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.)

 

[FB]

Given how long it took to make the decision to have him in the team for 2015 I'm not sure Ron wanted him this year. Given that he is wooping Alonso's butt thus far (wait for a whole variety of abuse to be rained upon me) it's proven to be a shrewd choice.

Here's a bold prediction. Fernando Alonso will not win another GP and will retire at the end of next season. Jenson meanwhile, will go off to somewhere like Force India or Lotus for 2016 and have a shining twilight to his career.

 

[Mephistopheles]

You've gorra larf ain't ya..

 

[Jen]

Yes, it is quite funny if you're not Jenson, Nando, Ron, McLaren or Honda - a cock up from start to finish. If they ever do, that is!

 

[Mephistopheles]

Jen if I didn't laugh I'd cry..

 

[Kewee]

FB.... I don't know the details of any of the drivers contracts other than what I read in the media but I did hear Button say he wanted more than a single year deal so was very happy.

 

[Il_leone]

FB

A bold prediction which would only elevate Button's credibility further . I was thinking whether the Haas team should sign Button for his experience and his credibility as world champion if he got turfed by Mclaren unless Ferrari offer Raikkonen a softening departing note and move him to Haas team


The way Mclaren are going at the moment it appears they will need to keep the same two drivers for 2016

 

[Mephistopheles]

I have this itch that tells me that Button will finish his career at Williams which is where he started it...

 

[Il_leone]

Mephistopheles I would be happy with that seeing it looks like Bottas is on his way out of Williams because Ferrari want him

Massa will be at Williams because of the sponsors which is a pain if you ask me

 

[Olivier]

Massa's not there for his looks only. He also performs decently (3 points behind Bottas) and knows a bit about setting up the car.

 

[Titch]

His looks? Each to his own.

 

[RasputinLives]

Massa's not there for his looks only. He also performs decently - when coached by Rob Smedly (3 points behind Bottas) and Rob Smedly knows a bit about setting up the car.

Fixed that for you.

 

[Olivier]

Nah, Smedly knows a lot, Massa a bit

 

[Mephistopheles]

Be kind to Smedder's Boro lost the play off at Wembley to get into the premiership now they will have to get their arses kicked by Bristol City in the Championship, have a heart lads...

 

[Il_leone]

@Oliver
He's at Williams because he also bought in sponsorship from Bank of Brazil even though he did not get going until the latter half of last season

But really Button would have done better than him last year in the same car

 

[Olivier]

I hope Williams is getting return on their investment ...

 

[Il_leone]

One word to describe what happened to Button today to Ron Dennis "PATHETIC"

A big team like Mclaren with their resources along with Honda have failed again to get one of their cars to set a respectable time in quali

This is totally unacceptable by any F1 team standards especially one who prides on "Absolute professioanl perfection " like Ron Dennis

 

[sushifiesta]

People had unrealistic expectations of Honda coming in and McLaren challenging Mercedes straight away, but realistic expectations that Honda (and Renault) wouldn't be the complete disaster they've been so far this season. However, now we all know it's been a difficult start there's no point continuing to blast them for it.

McLaren have had a few bad years but this year it is at least a bad year with the potential of better things to come. They were never going to be serious title challengers as a customer team so had no choice but to take risks. Plus no one else is going to take the title from Mercedes this year and only Ferrari are anywhere near. I'll only judge them harshly if there isn't a significant improvement next season, like the Renault situation this year, which just beggars belief.

 

[Il_leone]

sushifiesta I am judging Mclaren harshly because Ron been telling everyone namely his other shareholders that he is the best man to lead the team back to the glory years and that his coup his justified

He's made a few bungled decisions along the way

- his dithering over the driver line up - costs them a lot of time for everyone to work and develop the car
- his management of Honda so far.. how did they end up producing such a engine given they 've had a year to read the rules and had access to Merc engines data
- the car which is so far very brittle

they've gone through the same changes as Ferrari and ended up doing a real terrible job so far

the blame must be at Ron's door not Bouillier's

 

[Il_leone]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/live/formula1/32541485

"People have been very patient with Honda so far this season, accepting that the company started late on its F1 engine, probably entered too early, and is effectively doing 'R&D in the public domain', as Mercedes engine boss Andy Cowell put it a couple of races ago.

"However, a backlash was inevitable and it came on Saturday afternoon, after a poor weekend for the Japanese company that has required engine changes on both cars because of failures and Jenson Button starting from the back of the grid, and with a drive-though penalty for fitting a new turbo and MGU-H to replace those that failed on Saturday. Fernando Alonso could manage only 14th - although will start 13th following Max Verstappen's penalty.

"As a result, Honda F1 boss Yasuhisa Arai got a bit of a going-over in the post-qualifying news conference. He admitted he was 'not satisfied and very sad', and that it had been a 'tough' weekend. As the pointed questions poured in, Alonso and Button, sitting either side of Arai, had their heads down, the peaks of their caps preventing onlookers discerning their expressions.

"Arai promised 'more horsepower in the near future' and that 'in the middle of the second half of the season we can expect good competition with top-level teams'. Not only does that seem an ambitious claim, but if it does not happen those difficult questions will only get louder."


Where was Ron Dennis for this unacceptable performance as it looks like the dissenting voices are looking at what Honda are doing

 

[Wiley Coyote]

"Arai promised 'more horsepower in the near future' and that 'in the middle of the second half of the season we can expect good competition with top-level teams'

When teams say that, they never seem to match that expectation. McLaren said that they would be competitive by Canada. That didn't happen as we can see. What they must be expecting is to be competitive with the top teams if they didn't upgrade their cars. Or that is implied by them or something. I bet by Russia, they will might be battling with Red-Bull, Force-India, or maybe Williams. Not Ferrari though.