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]

I don't see why the engine limit will stop them developing. If you have a dodgy engine that is slow and might break, then you change it for the new version and take the penalties. It's a no-brainer.

 

[Incubus]

IIf it was that easy to come up with a new engine version whenever your current one isn't up to scratch there wouldn't be much of a championship!

 

[Bill Boddy]

But this is a new engine Greenlantern101, that may well be much of the problem.

 

[The Pits]

But you only have 4 non penalty incurring changes. They have had significantly more opportunity for change over the last couple of years, and gone backwards relatively speaking. I would have little confidence that they can eat in to the current deficit in any meaningful way throughout the season. That said, they could always just take multiple penalties throughout the season. I just worry that based on the current apparent reliability that they will not get sufficient track time to identify and address all the issues, regardless of anything else.

 

[Incubus]

...and quite apart from everything else, how long will the mothership tolerate having its name associated with ridicule on F1 tracks for in the eyes of the motorsport public?

 

[RasputinLives]

I actually feel a bit sorry for Honda. I think the other teams/engine suppliers/FIA have made it very difficult to get back into the sport at any competitive level.....it's almost like they would rather then not come in and break up the Ferrari/Merc monopoly.

 

[Il_leone]

I thought there is going to be no restriction on engine development this season or is that next season?

I am beginning to lose patience with Honda - surely if it aint working the way they are doing things then they have got to change it

- Considering you're only going to supply one team when actually part of the agreement is you must be available to supply other teams

- The other engine builders look for the best engineers available inside and outside the organisation - Honda are only looking within itself

- They have access to data from Mercedes engine


I was on the train the other day and past Milton Keynes where Honda are based so if you're F1 partner is operating in the UK then why aint Honda doing the same thing with the engine building

Honda have really slowed their own progression down ... Mercedes and Ferrari are getting information from at least two teams so really Honda could have been more assertive with Mclaren given the backing they have put in

Apparently there is a break clause which could be triggered at the end of this season.. it will be interesting to see then if Honda will go with another F1 team or quit F1 again

That leaves Mclaren in a right mess as if it they cant get any worse

 

[Bill Boddy]

....I am beginning to lose patience with Honda - surely if it aint working the way they are doing things then they have got to change it....

But they have changed it, it's a new engine.

 

[Road of Bones]

And they made it worse...
Honda- the futility of dreams

 

[Il_leone]

Bill Boddy A new engine using the same people within the organisation and built miles away in Japan not in the UK - the country probably with the best engineers to pick from

When someone like Ross Brawn is available and with his track record of getting teams organised for success why not consider hiring him

 

[RasputinLives]

I think Ross Brawn has another job now days.

 

[Il_leone]

Well Honda and Mclaren because of Ron's ego missed a trick there when the opportunity presented itself

Even when James Allison was available .. could not Mclaren tried to get him to keep Fernando happy?

 

[F1Brits_90]

Do we believe this, as according to autobild in germany Request already made to mercedes by senior Mclaren management whether it would be possible to drive again with Mercedes engines from 2018 onwards. I know i heard from will buxton (i think) during testing that Mclaren have got to be wondering now their is a spare mercedes engine after Manor demise

Formel 1: Honda zu schlecht - McLaren fragt bei Mercedes an!

(Google translate)

Because Honda has big problems again in the 3rd F1 season, McLaren is considering a change to Mercedes & Request already made. McLaren seems to want to draw serious consequences from the Honda crisis during the test drives in Barcelona. As AUTO BILD MOTORSPORT learned from a reliable source, the British tradition team had already contacted Daimler & asked whether it would be possible to drive again with Mercedes engines from 2018 onwards. The contact was flown in from the highest level: McLaren-shareholder Mansour Ojjeh has thus personally knocked with his old partners. At Mercedes, the revival of the partnership is clearly not averse. According to information from ABMS, the Daimler board of directors should be open to the question openly. From 1995 to the end of 2014, McLaren had already been driving with engines from Stuttgart / Brixworth, won 3 Drivers titles with Mika Häkkinen in 1998 & 1999, Lewis Hamilton in 2008 with Mercedes-Power.

McLaren was last seen with Mercedes-Power in 2014 For a separation scenario also speaks: McLaren had attacked Honda several times in the public. In the interview with the Spanish newspaper 'AS ?? Team Boss Eric Boullier was asked how often he had been thinking about where McLaren would be with a Mercedes engine. Boullier's cheeky response: "Let's say a few times ??" Then added the Frenchman: With a Mercedes-drive in the stern "we would win." Starpilot Fernando Alonso also joked against the Japanese: "We have only 1 problem & that is the power unit." Already in the 1st test week the Spaniard blasphemed: "With our engine we can drive all curves full throttle." In addition to the workforce with Force India & Williams, Mercedes currently supplies only 2 other units with drive units. The capacities for a further customer would be there. The tension in F1 would certainly not hurt a competitive McLaren team. Alone: When McLaren 2014 still with a customer hybrid engine from Mercedes was on the road, the team could not win a victory.

 

[cider_and_toast]

McLaren sounds out Mercedes on possible F1 engine supply deal

Also being reported on Autosport.

So what do we think, is this the end of a not very beautiful relationship or is this McLaren firing a public warning shot to Honda?

 

[rufus_mcdufus]

It certainly sounds like an admission that McLaren are expecting another bad year in F1.

 

[The Artist.....]

Given where McLaren are at the moment, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised to see a B-spec car coming out in the middle of the season, powered by a Mercedes engine...

 

[RasputinLives]

Are they allowed to switch engine supplier mid-season? I can't remember it happening before.

 

[cider_and_toast]

RasputinLives It has happened in the past. Coloni dropped Subaru and Life got rid of their W12 engine and I think they both shoved a Judd in the back.

You can bet all your money they have legislated against doing that now though.

Edit - Just checked. Coloni switched from Subaru to Ford.

 

[Incubus]

It certainly happened plenty of times in the past, particularly in the original turno era when they ditched their normally-aspirated engines for BMW's, Renaults, Porsche or Hondas at various points within seasons in the early eighties.

Of course the most influential engine supplier switch within a season has got to be that of Lotus switching to the Cosworth at the 1967 Dutch GP,which opened floodgates to the start of the Cosworth era in F1.

 

[Il_leone]

RasputinLives Remember Porsche who were great under Mclaren because they were funded by Mclaren to build exclusive engines for the team

When they came back with Arrows back in 1991.. it turned out to be one of the most gloomiest experience for Alan Jenkins - the team designed and the team. The engine weighed a whopping 210Kg when the others were about 140kg and lacked power . The team had no choice but to switch to a Ford Cosworth engine that season

Previous instances I think was Brabham with Piquet who switched from Ford Cosworth to BMW in 1982, and Lotus changed from Ford Cosworth to Renault Engines in 1983
--------------------------------------

McLaren explore Mercedes engine option after Honda problems

At first I thought this was a leak but it appears no one in Mclaren is denying this given Bouillier admitted the team could win with a Merc engine

It seems like the knives are out and Honda are being gradually stabbed. It is hardly positive encouraging incentive to Honda to improve. It will be interesting how Honda come up and respond to Mclaren and make guarantees that they will be competitive

This could get messy but Honda are not known to walk out on teams mid season so the earliest would be end of this season