McLaren MCL35 and MCL35M: The Car That Put Papaya Back on the Podium

The McLaren MCL35 was a Formula One car designed under James Key for the 2020 season, then extended into 2021 once the pandemic reshaped the calendar. McLaren later built an upgraded version, the MCL35M, for Mercedes power. Driven by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris in 2020, and by Norris and Daniel Ricciardo in 2021, the cars were regularly the third-fastest team and brought McLaren closer to the leading teams than it had been since the turbo-hybrid era began in 2014.

What was the McLaren MCL35?

The MCL35 was McLaren's Formula One car for 2020, a substantial development over its predecessor the MCL34. It made its debut at the Austrian Grand Prix after the start of the season had been delayed by the pandemic. Its drivers were Carlos Sainz Jr.

and Lando Norris, and the car ran the Renault E-Tech 20 engine for the whole of 2020.

McLaren finished third in the constructors' championship with the car, its first third place since 2012. The MCL35 also produced podiums at the Austrian and Italian Grands Prix, and it set a track record at the Red Bull Ring during the season.

A car built for a season that never came, then reworked for Mercedes power and a one-two at Monza.

Why did the MCL35 race in 2021 too?

The MCL35 was originally meant to race only in 2020. The championship was heavily disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, however, and the lifespan of all 2020 cars was extended into 2021 to limit the financial strain on teams.

McLaren had already agreed to use Mercedes engines in 2021, so it was given special permission, subject to FIA inspection, to modify its chassis to fit the new engine.

That upgraded car was the MCL35M, which McLaren produced for the 2021 championship. Both variants were considered competitive, and the team's results improved considerably during the two seasons the car was used in. McLaren was regularly the third-fastest team and closer to the leaders than at any point since 2014.

Who designed the MCL35 and what changed from the MCL34?

James Key designed the MCL35. He had been recruited from Scuderia Toro Rosso in 2019 to replace Tim Goss. In October 2019 team principal Andreas Seidl said very little of the MCL34 would carry over, because the team needed to close a pace deficit of more than a second to the leading teams.

Compared with the MCL34, the MCL35 put more emphasis on outwash, which moves air around the tyre rather than over it, and it had a higher rear rake. The front wing had more outboard loading to maximise downforce, and the nose was thinner. The bargeboard was more complex, and there was more space between the front axle and the sidepods to meet the cooling needs of the Renault engine.

The sidepods were much slimmer, with redesigned brake ducts for better cooling. The suspension geometry was also redesigned, with the upper and lower wishbones repositioned to influence the airflow over the bargeboards and floor. Much of the success of both cars was credited to a design process that focused on the car as a whole and its performance against rivals, rather than on individual components.

How did Norris earn his first podium in 2020?

Norris qualified fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix, but he was promoted to third after a penalty was given to Lewis Hamilton. It was McLaren's best grid start since the 2016 Austrian Grand Prix. Norris lost positions early on, but both McLarens ran comfortably in the top ten for most of the race.

In the closing laps Hamilton collided with Alexander Albon and received a five-second penalty. On the final lap Norris overtook Sergio Perez and set his first fastest lap to finish within five seconds of Hamilton, taking his first Formula One podium. Sainz finished fifth after also passing Perez, and It was McLaren's second podium in three races, following a gap of 118 races since the 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix.

The result placed McLaren second in the constructors' standings at that point, with Norris third and Sainz fifth in the drivers' table. The team later said the result owed much to a double-stacked pit stop that put Norris in position to take advantage of Hamilton's penalty.

What happened in the European rounds of 2020?

McLaren's European rounds were a mix of strong results and frustrating problems. At Styria Sainz qualified third, the best outright qualifying position for McLaren since 2014. Norris finished fifth after passing both Racing Point drivers on the final lap, while Sainz finished ninth after setting the fastest lap and a new track record.

Hungary was less productive. Both drivers lost positions changing tyres on lap four, held up by traffic in the pit lane, and Norris finished thirteenth while Sainz was promoted to ninth. At Silverstone Sainz suffered a puncture that dropped him to fourteenth, although he was promoted to thirteenth after a penalty for Antonio Giovinazzi, and Norris finished fifth.

At the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix Sainz qualified thirteenth, the first time a McLaren had failed to reach Q3 that season. Sainz later said a late overheating issue had forced bodywork changes that cost him qualifying pace. Norris finished ninth and Sainz thirteenth, and McLaren left the round fourth in the constructors' standings.

In Spain Sainz's car suffered cooling problems, which were fixed only after his power unit was replaced. Sainz finished sixth and Norris tenth, and the team matched its 2018 total of 62 points in six races. Belgium brought a setback when Sainz's Renault power unit failed before the race, so he did not start, and the team recorded its first non-finish of 2020.

Italy brought the best result of the European block. Sainz qualified third and finished second behind Pierre Gasly, having cut the gap to 0.415 seconds on the final lap. It was his second career podium and McLaren's second of the season. Norris finished fourth, and the result gave McLaren its best finish since 2014.

How did the 2020 closing rounds unfold?

