McLaren: 'Too early to determine if the Red Bull high-rake is the best way'

F1 News

18 March 2021 at 15:15
Last update 18 March 2021 at 15:37
  • GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing seem to have the best setup to deal with the changing regulations according to analysts. The high rake of the RB16B and the low floor are a winning combination according to some. James Key, technical director at McLaren, however, is not so sure about this and is waiting to see what happens.

Key indicated this in conversation with crash.net, in which he was asked for his opinion about the high-rake concepts. Key said that he thinks Red Bull's results are impressive, but that this is not necessarily due to the high-rake concept. Moreover, he is not so sure about the high-rake as the best concept for the new regulations. He has yet to see it all.

"I think it's a bit too early to say that. We've only just seen the other cars and what the drivers are doing with them. I think you could say that the regulations have had an impact on that, but not something that is unknown to us in terms of how a car works with rake."

McLaren not going to work with a high rake yet

Key's stable will continue to work with a medium to low rake in 2021. This gives the team the opportunity to keep a close eye on Red Bull's performance. This also fits nicely into Key's plans.

"I think things will converge as the season progresses and you will see trends emerge," he said.

McLaren can then capitalise on those trends nicely before 2022 to take advantage of them. Key is currently not in a hurry to make changes to the car for the coming season and is not at all worried about the changing regulations in this area.