[Team] McLaren - can they compete?

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Originally Posted by E.B

This time last year after Bahrain, McLaren had 22 points. This year they have 8. And that is recovery??

They've made progress since last season, remember they went backwards massively during the season. I know it's early days yet but they've not been making a big song and dance about the car, despite what I thought was a very good winter test.

They comfortably got both cars in Q3 and I can't recall a McLaren attacking a Red Bull on merit for years! If Sainz had been a bit wiser with his defense he may have been chasing down Bottas or keeping Verstappen honest too. Norris made good steady progress through the field after a poor start which is something I haven't seen McLaren do in a long time either.

I'm cautiously optimistic this season, reliability looks like it might be an issue but if they keep their heads down and keep developing I think they may pull off a few surprises.