The closing rounds saw McLaren fall back and then recover. At Mugello in Tuscany Sainz collided with Lance Stroll on the opening lap, was hit by Sebastian Vettel, and retired, the first McLaren race retirement of 2020. At Sochi Sainz hit the wall at turn two and retired, while Norris ran over debris and dropped out of the points.

Portugal brought a collision between Stroll and Norris that left Norris second-last after a pit stop. Sainz finished sixth and Norris thirteenth. At Turkey Norris was given a five-place grid penalty, and Sainz a three-place penalty, but Sainz recovered to fifth and the team exceeded its 2019 total of 145 points, reaching 149 points in 14 races.

Bahrain was a good weekend. Sainz suffered a rear brake failure in qualifying that limited his tyre choice, but he finished fifth, while Norris finished fourth. The result meant McLaren regained third in the constructors' standings by 17 points. At Sakhir Sainz was third by the end of the first lap and briefly challenged Valtteri Bottas, while Norris finished tenth after losing pace in dirty air.

The final race of 2020 was Abu Dhabi. Norris qualified fourth, only 0.251 seconds behind polesitter Max Verstappen, and finished fifth, while Sainz finished sixth. The points secured third in the constructors' championship, McLaren's best finish since 2012.

How did the MCL35M evolve for 2021?

Because of the token system that limited 2021 development, most of the MCL35M's aerodynamic changes were introduced during 2020. The switch to Mercedes power forced a redesign of the hydraulics, cooling, electronics, air and fluid pipework and control boxes. The Mercedes layout placed the compressor at the front and the turbine at the rear, which differed from the Renault layout.

The MCL35M also received a new gearbox that McLaren developed itself, which made the wheelbase longer. The rear end of the chassis and the gearbox housing were changed significantly, so McLaren was the only team that had to re-homologate its chassis. Key described the MCL35M as akin to a new car, with a more conventional air intake and a more sloping sidepod design.

The diffuser attracted attention in pre-season testing. The car appeared to have diffuser strakes longer than the 2021 rules allowed, and by attaching the inboard strakes to the floor the team could effectively run a larger diffuser. Mark Hughes and Giorgio Piola later described the diffuser as the most original innovation of the 2021 season.

How did the MCL35M perform in 2021?

The MCL35M made its competitive debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, where Norris finished fourth and Ricciardo seventh. Norris was third in the wet Emilia Romagna race after team orders helped him past Ricciardo, and McLaren was the only team with both drivers scoring points in every race through the early part of the season.

Monaco brought Norris a third place after Leclerc did not start and Bottas retired, while Ricciardo finished twelfth. In Austria Norris qualified second, only 0.048 seconds off Verstappen, which was the first McLaren front row since 2012. He held the position for the first 20 laps and then took a five-second penalty, but he recovered to take third and his third podium of the year.

Hungary was a poor race. Norris retired during the red flag, which ended his fifteen-race points run, and Ricciardo finished eleventh after Vettel's disqualification. It was the team's first pointless race in seventeen Grands Prix. Belgium was a rain-hit race that was abandoned after three laps under the safety car, and Ricciardo was classified fourth.

The high point was Monza. Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix, and Norris finished second to give McLaren its first one-two since 2010. The win was McLaren's first since 2012. Norris took his first pole position in Russia, but rain and his decision not to switch to intermediates cost him the race, while Ricciardo changed to intermediates earlier and finished fourth.

What were the MCL35 and MCL35M like to drive, and how were they judged?

The MCL35 was rarely the third-fastest car on pure pace. It was usually outperformed by the Racing Point RP20 and often by the Renault R.S.20. Its retirements were mostly caused by other drivers or by problems with the Renault E-Tech 20, rather than by the chassis or driver error, and it became a consistent points scorer.

Wind sensitivity was the car's weakness, and McLaren later described it as the MCL35's Achilles' heel. The MCL35M was termed an all-rounder early in 2021, though Ricciardo said the car had a narrow operating window and struggled through low-speed corners. Ferrari's SF21 was the main rival and excelled in low-speed cornering.

Sainz, who had driven for Ferrari in 2021, later called the MCL35M one of the most difficult cars to overtake, which said something about its straight-line speed and power deployment. Before 2021 Seidl said McLaren could not compete with Mercedes and Red Bull, and Norris said that podiums at every race were not realistic.

What happened to the MCL35 and MCL35M after racing?

The MCL35M's later runs were all private, with no further race outings. The original MCL35 was displayed at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed. One MCL35M, the car Ricciardo drove when he won the Italian Grand Prix, became part of McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown's personal collection.

The MCL35M continued in private tests in 2022 under McLaren's Testing of Previous Cars programme, with drivers including Jehan Daruvala, Colton Herta and Alex Palou. Oscar Piastri, who replaced Ricciardo for 2023, drove it in a private test at Circuit Paul Ricard in November 2022. Later tests in 2023 and 2024 involved Norris, Piastri, Alex Palou, Oliver Turvey and others at Barcelona, Imola and the Hungaroring.

What were the key results of the MCL35 and MCL35M?