Development of this year’s car is well underway and has been for several months, but Piastri’s hectic schedule in the latter part of 2023 meant he didn’t get an opportunity to log any simulator time at the wheel of the new McLaren.
The 22-year-old will enter his second season in F1 next year, again partnering Lando Norris.
McLaren heads into 2024 on a high after a stunning turnaround during 2023, which saw it finish fourth in the constructors’ championship, having started the year with the ninth-fastest car.
The intensity of the schedule, however, has meant there’s been no opportunity for Piastri to get hands-on with the new car, even in the virtual world.
“If I’m honest, the 2023 calendar has been so full-on with races coming thick and fast that total focus has been on the track to try and seal fourth in the Constructors’ Championship and fight high up the grid, which thankfully we were able to do,” the Australian told Speedcafe of his involvement in developing the 2024 car.
“As drivers, naturally Lando and I feed our comments back and are involved in the direction as part of wider processes, but racing has had to be the priority for us until now.
“Lando and I are consulted on different concepts and ideas regularly so there is always that quest for development,” he added of his involvement in the 2024 car’s development.
“There is obviously quite a bit of time between now and pre-season next year and I think things will naturally develop a lot between now and then.
“It will be cool to get to grips with it, in earnest, when things are firmly taking shape in early 2024.”
McLaren’s new wind tunnel and simulator came online during the course of the 2023 season.
While both will have long-term benefits to the team, neither was in place early enough to be fully capitalised on for the coming year.
Instead, the 2024 car was largely developed in Toyota’s wind tunnel in Cologne, as was its predecessor.
However, both new facilities will have a greater impact for 2025, as will the arrival of key staff in early January.
“The investment in the new wind tunnel and next-gen simulator alongside some of the other upgrades at MTC are all very positive,” Piastri said.
“It’s fantastic to have top technology and such good facilities because it makes a difference in terms of efficiency.
“A new simulator always takes a while to refine and correlate properly and this process is still ongoing so it has been helping with some of the car development, but it is always a gradual process.”
For 2024, Piastri will continue working with race engineer Tom Stallard, who formerly worked with Daniel Ricciardo.
A stable engineering relationship is important, according to Max Verstappen, who it as a foundation for his success, having worked with Gianpiero Lambiase since joining Red Bull in 2016.
“It’s always important to build a strong relationship with your whole race engineering team and they’ve been a great help to me this year, especially as a rookie,” said Piastri of his relationship with Stallard.
“Good understanding and good communication are crucial in helping to drive the car forward and our way of working together has been really positive.
“With every race, those relationships keep on developing as we spend so much time together in meeting and debriefs. It’s been great getting to know them all.”
The 2024 F1 season begins with the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 2, with pre-season testing to run from February 21-23.
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