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.)

 

[Il_leone]

FB was that sarcasm? Last comment Ron made was he was criticising Lewis' party lifestyle whilst he was winning at Mercedes and I think Lewis' response was something like he should be more worried about managing his own team

 

[FB]

Not meant to be sarcastic, I wasn't aware of any issue between Ron and Lewis apart from the fact that McLaren couldn't provide Lewis with a winning car. There may have been a few spats between them but then I didn't think their relationship, which was built up over many many years, was fundamentally bust.

 

[RasputinLives]

If Fernando Alonso can patch it up with Ron Dennis I Don't see how the hell Lewis (who gives him nothing but praise in everything I've ever read) can't.

He will end up back at Mclaren one day. I Don't question that.

 

[Andyoak]

Not until they build a car that'll win the championship...

 

[RasputinLives]

Aero formula is coming. My prediction is Red Bull rise to the top with Merc falling back. Mclaren will grow and emerge as challengers. Lewis gets bored/frustrated at Merc and returns to Mclaren saying he never wanted to leave anyway and he is glad to be home. This will prob be 2019.


Edit: changed my mind. 2020

 

[Bill Boddy]

How old will Hamilton be in 2020? A year younger than Button is now?

 

[RasputinLives]

But Mclaren will still want him.

JB will be back at Mclaren in 2018 anyways after Alonso leaves at end of next year.

 

[Titch]

Maybe Button is replacing Ron as team manager.

 

[Greenlantern101]

I can't see Lewis going to a midfield team again. He will only change team if there is someone more dominant and he can get a seat. If Merc falls away from the front and he can't get in the top team I think he would retire to make the hippity hop music.

if that top team with a seat is McLaren they would fall over themselves trying to sign him.

 

[Il_leone]

I will say again Lewis wants to emulate Ayrton Senna and the things he would love to do was

i) Win 3 titles with Mclaren where he was promised a Mclaren sportscar if he did .. does that still hold?
ii) Win in a Mclaren Honda which would be fitting for him .. if the team can move forwards then I don;t see why he would not want to go back to Mclaren given Honda will only want the best drivers as evidence of Mclaren's commitment

I think if Lewis was offered Ferrari or Mclaren HOnda ... I think the latter will be his choice not the former seeing how Vettel is struggling to impose himself at Ferrari. A free spirit like Hamilton would be stifled by the politics

Alonso/ Dennis relationship was initially based on convenience but I think both have managed to mature over time so no doubt the same would happen with Hamilton but not right now

The catalyst for Hamilton to move is if the Mercedes bosses start thinking he is too much baggage and one of the proteges be it Wehrlein or Ocon are ready for promotion

 

[Titch]

Wehrlein or Ocon , being asked to replace Hamilton, by the team ?!!!!!
Whatever you're on, can I have some.

 

[Incubus]

Maybe Button is replacing Ron as team manager.

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

Or maybe Alonso is? Maybe that was <sinistervoice> his plan all along for the past 10 years?... Talk about a grudge...

 

[Andyoak]

Alonso is just the puppet... Mad Max is there jiggling the strings.

 

[Il_leone]

Titch I meant Wehrlein or Ocon eventually replacing Hamilton at Mercedes ... in 2019 I think or 2020 as RasputinLives predicts

 

[Bill Boddy]

Ocon is showing himself to be at least the equal of Wehrlein who I suspect may quietly drift out of F1. It is even possible, although last Friday was not an altogether accurate comparison, the Jonathan King might be quicker than both of them.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Just to confuse matters there seems to be another possibility of a replacement for Ron Dennis. There is even a possibility that it will take two people to replace him, now that's a tribute to his abilities.

McLaren: Zak Brown is surprise name in frame to replace Ron Dennis

 

[FB]

What comes around goes around. Ron levered out Teddy Mayer at the old McLaren team so I suppose it is only right that the same thing happens to him.

I have to go back through some of my old F1 magazines as I remember reading an interview with his-Ronness who stated that someone at the top of an organisation like McLaren only has "10 aggressive years", this was in the mid-80's. After 35 years you have to think Ron, by his own admission, is well past his sell by date.

 

[Olivier]

A piece on mclaren technology centre. Couldn't help but to add a comment

Under the hood of the mysterious McLaren Technology Center

 

[gethinceri]

^love it Olivier

 

[Bill Boddy]

One of the laws of C. Northcote Parkinson reads:

"A perfection of planned layout is achieved only by institutions on the point of collapse… Perfection of planning is a symptom of decay. During a period of exciting discovery or progress there is not time to plan the perfect headquarters. The time for that comes later, when all the important work has been done."