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]

I shouldn't think Lewis gives a rat's arse what number is on his car. If it's not number 1 its just another number. Line drawn, start agen.

That depends if he is superstitious or not. Just saying history is not on his side carrying car no 4

 

[Viscount]

Button, "How many cars have got 1 and 2 on?" Hamilton, "Yeah, we have to catch up with that."

 

[Bill Boddy]

Most teams have a number 1 and number 2 driver, often based on which of them was the more successful for team the previous season. Hence even numbers from 2 to 12 have less chance of winning the WDC. From number 14 upwards it will be the odd numbered driver who hypothetically has the best chance, i.e. 1000 to 1 against.

 

[Galahad]

For 20 years car no. 4 was a Tyrrell, so its lack of success is no surprise. Obviously it doesn't matter in any way whatsoever.

 

[Il_leone]

For 20 years car no. 4 was a Tyrrell, so its lack of success is no surprise. Obviously it doesn't matter in any way whatsoever.

yes but since the new number system was in place from 1996

the drivers who held car no 4

96 Berger
97 Frentzen
98 Irvine
99 Irvine
2000 Barrichello
2001 Coulthard
2002 Raikonen
2003 Montoya or R Schumacher
2004 Montoya or R Schumacher
2005 Sato
2006 Montoya
2007 Kovalainen
2008 Heidfeld or Kubica
2009 Massa or Raikkonen
2010 Rosberg - yes M Schumacher made a big fuss about superstitions
2011 Button

the closest anyone has got is 2nd in the championship

 

[teabagyokel]

2008 was Kubica and 2009 Raikkonen, who had significantly better seasons than their team-mates luck wise.

 

[Il_leone]

2008 was Kubica and 2009 Raikkonen, who had significantly better seasons than their team-mates luck wise.

still car no 4 has not won the title even though some top class drivers have entered with it

 

[FB]

Time for Lewis to rewrite the history books again then...

 

[Il_leone]

Time for Lewis to rewrite the history books again then...

Well Jenson has done two

1) only world champion who took more than 100 races to win his first gp
2) first teammate to beat Lewis

But its about time the curse of car No 4 be broken

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Woah!!

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Hardcore!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

 

[Josh]

Wow, I'm jealous! Beautiful car.

 

[Bill Boddy]

....But its about time the curse of car No 4 be broken

That would carry more weight if you were talking about a roulette wheel, but this is talking about drivers who were mostly second best of two the year before.

However, for once driver number 4 could very well win the WDC next season.

 

[FB]

I don't care how much Mclaren want to win, this is just silly.

McLaren's race drivers are on strict diets as the British Formula One team plots a course to the top step of the podium in 2012.

Even on Christmas Day, when much of the world indulges, Lewis Hamilton ate a protein shake for breakfast with dates and raisins, followed by beans with brown rice for lunch and fish for dinner.

"I sit at the table and I see everyone else having the biggest pile of pancakes, waffles and eggs and bacon and I'm just dying, it's like a punishment for me," the 2008 World Champion told the British tabloid The Sun.

It's a similar story for his team-mate, Jenson Button.

"The team want me to be lighter than I actually should be, basically, I don't eat carbohydrates, unless I'm training hard," said the 2011 runner up.

McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale confirmed the team's obsession, as every gram under the mandatory 640kg minimum weight can be better positioned for handling and performance.

"The team wanted to change the drivers' race suits during the season and add an extra logo," he revealed.

"That would have added 37 grams to the weight and I had a heated argument about it. We want the drivers to be as light as they can be, because that gives us more leeway with what we can put on the car."

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?optio...rown-rice-for-christmas&catid=1:f1&Itemid=157

 

[LJKSet]

Sounds like a Ron directive. Then again, people probably scoffed at Mercedes-Benz ´de-painting´their cars to save weight, and hence accidentally creating the Silver Arrows. Allegedly.

 

[Viscount]

Seems a little excessive, though every little helps. It does make me wonder how much weight differences between drivers in the same team affect their car.

 

[Bill Boddy]

Seems a little excessive, though every little helps....

Not if it affects their concentration or their stamina.

 

[LJKSet]

Driver height can certainly make a difference. I remember one driver, may have been Berger or Wurtz, having to tip their head to one side in order to allow maximum airflow into the airbox intake. Not much McLaren can do about driver height, one would hope...

 

[racecub]

Lewis has a lovely body!! Eyes left!! He doesnt need to be any skinnier. And I think they could have had Christmas day off. They've got weeks to get one meal off before the start of the season. Its not like these guys are unfit. If McLaren are looking for tiny weeny areas to improve there are better ones (even I can think of them) than starving their drivers.