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.)

 

[Slyboogy]

Interestingly, last year with the exact same engine, the Mercedes engine won 8 races, which is above 40%, and easily could have been 11 if it wasn't for McLaren's reliability issues and screw up in Spain.

 

[Mephistopheles]

Everyone knows it is not a Mercedes engine problem....

But I still see Honda turbos as a good thing for McLaren....

 

[Il_leone]

what is Perez's contract with Mclaren?

I believe Button is contracted until 2015 because he signed a 3 year contract from 2011 and has expressed desire to stay with the team if it gets Honda engines which it has got now

I am sure Button's input about what went right and wrong at Honda will help Mclaren to ensure it won;t happen again ie concentrate on the engine with the engineers

 

[Il_leone]

The deal would mean Mclaren potentially save about £8-£12m a year for paying the engines

 

[Galahad]

If it's a choice between being Mercedes' Number Two team and Honda's Number One team, I think McLaren have chosen correctly.

 

[Mephistopheles]

And of course Honda are renowned turbo specialists....

 

[The Pits]

And, as I have said before, some of the development that they did on the KERS system that was never used in 2009 could be re-used in the ERS, hopefully to good effect.

 

[Slyboogy]

That KERS system will be 6 years old, I'm sure others have caught up and surpassed them in that amount of time if there system as good as you say it was.

 

[Mephistopheles]

It will still be of value though and they have an extra year of pure development time...

 

[The Pits]

Slyboogy judging by the press releases from Mercedes this year, they have not got close to the levels of efficiency that the Honda unit was capable of, falling 15% short. As I recall, Honda spent $100m just on the kers, and although it will be 6 years old, the level of research far surpassed that of the other teams, and due to the expense, I don't think that a great deal of r and d has been completed since.

 

[Il_leone]

you can be sure now this has been announced Honda will work to ensure success given their last disastrous venture they once managed to produce a more powerful engine within 3 weeks in the days of Senna

 

[teabagyokel]

Slyboogy - So long as they don't employ the "KERSbreaker" Mark Webber, they should be OK!

 

[sushifiesta]

McLaren have decided to throw more at this year's car than planned to try and get back to the front, which means less resources have been diverted towards 2014 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/22606809

 

[downforce]

why must they destroy themselves so?

 

[teabagyokel]

 

[downforce]

Was that aimed at me or McLaren?

 

[teabagyokel]

downforce - McLaren.

Unless you were off topic talking about Pirelli, then you.

 

[Brogan]

Meh! Who cares any longer?

I stopped admiring them as a team a long time ago.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I can't remember McLaren ever giving up on a car during a season, think 2009....

 

[RasputinLives]

Did they win the title in 2009 and how did their season following go?