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.)

 

[Galahad]

They'll be right up with the Red Bulls. Of that I have no doubt.

 

[RasputinLives]

How many break downs did Honda have?

 

[Greenlantern101]

Irn bru is the devils work.

It’s DISGUSTING!

Titch I'm starting to think you aren't a Scot at all. All for the union and you hate Irn Bru. Next you will be hating haggis and loving Cricket.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Whaaaat? You can't be Scottish and British now?

Haggis is lovely.

I'm confused.

 

[Titch]

I like Haggis. I don’t like cricket. My Mother was a Cunningham from Glasgow, my father and his family were pure Cumbrian from just over the border. My husband is English, one of our children was born in Aberdeen the other two were born in Wales.

You work it out.


I HATE IRN BRU.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I don’t like cricket.

I love it*

*10CC reference.

No, but seriously I love cricket.

Irn Bru I can take or leave.

My family is English on my dads side as far back as we've been able to trace (1600's) and a mixture of English, Irish and Dutch on mums side.

Speaking of Dutch, don't those bright orange McLaren's desperately need more sponsorship to break up that colour a little?

 

[Titch]

We’ll obviously they don’t need it to be Irn Bru that will just make it more orange. How about Coke or Pepsi. I don’t like them either.
In fact I don’t like many fizzy lemonade things. But if they all want to support McLaren, that would be great.
How about a Dutch beer on a bright orange car.


My sister liked/likes cricket , she played at county level as a young woman. Everyone thought she was the bees knees, maybe that’s why I don’t like it.

 

[Titch]

Anyway McLaren are 11 and 12 on the grid, which Alonso thinks is going to translate into big points. I do love an optimist.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Alonso has been on too much of this;

Now that's the sponsor right there.

It's dutch, it's orange and it's what the car will frequently do during the season.

 

[Titch]

Brilliant !

 

[Galahad]

Anyway McLaren are 11 and 12 on the grid, which Alonso thinks is going to translate into big points. I do love an optimist.

It's an improvement on their last qualifying session with Honda. 11th and 13th.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Which is a bit like a blind man being told they've managed to restore 10% vision in one eye. Better than what he had before but not enough to cast the man in the role of Tarzan.

 

[gethinceri]

Now please don't bring Mr Spigot into this.

 

[cider_and_toast]

The Unidexter?

 

[gethinceri]

Uniped.

 

[cider_and_toast]

His right leg I like. I've got nothing against his right leg.

The trouble is........

 

[RasputinLives]

Mclaren behind all other Renault (and Tag) powered cars. They need to sort that out first before talking about big points.

 

[F1Brits_90]

I dont think alonso will have any worries about is renault the correct decision. For me it was pretty much emphatic. I assumed after testing i might be eating humble pie, but it seems honda are back on form Gasly retired after 20 laps because of power unit issues & even then hartley finished, but was last, 36secs behind next car lance stroll & then alonso lapped the toro rosso

 

[Galahad]

At the Safety Car restart, Ricciardo and Alonso were 4th and 5th, separated by 0.3s across the line.

Over the next 26 laps, the Red Bull was an average of 0.784s quicker per lap than the McLaren, despite being apparently held up by Raikkonen's Ferrari for much of that time.

This year's McLaren chassis evidently not up to the standard of last year's.

hartley finished, but was last, 36secs behind next car lance stroll & then alonso lapped the toro rosso

They didn't wait for Brendan to complete the crocodile before going green - he was already 33s behind Stroll at the restart. But yes, not a great race for Honda.

 

[Bill Boddy]

To be fair to McLaren Galahad Alonso did say during last week that they still had a lot of work to do and that Melbourne would be their weakest race of the season. It would still be a near miracle for them to be on the podium in a normal race this year though.