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.)

 

[downforce]

 

[downforce]

 

[Cookinflatsix]

thanks Downforce

That car does look the business

 

[sushifiesta]

The gallery over at planetf1 is good: http://planetf1.com/photo-gallery/7471620/McLaren-MP4-27#photo=0

This has got me all excited for the new season now, I'd been struggling before to get in the mood. It looks decent enough, and a nose that curves rather than a nose that has a step in it would seem to be more aerodynamic to me but I'm pretty clueless about these things.

It's interesting that they've abandoned the L/U shaped side pods, either they didn't do the job they were hoping for or they want to direct airflow elsewhere now the diffuser rules have changed (I think the latter).

 

[bogaTYR]

You really wonder how much of this car is fake or just for the show, the exhausts for a start look iffy. we'll see...

 

[racecub]

Cool car Looks very pretty! And I think it looks fast!!! Sleek like!

 

[MCLS]

Looks like a cross between the 2010 and the 2011 cars, which aint a bad thing, the nose is certainly a LOT better than the Caterhams......

 

[Jos the Boss]

Who is the green helmet for?

 

[F1ang-o]

Who is the green helmet for?

Kermit

 

[Josh]

Oliver Turvey, their development driver. The young one. He's not mentioned on McLaren's site at all except for a single line (which he has to share with Paffett) in an article about PdlR leaving. That's not very nice.

 

[F1ang-o]

F1 team McLaren sign Oliver Turvey | British Racing

Sorry about my frogginess....

 

[downforce]

Isn't Oliver Turvey 24? I doubt he will ever be in F1

 

[Josh]

Isn't Oliver Turvey 24? I doubt he will ever be in F1

Oh yeah you're right... I thought he was 18 or something, he looks even younger than Vettel

 

[Il_leone]

Isn't Oliver Turvey 24? I doubt he will ever be in F1

you never know with F1 plus remember Mclaren have a good relationship with Force India ...I know Bianchi is their current reserve but he is a Ferrari man

 

[Greenlantern101]

FROM AUTOSPORT

McLaren is adamant that it has not made a mistake with its nose design for 2012 - even though every other team so far has opted for a stepped version with their new Formula 1 cars.
The low-chassis concept that McLaren has pursued in recent years means the British outfit has not needed to feature a stepped nose section like its rivals.
But the fact that the team is alone in going down that route has prompted questions about whether it has done the right thing.
Technical director Paddy Lowe has dismissed concerns though, and said that his outfit evaluated the alternative and decided that the solution it eventually chose was better overall.
"This new rule came along and, like every year, you do revisit this stuff," he said in an exclusive interview with AUTOSPORT. "So we revisited it, did our sums again and decided that we would stick with the philosophy we have got.
"Different teams will come out with different answers to those equations always, because they have different sensitivities. There is no good or bad way - so that rule has not affected us.
"For those teams that went down that [high chassis] trend, which Red Bull Racing started off, pushing particularly the front of the chassis and the nose high, they have continued to pursue that policy. And being the quickest car, it is no surprise that it became fashionable as a direction. A lot of people have migrated in that direction now, although I don't think it was so true last year.
"They, then, are the ones that have been affected by the new rules and have had to drop the nose and introduce a compromise to that concept because you have got a step. Some people have some interesting ideas around the use of that step, and we are looking with interest at all of that stuff."
He added: "My model of it is that it's not a case of us missing some trick. It is not a trick or a loophole that we did not spot. We have always known that you can lift your chassis there, but have chosen to not do it now. We did not do it before either, when there was not nearly the same constraint that you have now. That is the philosophy we have gone with."

 

[sushifiesta]

I'm feeling quietly optimistic about the new McLaren at the minute. They've been quietly working through their test programme with no issues to speak of and comments from both Hamilton and Button are that the car feels decent. Both Ferrari and Red Bull have set faster times (as things stand), but both have also had reliability issues and we've heard plenty of negative comments from Ferrari and a few from Vettel.

 

[Viscount]

Posted a while ago about Kevin Magnussen being a pretty quick driver and hopefully making it to F1 eventually, now he's been promoted to doing simulator work for McLaren and will be driving the MP4-27 at the end of season young drivers' test.

http://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/kevin-magnussen-moves-up-in-mclaren-young-driver-programme/?i=1

 

[RasputinLives]

A Magnussen the next big thing at Mclaren? Is this 1994? whats going on!

 

[Porceliamone]

I wonder if he smokes as much as his dad did?

 

[Road of Bones]

A Magnussen the next big thing at Mclaren? Is this 1994? whats going on!

I thought that too - let's hope Kevin doesn't turn out to be as underwhelming as his Dad. I remember reading an article about how Jan had the "raw speed" but lacked the self-analysis and application to harness it properly (as described by Jackie Stewart IIRC). One would hope, with McLaren investing in him earlier, that Kevin's development will be more focussed.