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.)

 

[Greenlantern101]

So JB has gone from driving Mercs and wearing Tags all free gratis to now driving a Honda and wearing....what a Casio?

How things have turned.

 

[siffert_fan]

Maybe this means that Honda will re-badge their PU's as Acura and give them to the RB team.

 

[Il_leone]

Well I would be seriously asking Ron Dennis to sum up his view of the first season with Honda and how he intends to improve vastly

His quotes were rather ill timed about Alonso and opened a new can of worms

I heard something interesting on the F1 forum about Mclaren when EJ was pretty much saying Ron should quit.
EJ suggests that Ron has very little control over his team and especially drivers

1) Honda demanded Alonso be signed if they wanted a firm comittment about being serious to comeback to F1 with Mclaren
2) Button was not Ron's preferred option back in 2010 and he was overruled by Martin Whitmarsh. Anyone thinks Ron wanted Kimi back then?

 

[siffert_fan]

Personally, I think that McLaren would be much better off without RD. But I freely admit that I happen to loathe the man, rating him right there with Flabio.

If Honda is basically stuck with Sauber, when they could have had Red Bull, all due to RD, I wouldn't be surprised if they terminate their arrangement with McLaren after next season (unless there is a miracle and McLaren is actually challenging for wins).

 

[marksawatsky]

Did Vandoorne get a quicker lap in testing than McLaren did in the race? Funny how a McLaren was quickest in testing. Yes, I know they were running different tire compounds

 

[Il_leone]

So far Ron is not the messiah he proclaims to be . I don;t think Honda would leave Mclaren because the arrangement is usually very tight engine exclusivity.

Sauber - the trouble with that team is it is always struggling for cash and I can 't see them being other than a feeder team

 

[Greenlantern101]

F1 news: Analysis: What VW's Jost Capito can bring to McLaren F1 team

Interesting. I wonder where Ron sees his role now.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Going from a 995cc air cooled engine in a car with cable brakes to an F1 car will take some doing. i hope that he knows this.

 

[FB]

Really? Extra 223 horsepower behind Alonso’s new McLaren-Honda | English | AS.com

 

[The Artist.....]

FB

If all they have done is catch up with the deficit from 2015, then McLaren will still be behind... No-one else is standing still!

 

[FB]

I just find it difficult to believe the car was that underpowered compared to the rest. I know it was off the pace but it certainly didn't look 20 or 30% down on the other cars.

 

[The Artist.....]

FB - I wouldn't be overly surprised - after all, horsepower does not have a direct linear relationship with speed; being 200 horsepower down might only be the difference of 10-15mph terminal speed at the end of straights (which the McLarens certainly were suffering from)...

What was more of a problem was that they had an ERS system that couldn't hold enough charge to be able to deploy around the entire circuit! - that was just embarrassing!

 

[FB]

It will be interesting to see if they drop the "size zero" body shape for 2016 so the Honda engineers can put the right equipment in the right place in the car.

 

[Grizzly]

With regards the deficit, their potential output was not 200 odd hp down, but the usable power was often that far short, due in part to a shortfall in combustion engine output, but in the majority because their harvesting systems fell well short of the others, with the most obvious and visible effect being that half way down a straight of any length, it would run out and at that point they would loose (a potential) 160-180hp instantly.

If you look back over some footage with one of the McLaren's "racing" another car (if you can find some), you will see them accelerate off the corner fairly respectfully whilst the ERS deploys power, then half way down the straight the car they are racing either disappears into the distance or if behind, flashes past before the breaking zone.

So aside from the very real, but much smaller in comparison, engine horsepower deficit over Mercedes, the biggest loss is/was that Mercedes have an extremely efficient and well developed recovery system/systems and last year Honda's was, erm, shit.

Also FB, they absolutely will stick with the size zero rear end

 

[Il_leone]

Honda rejected McLaren advice to hire external staff

This is very bold in spite of what happened last year ... you have to say if Honda goes up in smoke again Mr Arai should be held accountable


It looks like Honda have not learned anything from last season and their last venture in F1 as a racing team. They built absolute turd cars because they got an engineer from within who had very little F1 experience to design their cars,

 

[Kewee]

Il_leone ...... The difference this time is Honda aren't designing the cars, McLaren are, that should make a world of difference. This season should show if they've made the progress they're hoping for.

 

[cider_and_toast]

They were so far off the pace last season even with a major development the best they can hope for is to lead the midfield.

 

[Kewee]

I think the gains they make will surprise everyone, last season will be irrelevant. Just my guess, I may be wrong, we'll all know soon.

 

[RasputinLives]

Kewee you are ever the optimist. I seem to remember you predicting the same thing last year.....and that Ferrari's 2014,machine was going to be a true classic.

 

[Kewee]

RasputinLives , I don't ever recall saying the 2014 Ferrari would be a classic but I did say last year would be a development year for McLaren. We'll know if they've learned from 2015 when they line up on the grid in Australia, though I have also said we won't get a true indication until after the away races. I'm not an optimist Ras, I just can't write off one of the greatest teams the sports seen. After watching F1 for over 40 years I've seen many great teams fall and then rise again. Anyone who would right-off McLaren or any other team that's competed at the very top are not recognising the sports history.