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.)

 

[downforce]

So the Red-Bull wing is illiegal........and its on the McLaren?

 

[Bill Boddy]

They decided against using it. I wonder why?

 

[cider_and_toast]

I would guess it didn't make the car go faster.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Not that a certain person, who I will call Charles to hide his identity, advised them against it then.

 

[LifeW12]

Sam Michael is finally gone, the trail of destruction he left is finally at an end.

 

[Josh]

What "trail of destruction" are you talking about?

 

[The Artist.....]

Josh
There is a perception (rightly or wrongly) that everything Sam Michael touches turns to manure.

I don't agree with that; after all, when Michael joined McLaren, their sporting side (such as pitstops) were a farce. Now, McLaren have the best pitstops in the pitlane!

 

[Josh]

I know. It's dumb.

 

[jez101]

Not a very auspicious start to the McLaren Honda (II) era. 3 laps completed at the test today. Gave them lots of time to think of positives for the press release though

http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/car/test-report-abu-dhabi-day-1-25-nov-2014/

 

[Road of Bones]

Reports that Sam Michael was seen lurking behind the McLaren garage with a pair of long-nosed pliers have yet to be confirmed...

 

[sobriety]

What's with the massive tubes on either side of the car, turbo cooling?

 

[Incubus]

How bizarre... they can't pick up too much air for cooling with that shape.

Prototype or cars for testing seem to have all sorts of odd-looking appendages these days... remember F Massa's "fifth wheel" that looked like a bicycle wheel fitted to the back of his Ferrari? Not quite sure what that was supposed to ne measuring?...

 

[Brogan]

I thought Massa was the fifth wheel.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Apart from McLaren who are shaking down their new engine, I wonder what the others are testing. Some teams have banged in a lot of laps, especially those with first choice drivers such as Bottas. There hasn't been many pictures or news about the runs other than times so it's hard to tell.

 

[Bill Boddy]

At least Stevens wasn't the slowest which means nothing really since we don't know the circumstances. Hopefully there was a bit of fuel in the car.

 

[F1Yorkshire]

Josh
There is a perception (rightly or wrongly) that everything Sam Michael touches turns to manure.....

http://sniffpetrol.com/2014/11/26/qantas-qock-up/#.VHWka4usU8R

 

[sobriety]

http://instagram.com/p/v3PrfmJKA3/

Short video of the McLaren leaving the pits

 

[jez101]

Oh dear... http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/car/test-report-abu-dhabi-day-2-26-nov-2014/

Despite successfully firing up before the track opened at 9am, our morning programme was scuppered by a hard-to-find electrical issue, which stopped our progress while we traced the cause.

In the afternoon, the team got the car on the track – Stoffel successfully completed an installation lap, and had begun a four-lap run when the car shut down. We were unable to rectify the issue, and, with limited track time remaining, opted to conclude the programme. We will thoroughly investigate the issue back at the McLaren Technology Centre.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Sounds eerily familiar to this quote about Red Bull at the same stage of development of their car earlier in the season.

While their main rivals, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, piled on the laps at the Circuito de Jerez in south western Spain, Red Bull were capable of doing only three laps to add to the 11 completed by the world champion Sebastian Vettel on the first two days.

On Thursday the car was driven by Daniel Ricciardo, who said afterwards: "Adrian [Newey] has gone back to the drawing board, definitely. I guess now there's only so much he can do at the track and I think he's pretty happy working at his office in Milton Keynes."

The big difference of course being that McLaren have the luxury of having the whole winter to sort their teething troubles out before arriving at the first test next year with hopefully a better understanding of the car.

If the car is still giving them issues at the first test on the back of these early troubles then you can expect a difficult start to next year.

 

[Bushi]

The luxury of having the whole winter, the disadvantage of being a year behind of the other manufactures.