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.)

 

[Cookinflatsix]

This news is like déjà vu

I'd have thought that after the slight advantage SV gained by visiting the tyre company last year McLaren should have the drivers in the car as much as possible to try and avoid even a slight disadvantage wrt the competitors
Surely the team are more tuned into the feedback of the two drivers than the reservists

The only explanation could be to do with marketing the McLarens road car as I cannot see how any sponsors event can be deemed more important

Surrly can't be just to give the drivers time off?

 

[Road of Bones]

Perhaps McLaren are actually prepared to allow their reserve drivers to drive the car? They do pay them as "reserve drivers" after all! There's only so much feedback you can get from simulators, and it makes sense to me for the team to give the RDs time in the real cockpit to enable them to develop some form of baseline for improving their simulator work.
After all, just because you can set a fast time round Spa in Gran Turismo 5 does not automatically mean you could reproduce that time in a real car...

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Road of Bones

Yes but at least take the drivers and maybe let them be involved if not have a go at some point

 

[The Pits]

I have to say that this is a decision that I struggle with, but possibly for different reasons to others.

The decision, at face value would seem like a no brainer. Allow the drivers who will be challenging in the WDC and the WCC to drive the cars, and help shape the development for the season, allow them more time in the car to get to grips with all the changes, and understand the tyres some more.

However, as the decision is obviously such a no brainer, I refuse to believe that McLaren would not see all this (however incompetent one may or may not assume them to be) This indicates that they believe there are better ways to manage this situation. for example, the promotional side has been mentioned, and if the financial benefits could help the development of the car, it may be better as a business decision to send the chief marketable assets to the promo event, and risk the test/development drivers. One thing I would say, is that Gary Paffett certainly seems to be one of the more trusted test drivers of any of the top teams, and I would suggest that he knows the car and drivers styles fairly well, so what the team may lose could be less than initially it may seem.

So In short, once again not being in possession of all the details and the reasoning, I personally feel, that with the level of knowledge I have, I would send the main drivers. However, I cannot believe that the decision is a simple as we may think, and hence I shall defer my critique regarding the decision until later.

 

[Road of Bones]

Cookinflatsix

Why bother taking your main drivers, if you have absolute faith in your (presumably) very well-paid reserves to fulfil the required objectives?

Why bother employing test/reserve drivers at all, if you're not going to let them actually drive?

It's hardly set in stone that they won't attend anyway-I'm sure that in the event of a tight title fight and huge development requirements, then JB & LH can be parachuted in last-minute.

All this "shock, horror- McLaren drivers not driving" stuff just seems utterly silly to me at the moment. We are 3 races into the new season, and people are already second-guessing team decisions based on very little information. It's ludicrous, to be quite honest.

 

[Viscount]

I agree with Road of Bones. They are test drivers so they should actually test the car at some point. They do also drive in all of the straight line aero tests. Button & Hamilton might like more time in the car, but they've been able to evaluate and get used to new parts on just the Friday sessions these past few years without testing so I don't think it'll be a major issue for them. Finally, it is a rare opportunity to evaluate a young driver in the car (Oliver Turvey not Paffett!), so I think other teams will be doing the same as McLaren.

 

[FB]

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me but the proof of the pudding will be if the car is quicker after the test so let's wait see. All I'm grateful for is that Mclaren haven't taken Jenson and left Lewis at home otherwise this place would have gone into meltdown

 

[Slyboogy]

They should have just put a report up like that for a joke

 

[teabagyokel]

FB & RasputinLives

Testing and racing are very different animals. Perhaps McLaren trust Paffet & Turvey to pump in consistent laps of roughly the same time rather than Button & Hamilton who would pump in a fast one here or there. Thats why Ferrari were able to use Badoer so successfully over a long period of time.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

All this "shock, horror- McLaren drivers not driving" stuff just seems utterly silly to me at the moment. We are 3 races into the new season, and people are already second-guessing team decisions based on very little information. It's ludicrous, to be quite honest.

I agree that it would normally be premature to be second guessing team decisions at this stage

However all you have to do is read Brogans original post for this very thread to understand why any type of Mclaren deviation from the norm or common sense option will be looked at closely and with some trepidation

I would take both drivers even if they are there to watch and take part in the debrief whilst the test drivers memories are still fresh

Yes the test drivers have a job but with limited testing might be better for the drivers to be around when the tests happen, maybe even take a small part

And test drivers are just not going to be as good as the drivers even if they are specialists at driving round a circuit to collect data, both drivers could do the same and JB would probably be able to drive more smoothly and consistently than the pair of testers

I thought test drivers did donkey work to allow the drivers to race, however at this stage the drivers need to be doing some donkey stuff If the other teams take their drivers otherwise a slight advantage might be gained by your Vettels and Schumachers (like placing towels early to bag the best recliners)

 

[RasputinLives]

Teabagyokel

I'm sure they do different job but ultimately they are there to feed behaviour of the car back to the engineers and drivers. You're not telling me that wouldn't work better if they worked with the drivers rather than reproting back days later?

 

[FB]

Mclaren are practising pit stops in FP1 under the eagle stare of Ron Dennis. However, they have given responsibility to improve the pit stops to Sam Michael so expect some complete fuck up's during the race.

 

[racecub]

Ron's there? Excellent! You dont rate Sam Michael? I was hoping he'd sort things out after last years fiasco's. Must admit not much evidence of it so far

 

[teabagyokel]

RasputinLives - I don't know, really, but they must have their reasons and to me that seems the obvious one.

 

[Hamberg]

How, HOW can they screw up exactly the same way as last week. Seriously how?!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Again the same painful disorganisation, whatever the problem was last week they fixed it for JB but didnt check LHs just in case

or something like that

edit; this is just a simplification of why they made the same mistake maybe

 

[Hamberg]

 

[FB]

Mclaren are practising pit stops in FP1 under the eagle stare of Ron Dennis. However, they have given responsibility to improve the pit stops to Sam Michael so expect some complete **** up's during the race.

I did warn you...

 

[Hamberg]

They are certainly the best at throwing it away

 

[EvilWhippet]

Mclaren are practising pit stops in FP1 under the eagle stare of Ron Dennis. However, they have given responsibility to improve the pit stops to Sam Michael so expect some complete **** up's during the race.

Nostradamus. It's you.