Unsurprisingly after a poor 2013 thus far for McLaren, the teams attentions are beginning to turn towards 2014.
This time last season McLaren were regularly winning races with both then team-mates Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton standing on the podium on a frequent basis.
When Hamilton announced his decision to leave McLaren for Mercedes it baffled almost everyone in the pit-lane, why would the Brit leave a team capable of supplying him with a car that could win the Formula One World Championship for a car that had only ever won one Grand Prix?
Fast forward 12 months and McLaren have failed to reach the podium at all this season, whilst Hamilton has won a race and is tipped as a dark horse for a late title challenge on Sebastian Vettel.
McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale who has been in his role for nine years admitted that McLaren’s season is all but ready to be put to bed and forgotten about.
‘Both drivers are capable of scoring points and we have seen some double figure points scores, which is always pleasing.
‘But we have certainly not achieved what we wanted to with this car, and there still remains an awful lot of work to do to make sure we properly understand that and get ourselves in good shape for next season.’
On the further developments that McLaren will make on the current Formula One car, he added: ‘The areas that we’re working on this car are areas that, either directly or indirectly, are relevant to our 2014 campaign, Most teams by now will be switching the greater proportion of their resources and much of the design organisation across to next year’s car.
‘We’re almost through August so it’s four months until the end of the year.
‘There’s a lot of work to be done to get ready for next year.’
