming into the season. Given the calibre of the drivers and the rest of the squad, the supporters are unable to understand how they got themselves into this predicament. 

After McLaren's disappointing showing in the first two races of 2023, technical director James Key left the Woking based team and the team ultimately conceded that it had failed to reach key off season development goals.

After James Key's departure in March, CEO Zak Brown and Team Principal Andrea Stella decided to divide the responsibilities of Technical Director among the remaining three employees. After years of steady growth, McLaren was in risk of falling unexpectedly. To stop the decline and retake the momentum, they will need to strengthen their current roster with impact players like Sanchez.

Also Read: F1: Aston Martin's Formula 1 Success a 'Reality Check' for Alpine, Says CEO Laurent Rossi

Formula One: Sprint Race Rules for 2023

In 2021, Formula 1 introduced sprint races to change up the action and offer a new format than the normal grand prix weekend. With their invention, there would be a competitive session on each day of the racing weekend (Friday for qualifying, Saturday for the sprint, and Sunday for the grand prix). 

This season marks the latest iteration of the Formula One sprint race formula. The qualifying on Friday has no impact on anything that occurs on Saturday since the grand prix is on Sunday. Friday at the usual time, just before the qualifying heats begin, is the sole day for a practising session. This only affects Sunday's Grand Prix starting order and has no bearing on Saturday's sprint qualifying or race. 

Now, F1's qualifying and sprint races take place in Saturday mornings instead of Saturday afternoons. With Q1 lasting 12 minutes, Q2 lasting 10 minutes, and Q3 lasting 8 minutes, sprint qualifying is essentially a condensed version of regular qualifying. The sprint race is 100 km long, and like in 2022, the top eight finishers will earn points. Winner gets eight points, runner-up seven, second place six, and so on down to eighth with one.