McLaren’s Ian James: “The team is eager and ready to hit the track again”

After a four week break the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team are more than prepared for this weekend’s inaugural São Paulo E-Prix, as the Woking-based side set their sights on catching Avalanche Andretti Formula E, who currently sit third in the Constructors’ Championship.

Life in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has started well for McLaren, with the British team having claimed a podium and a pole position already this season. They’ve established themselves quickly as one of the strongest teams on the grid, thanks to strong performances from rookie Jake Hughes and René Rast.

Reflecting on the first five rounds of the 2022/23 season, Team Principal Ian James believes his team have made a “solid start” with “some impressive results”, but that there have been some situations where they “could have done better”.

“It’s been a few weeks since the last race in Cape Town, so the team is eager and ready to hit the track again. However, the time has allowed us to invest effort in reviewing the first few races of the season; a good opportunity to dig deep into the data and continue to find opportunities to improve. All in all it has been a solid start to the season for the team, in which we scored some impressive results – most notably our first Pole Position and Podium finish as the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team.

“Having said that, we have also experienced some tough weekends, where we know we could have done better. Our aim is clear: putting together all the elements for the remainder of the season, so we can perform to the best of our ability, right up until the season finish.”

Going into this weekend’s inaugural event in Brazil, McLaren sit just fourteen points ahead of Andretti; however, they are just five points ahead of DS Penske. The midfield is certainly incredibly tight this season, with James expecting it to result in a great race this weekend in São Paulo.

“It’ll be exciting to race at yet another new venue for the championship. After having visited Hyderabad and Cape Town in February, São Paulo will be the third city to host its inaugural FE event this season so far – a great sign for the championship. I’m very much looking forward to bringing the FE action to Brazil and seeing what the fans and venue have in store for us in return!”