F1 2019 Pre-Season Report: McLaren

Ahead of the opening race of the 2019 Formula One season in Australia on March 17, we take a look at how each team is shaping up for the new campaign.

Here, we assess McLaren's chances of rising up the midfield and troubling the sport's big three.

HOW DID THEY PERFORM IN 2018?

After the horror show that was 2017 with Honda, McLaren' switch to Renault power units paid off and they finished sixth in the constructors' standings. Both drivers finished in the points in just three races, though, with Fernando Alonso's F1 career ending in underwhelming fashion.

THE 2019 LINE-UP

Carlos Sainz Jr

The Spaniard was outshone by Nico Hulkenberg at Renault last year but will relish being the main man at McLaren.

Sainz has surpassed 50 points in each of the past two seasons and the minimum expectation will be that he does that again at the very least.

At 24-years-old and entering his fifth campaign in F1, significant improvement will be desired as McLaren aim to return to their former glories.

Carlos passes the 100 lap mark on the final day of #F1Testing . pic.twitter.com/VUXhxN4bis

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 1, 2019

Lando Norris

Appointed the test and reserve driver for the 2018 season, Norris staked his claim to replace Stoffel Vandoorne by outperforming him in FP1 at the Belgian Grand Prix.

The 19-year-old Briton won the Formula 3 European Championship in 2017 and is tipped for big things in the future.

He will hope to last longer in the challenging environment than Vandoorne did.

THE TO-DO LIST

- Begin making quicker progress. CEO Zak Brown has overseen a restructure in the team's management, with James Key taking over as technical director on March 25 and Andreas Seidl arriving from Porsche's World Endurance Championship team in May to assume the role of managing director, in an attempt to streamline their approach.

- Improve reliability. After a strong start to last year, McLaren were beset by technical issues from the Spanish Grand Prix and they struggled to regain momentum.

HOW WILL THEY FARE?

It looks unlikely McLaren will be challenging near the front in 2019, but anything other than a step backwards should be considered a success.