McLaren is taking advantage of the extended April break caused by the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix to ready itself for the coming races after a rocky start to the 2023 season.
Oscar Piastri retired from the first race of the season, while Lando Norris finished in 17th due to a technical issue.
Saudi Arabia wasn’t much better, as the McLaren’s finished in P15 and P17 over 85 seconds behind the race winner Sergio Perez.
Australia marked a slight improvement for McLaren but only due to the large number of DNFs, as Norris took P6 and Piastri took P8.
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McLaren will bring a series of substantial upgrades to the first sprint race of the season in Baku, with Piastri confident it will make the car more competitive.
“I think it’ll definitely help us to move closer to the front of the grid. I’m sure all the other teams have got upgrades of their own as well,” Piastri said.
“And I think what we’ve got coming in Baku is a good step in what is a bigger plan throughout the rest of the season.
“So it’ll help a bit, definitely, and get us on the right track, I hope.”
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Discussing the extended April break, Piastri described it as a “nice opportunity” to reflect on the first three races of the season.
“It’s a bit of a reset for the rest of the year. So, I think it’ll be nice for everyone.
“Obviously, you want to keep that momentum if you’re going well, it’s a good chance to reset if you’re not, so I think we’ll use it to our advantage,” he explained.