Whenever we discuss the possibility of any form of upgrade at the McLaren Technology Centre, we begin with one simple question: ‘How can we do this in a way that allows our talent to shine?’ Only once we’ve answered that, will everything else fall into place.

It isn’t about building from the ground up, or the top down, or even finding the most cost-effective solution, it’s about building around our people to ensure they can do their jobs. In modern-day Formula 1, working within the current cost cap, budgeting is vital, but not corner-cutting. And that is exactly why we ended up with a brand-new composites facility, based in one of our original Formula 1 factories.

“The team were looking at how we could optimise our throughput of composite components,” explains Production Director Ross Hood. “It became apparent fairly quickly that trying to upgrade and change the workflow within the MTC wasn't going to give us an optimal solution without compromise.”

The project was championed by Piers Thynne, our Chief Operating Officer, and led by Ross. Since stepping up to Team Principal, Andrea Stella’s vision has been to create a performance-led team, and Piers has been the key architect of this, finely tuning our culture through working practices, non-negotiable principles, and the facilitation of key upgrades, which includes a new in-house wind tunnel, a next-gen simulator, and MRC.

Removing floors in the system

Just over five years ago, Piers walked Zak Brown and Andrea around the existing composites workshop at the McLaren Technology Centre, detailing why it was unfit for purpose, but more specifically, the benefits of creating a new bespoke factory.

As well as the aging machinery and lack of natural light, this walk took them across multiple areas and floors… It shouldn’t have done, Piers was at pains to stress - if the tour had taken place over one level, it would have taken up a lot less time, and that, in essence, was part of the problem. None of this was news to Zak or Andrea, but seeing it in practice emphasised the need for change sooner rather than later.

“Piers was explaining just how convoluted some of the routes were,” explains Ross, as we walk the MRC shop floor. “Teams were very separated throughout the building. There was no co-location, everything was split across different floors and areas of the MTC, and so the collaboration wasn’t as good as it could be.

“Teams weren’t working side by side on a day-to-day basis and we were wasting quite a lot of time going up and down lifts. We believed we could save hours in footfall, but the main benefit, which you can’t really put a number on, was improving our collaboration.

“Simple things, like walking over to your colleague and asking questions, rather than doing it over message or just avoiding it altogether because it would require you to go up and down lifts, which you don’t have time to do. That can be the difference between getting a part in the queue for a machine on time, or having to wait another 24 hours.”

Returning to our roots

Once the MTC had been ruled out, the next steps were to work out where this facility would be. Various options were explored but they ended up settling on a building that wasn’t entirely new to them.

Before settling at the MTC in 2004, we’d had several homes in Woking, and by pure chance, one of them became available during our search. “MRC is now based in the same building as racing was before moving to the MTC,” Ross explains. “The design office and car build was in this facility once upon a time, so there is a nice story around us returning to our roots.”

It’s a nice full circle moment, but the choice wasn’t made for sentimental reasons - it presented the team with a blank canvas with which to work from in an ideal location.

“The building had been completely stripped and was the perfect opportunity for us to lay out a composite facility that had optimal workflow in mind.”

Ross and his team were able to map out exactly how they wanted the inside of the facility to look and walk the potential routes they’d need to travel day to day, selecting the ideal locations for each department and every machine. They were even able to make changes to the building’s underlying infrastructure and the electrical systems. Everything needed to fit in a layout that made sense.  

“There are services that you need to install to support the machinery, so the electrical and extraction systems, the vacuum, compressed air, etc,” he continues, pointing out each as we walk around the factory.

It took roughly six months to nail down this down, but even when the building work began, changes were still being made as they realised more optimal solutions.

“We knew the performance gain we would get, so we were signing off some areas and building those while concurrently designing other areas, so that we could get into the building as quickly as possible.

“And it wasn't a case of an architect designing a building and then we fitted in around that, we very much drove this to be an engineered solution. We can move machines in and out quickly and we can access services fast. It’s very much aimed at being a production facility that we can adapt and change over time.”

Reaping the rewards

Seventy-two weeks on from when they first collected the keys, Ross and his team were opening up the factory for work. It was a remarkable turnaround given the scale of the design and build work required, while coordinating with suppliers to deliver new machinery from all over Europe.

The result is bright, modern and spacious. More than one year on, it retains a freshness as you walk around the lively shopfloor.

“That free reign has helped us to create a facility that the team enjoy working in,” Ross adds. Not least because it’s easier to get from place to place, rather than hauling heavy parts across and up floors via lifts or stairs, with four or five different office spaces all converted into one walkable open factory.

“The teams are now all sitting together, and they share a lot of ideas and knowledge,” Ross says. “We're seeing increased efficiency and an uptake in new ideas. It also means that we're getting a more consistent approach to how we're working, so that the team aren’t all operating in different ways.”

Within a few weeks of opening, MRC had produced 2023's hugely effective Singapore Grand Prix upgrade, which scored six podiums from four races. By Christmas, it had created its first full chassis, 2024’s MCL38, and by March, it had delivered a race-winning package. Not only that, but a higher percentage of the upgrade installed ahead of the Miami Grand Prix victory was made in-house than ever before.

Allowing our talent to shine  

These are big milestones, delivered in a short space of time. Some of this success can be put down to the upgrade in the machinery being used, replacing 20-year-old hardware with the latest models, which not only incorporate state-of-the-art technology and software but are simpler to use and much, much faster.

“It’s a massive upgrade and this supports our quest to be digitally minded in our production. Historically, making composite parts has always been manually orientated, but we wanted to enhance the experiences for our operators, so that they’ve got all of the right information at the right time.

“Of course, we noticed a difference in the speed of the machines because they're newer, but it's about how we connect with them and the full production line, by using live, real-time data. This allows us to understand the overall effectiveness of the machines and how we use them. The team now have everything at hand that they could want, from drop-down power and pull-down extraction to pull-down air, which we can move around as we need to.”

The real credit, though, must go to the team. All of the physical improvements were designed with one goal in mind, to provide our hugely talented taskforce with the resources to succeed and deliver on Andrea’s vision for a fully performance-led team. 

Moving to a new upgraded facility has created a mindset shift. By operating in a fresh space, the team’s processes and ways of working have reset. A ‘we’ve always done it this way’ approach has never been acceptable at Zak Brown’s McLaren, and this space tallies with that.   

“The new equipment is fantastic, but it’s the fact it’s been a catalyst for change and that doubles the reward we’ve gotten,” Ross says. “We’re all about the team, giving them the tools to do their jobs and creating a performance-led culture.

“Our mindset and the way we think about things has shifted. We’re constructive and work to find positive solutions. Some of the equipment has been brought across from the MTC, but we’re using it in a more effective way.

“You can see the trajectory we’ve been on and there’s still a lot more to come. That’s what is most promising. We still have a lot of ideas for the future to make it even better, quicker and smarter.”