McLaren tech boss Andrea Stella says the team will need to implement an "aggressive" development programme this season to improve the performance of its troubled MCL60.
The car celebrating McLaren's 60th anniversary suffered a slow start to its F1 career last week in Bahrain, with teething and fundamental issues disrupting the team's preparations.
At the car's launch two weeks ago in Woking, Stella warned that he was not happy with the development status of McLaren's 2023 machine, but the Italian pointed to upcoming upgrades that would hopefully bring the car in line with its development cycle.
However, testing last week revealed the full extent of McLaren's troubles, with the team's MCL60 displaying poor aerodynamic efficiency according to Stella, meaning the design simply produces too much drag for a specific level of downforce.
Stella now suggests that only a bold development programme will help McLaren hold its own among F1's top mid-field contenders.
"I think being aggressive is required," Stella said in Bahrain.
"I think [being aggressive] can be intended, from a timeline point of view, you want to bring these upgrades as soon as possible, and also from a development rate point of view.
"We see that the game is incredibly competitive. I think Formula 1 gets more and more competitive every year in terms of how many teams now have the facilities, the equipment, the people to develop cars at a very high rate.
"If we want to meet our objective of being a top four car over the course of the season, we have to out-develop our competitors, we do have to be aggressive."
McLaren concluded pre-season testing with the lowest lap-count of all ten teams due to teething problems, while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were respectively P13 and P19 in the overall pecking order.
Formula1.com consultant Jolyon Palmer reckons McLaren will be playing catch-up from the outset while it attempts to solve the "fundamental flaw" that is pinning down team papaya.
"This time last year they were barely getting any miles in through problems with the brakes, this time it’s the wheel brows causing problems," commented Palmer.
"Weight saving is still a big area of development for the teams and McLaren have come with a fundamental flaw in their car that derailed a lot of their running.
"They had the fewest laps of any team which is not good for Oscar Piastri, the rookie who didn’t have a particularly clean start.
"Have they got enough to be in the midfield at the start? They’re very downbeat.
"They’ve got upgrades planned but this was undoubtedly tough. The car looked well enough balanced on track but I just think they’re missing downforce, missing fundamental speed and they’re a team playing catch-up at the start of the year no doubt."
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