McLaren show winning intent with bullish moves in F1 intelligence war

T hese are testing times for the McLaren Formula One team, not least as they stare down the barrel of what is likely to be another difficult weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. Yet to come out fighting with a bullish statement of intent rather than accept midtable mediocrity has been the reaction from an organisation whose storied history deserves nothing less.

This week McLaren announced they had appointed Red Bull’s chief engineering officer, Rob Marshall. The British engineer from Taunton has been an integral part of Red Bull since its inception in 2006 and played a key part in car design during its world championship-winning years of 2010 to 2013, and since Max Verstappen took his first title in 2021 after which the Dutchman has gone on to dominate the championship.

Securing Marshall is a major coup for McLaren, albeit he will not join until next year. He will bring not only his skills but also his knowledge of how Red Bull have built such a dominant car under the new regulations. This transfer of expertise in what must be considered an F1 intelligence war cannot be underestimated.

McLaren’s Lando Norris enthused about what it meant ahead of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The 23-year-old British driver is fiercely ambitious and was blunt about buying access to what might be considered Red Bull’s enigma machine. “I am very positive, excited,” he said. “McLaren did a good job to get someone as big as him. Rob is a very big addition to the team because of his knowledge, the time he spent with Red Bull.

“I am very happy, it’s a big bonus for the team, he doesn’t start until next year so it’s not like he comes straight in and can have an effect straight away but anything that I know will help the team,