Current McLaren

Arguably one of the big teams in Formula One but lately they don't seem to be able to get the basics right.
Some of their strategy and decisions in the last few years has left more than a few observers scratching their heads.

Just a few for starters:

• Leaving Kimi out on a badly flat-spotted tyre, resulting in it exploding on the last lap.
• Leaving Hamilton out on tyres so badly worn they were down to the canvas; Bridgestone themselves demanded that McLaren bring him in and McLaren refused, keeping him out for a few more laps. That decision arguably cost Hamilton the first rookie WDC and is one which will haunt him and McLaren for the rest of their days.
• Not sending Button and Hamilton out to get banker laps in during Q1.
• Sending Hamilton out on used tyres in Q3, with rain forecast, meaning it would be impossible to set a fast lap time on his second attempt on new tyres.

Their major updates seem to send them further down the grid, instead of challenging for pole positions and wins. As the season progresses they tend to get worse before getting better, by which time it is generally too late.

It's often said of them "write them off at your peril", but is this necessarily true?

The last time they won the WCC was in 1998 and their last WDC was 2008, before that 1999.
Their days of regularly winning championships seem to be well and truly behind them.

It's all well and good coming up with reasons why they haven't won championships.
The fact remains though, they have won just one WDC in the last 12 years.

So where to now for McLaren?

(I wrote this in rather a hurry so I will flesh it out when I have more time.)

 

[teabagyokel]

MacLaren?

 

[vintly]

Could be worse...

 

[Speshal]

The drivers wouldn't be able to plug their earphones in without an adapter.....

 

[Titch]

Each apple car arrives as a big shiny blank, into which individual drivers download apps to customise their car.

 

[Il_leone]

Honda expands its UK F1 base with second engine supply in mind

Now this is news Mclaren should not rubbish... Honda are only a few miles from Red Bull so really the only other team Mclaren would accept Honda supplying is Force India and make that a B team but they've got a multiyear contract with Mercedes

or will they happily say Sauber can have the engines 1 spec behind

 

[RasputinLives]

Why do Mclaren get a say?

 

[Bill Boddy]

Presumably McLaren have sunk a fair amount of money into it. Also they did take a big hit, had they got a Mercedes or Ferrari engine they would have been getting points at most of the races. They are beginning now to be strong top 10 contenders.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

Apparently the contract they have with Honda is supposedly 10 years exclusive use...now does that mean the 2nd team must get year old engines ?

Ron would never allow a rival competitor the same engines

 

[cider_and_toast]

In my opinion, McLaren's exclusivity of Honda engines has been one of the biggest factors in holding back their development.

 

[Il_leone]

cider_and_toast I'm afraid Ron Dennis is too stubborn to see that . Whereas the only time they tried equal engines at Honda was 2001-2002 Jordan and BAR where it was felt the results were not there because Honda could not concentrate on both teams needs

Going back then to 1988 Mclaren and Lotus - they had the same engines but then it was the class of the field in terms of turbo engine and that was a transition season for every other team not using turbos

 

[RasputinLives]

Mclaren Mercedes and Mercedes had same engines.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Yeah but that was Martin Whitmarsh who in Ron's eyes foolishly allowed it to happen by lending Brawn engines and really Mclaren did not have a say then

Had it been Ron he would have never allowed Brawn Merc engines

 

[RasputinLives]

Wasn't Ron still running Mclaren? And didn't Merc decide to give Brawn engines? I'm pretty sure it wasn't Martin Whitmarsh decision.

 

[Il_leone]

It was done without Ron's consent.. the deal was done to give Brawn engines but Mclaren supposedly have this 50/50 joint decision making process in place with Merc. So Whitmarsh could have been more assertive and stopped that from happening from a Mclaren position

 

[Bill Boddy]

And you have reasonable proof of this?

 

[Il_leone]

For a start Red Bull wanted Merc engines for 2010 but they were not allowed because Mclaren had a say in who can and cannot have the engine

Mercedes Deny Not Wanting to Become Red Bull Supplier

 

[RasputinLives]

We meant about the Merc engines.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Yes Mclaren Mercedes and Mercedes had the same engines but those two did not exist as two separate teams when Ron was running Mclaren

 

[RasputinLives]

No about it being Martin Whitmarsh who let Brawn have the Merc engines.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

McLaren unfazed by Mercedes plan to boost Brawn

You'll find it halfway down the article

and again from James Allen

Why Mercedes is moving towards Brawn, away from McLaren