McLaren commissioned a new wind tunnel, which after several delays was completed earlier this summer, after it had been using Toyota's wind tunnel in Cologne. This not only impacted the team's performance, but also its speed in bringing development parts to its race cars.
It also overhauled several other facilities at its McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, including upgraded simulation tools and a new manufacturing facility.
The hardware overhaul was followed up by a significant spend on the personnel side to try and fight its way out of the midfield.
McLaren has recruited Red Bull's Rob Marshall and Ferrari's David Sanchez, with its new hires set to be deployed in a new technical structure drawn up by new team boss Andrea Stella.
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While CEO Zak Brown admitted McLaren had to "make some tough decisions" elsewhere to fit all of its investments under F1's budget cap, he was adamant the team's new facilities will also make it more efficient in the long term.
"We had some inefficiencies in our spend," Brown replied when asked by Autosport on how McLaren made its overhaul work within the cost cap.
"We weren't operating our own wind tunnel, we were renting a wind tunnel, so that comes at a higher cost than if you're just paying operational expenses for your own.
"We've had to make some tough decisions, but also with some of our new technologies coming online, they're actually financially more efficient and so we're able to redirect some of that inefficient spend into additional headcount."
Source: Autosport