Brown: We face a formidable challenge next season

McLaren started 2023 on the back foot, their MCL60 turning out to be a painfully slow car, not the kind of machine a team would won't when celebrating 60 years since Bruce McLaren started the team.

However, with Andreas Seidl leaving for Sauber, Andrea Stella took over the Team Principal position and initiated changes within the team, especially the technical department that same James Key vacate the position of Technical Director.

By midseason, McLaren delivered a major upgrade for their MCL60 which catapulted them to become the second fastest team behind Red Bull.

Brown reflected in his letter, he wrote: "While it was a tough start for us in Formula 1, we stayed focused and remained calm under our new leadership team, headed by Andrea Stella, to develop our car, which took us from the back of the grid to fighting at the front.

"The amazing thing is that, apart from a few changes at leadership level, it was the same people who started the season that enabled McLaren to finish 2023 strongly. And as we work around the clock on our 2024 challenger, we intend to build on this year’s progress and push our rivals even harder next year.

"We face a formidable challenge next season in continuing to close the gap to the front," Brown added. "All teams are locked in a quest for car development and greater pace that is just as fierce off the track as it is on it, but our team will rise to the challenge with its usual determination and relentless dedication."

Red Bull did not face a single challenger in 2023, as McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin took turns taking the fight to the 2023 F1 Champions, also fighting among each other for the best finishing position in the Constructors' Championship behind the Bulls.

Brown commented: "Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin didn’t make it easy for us, but we pushed at every race on each and every lap, resulting in a thrilling finish where the final positions in the FIA Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship were only decided at the 23rd — and last round — of the season.

"Never before have five different teams scored seven podiums in the same season, which just goes to underscore the competitive nature of the grid this year," he pointed out.

Brown also outlined the plans McLaren are implementing in the future in terms of new staff, infrastructure, he revealed: "We have plenty to look forward to, both in 2024 and in the years ahead.

"Significant recent investments in our infrastructure, including a new wind tunnel, a next-generation simulator and an upgraded manufacturing unit will help accelerate our journey back to the front.

"Plus, we have new senior personnel starting with us in January, in Rob Marshall and David Sanchez, who, combined with our already awesome team, should ensure we start 2024 on the front foot.

"In addition, our recent agreement with Mercedes-AMG High Performance Power Trains allows us to continue to use their power units beyond the new engine formula in 2026 and through to 2030," the American concluded.

McLaren achieved nine podiums in 2023, while their rookie driver Oscar Piastri won the Sprint Race in Qatar where the team also achieved a record pit stop during the grand prix, a 1.8s stop to service Lando Norris.

The team scored 302 points to finish fourth in the 2023 F1 Constructors' Standings.