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]

The 2012 car can't have been that undevelopable...

 

[KekeTheKing]

It's not too late is it? The schedule is pretty sparse for the next couple months.

 

[teabagyokel]

They have to score their current points score 5.4 times more to get to where Red Bull are now; they could develop the car but they're still absolutely filleted.

 

[Brogan]

If Button wins all of the remaining races and Vettel finishes no higher than third in all of them, Button can just win the WDC.

If McLaren get a 1-2 finish at the remaining races and Red Bull get 3-4, McLaren can just win the WCC.

It's over.

 

[Il_leone]

I think there are pressures from within Mclaren on Whitmarsh about the performances since he took over as team principal


- last time Mclaren were winless was 2006 which was not helped by Red Bull poaching their top engineers but then you had the odd ball situation where they had a future driver already confirmed racing for the opposition which meant the two in the team then were fighting for one place .. realistically they wanted Kimi over Montoya who could not deliver and decided to run back to the US as all other options were not available

-Whitmarsh does not want that ignominy of being the 3rd Mercedes team and winless

 

[Il_leone]

- you can say this appears to be shades of 2006 as most of their top personnel are going to Mercedes

- Its not an excuse though

Yesterday was woeful

I can;t believe they asked Button to do a long stint on soft tyres with heavier fuel

 

[Road of Bones]

I quite agree Il_leone - it seemed ludicrous not to plan a 1-stop strategy around Medium to S-soft, given their grid position and lack of general pace anyway.

McLaren really need to "Be Less Shit" from now on...

 

[RasputinLives]

OK so having just watched Mclaren youth driver Steffel Vandoorme storm to his third victory of his rookie year in the Renault 3.5 world series in Moscow today which puts him just 4 points behind championship leader Kevin Magnusen(son of Jan) who is also a Mclaren youth drover I've decided to post how amazingly annoyed I will be if Mclaren decided to run Gary Parfeet at the upcoming young drivers test.

The point of the young drivers test is to give some of the teams youth prigramme drivers some valuable track time NOT to devolp the car. Yesterdays hearing which has basically classed the YDT as the equivilant of a 3 day tyre test seems to have given the teams free reign to ditch that idea and go for as much info as they can. Not in the spirit of the thing guys and as Mclaren were a bugger for doing that anyway I'll be even more unhappy.

Comr on Mclaren you have two great young drivers both on top form and currently sticking it to Felix Da Costa (who will be there!). Give em some track time and sack off Parfeet and Turvey who are never going to be in F1.

Vandoorme by the way is one of only 2 drivers to win his debut Renault 3.5 series race. The other was some bloke called Sebastian Vettel.

 

[Il_leone]

With Mclaren's young drivers I don;t any of them gettting in F1 at the moment unless they work with Force India like they did with Di Resta to give them a go

 

[RasputinLives]

It would be Mclaren's loss because, and I'm sure I'll be quoted on this, Vandoorne really is the real deal as far as I can see. Best prospect I've seen in a long time and if he does go on to win the world series this year and I were in charge of Mclaren I'd be paying Marussia (they have far more connections with Mclaren now. FI and Di Resta for that matter are Mercs underlings) a big chunk of money to put him in next year and have him set up for the A team come 2015 and the start of Honda.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

Lewis Hamilton was a one off phenomenon in 2007.

Marussia are going to get Ferrari engines so might be a bit tricky putting a youngster there unless off course Mclaren will happily pay for the driver. I remember Kevin Magnussen was suggested as someone with potential to watch

As for this youngster coming into the A team there is one scenario I think that may happen is if he some talented youngster coming from BRazil because Honda love Brazilians

I would be shocked if Honda want Bruno Senna in the team for obvious reasons of name and association

 

[RasputinLives]

Marussia currently use Mclaren technogly and Mclaren's simmulator (yes Bianchi gets to go inside the Mclaren technology centre) and have far closet connections to Mclaren despite landing Ferrari engines. So landing a driver there isn't a long shot.

Magunersen is highly rated and looks pretty quick but Vandoorne has come in for his rookie year and easiky kept pace with him and is starting to go past him now. I never mentioned Lewis Hamilton as a comparrison just seems silly not to plan to bring through a driver who is starting to look the business especially when there current line up is an older drivervwith a few years left and an as yet unproven one.

As for your brazilian honda theory I think its nuts and can I just say for the record that if Mclaren sign Bruno Senna I will officially stop watching F1.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives

Look through the history and see why

Honda with Williams - they were promised by Frank to sign Piquet who was the best driver beside Prost in mid 80's supposedly and make him no 1 and they were not happy about losing the drivers title in 86

- they would only stay with Williams if Frank took Nakajima unless off course Frank was gonna drop Mansell as Piquet was off to either Lotus or Mclaren

Mclaren - Ron had either Piquet or Senna to partner Prost and Alain thought Senna would fit needless to say Honda loved Ayrton much to the chagrin of Prost who felt he was being ostracised


BAR Honda - when they dropped Sato - much to the anger of Japan who did they sign Barrichello - a Brazilian

When they were going to drop Rubens they tested two drivers - Lucas Di Grassi or Bruno Senna both Brazilians but seriously they wanted Bruno

---------------------

I hope I am wrong about it as I don;t see any upcoming Brazilians into F1 and not sure if Jenson will stick around for 2015 as I don;t see anyone wanting to drive for Mclaren unless they make a shock swoop for either Vettel, Alonso or Raikkonen but money might be an issue to other bidders

 

[RasputinLives]

Felipe Nasr? I still think your pushing it with the fact Honda have a policy of signing Brazilians.

You are prob right about Button. I just think this kid is good and if he carries on the way hevis they'd be silly to have him in there youth programme and not give him a go.

 

[Il_leone]

Honda seems to love signing Brazilians probably because the two countries have forefathers and ancestral roots if they're aint any good Japanese drivers then a Brazilian will be like an honorary Japanese


I am not sure what sort of relations Button had with Honda although he did suggest to get Ross BRawn on board but I am pretty sure it is no way like the way Senna simply was relentless in pushing Honda for development and he was loved by the whole of Japan. I see Jessica will be doing more promo work then possibly

I think Mclaren would be taken such a risk with a rookie unless Sergio improves and shows he has race consistency to go with that aggression for them to put a rookie in the other car

 

[RasputinLives]

As we've seen before. The risk depends on how good the rookie is!

 

[Il_leone]

well Mclaren's rookies

Prost - 1980 - the team was in a transition phase having lost Depailler and proven uncompetitive in the ground effect era

Andretti - forced by sponsor pressures from Marlboro desire to have world champion

Hamilton - Ron said no one on the grid impressed him to sign them and the better options all left or were contracted to their teams
so he was left with Pedro although I do wonder what if Gary Paffett had got the nod

Whitmarsh made reference to Hamilton's failed experiment comment about fast tracking too quickly into F1 into the sharp end of F1 without learning how to compete with an uncompetitive car so whoever gets it will probably have an uncompetitive car and too much expectation

It would be a serious gamble

 

[Il_leone]

More McLaren toil this weekend

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/jun/22/jenson-button-mclaren


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...tml?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/23053940

 

[RasputinLives]

Mclaren nick Sauber designer

http://www.planetf1.com/driver/3213/8796657/Morris-to-swap-Sauber-for-McLaren

 

[no-FIAt-please]

I notice McLaren have a new sponsor. Claro. Didn't they use to be with Sauber? What a strange coinkydink...