Ferrari: “McLaren’s Speed Not Just Due to New Wind Tunnel”

Ferrari believes that McLaren’s strong pace in F1 is not solely due to their new wind tunnel.

The MCL38 has become the fastest car on the grid in recent months, turning both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri into regular race winners. The Woking-based team is currently 41 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.
Among the teams on the grid, McLaren has demolished its old tunnel and built a new wind tunnel equipped with the latest technology at the McLaren Technology Center. Aston Martin is also building a completely new tunnel from scratch, while Red Bull aims to renovate its old facility.
Ferrari has not upgraded its wind tunnel, but performance engineer Jock Clear does not believe that the new wind tunnel at McLaren is the sole reason for their car’s acceleration compared to rivals.
When asked if the new wind tunnel has contributed to McLaren’s success, Clear responded, “Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that, and I wouldn’t want to say that McLaren’s performance comes from that; they’ve done a good job this season.”
“However, we’ve significantly closed the gap. There are still tracks that suit them, but you’ve definitely seen that we’ve closed the gap in the last few races.”
“This is just the driving and attractive force of everyone’s development. If we find ourselves unable to keep up with the rest of the grid with what we’re doing, then Fred Vasseur will have to make a bigger decision backed by significant resources.”