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.)

 

[gethinceri]

Brogan I think you'll find it would be fewer turns.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

cross-threading suggests that there is a mechanical fault on the axle/wheel, not the nut.

I was a cycle mechanic for 6 years. A nut gets cross-threaded by the mechanic not putting it on straight. It is no more complicated than that.

 

[Hamberg]

Horses mouth so we can all stop speculating...
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99105

 

[Hamberg]

"We have got to look at the equipment, we have got to look at the process, we have got to look at the approach"

I think it's fair that posters question whether it is human error when the team themselves are looking at all other possibilities.

 

[EvilWhippet]

Great quote from loud_one on Muzz606: "Mclaren doesnt look like a team. They look like a group of engineer's experimenting every weekend."

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Hamberg

I think that it is fair to say that it was human error that could be prevented or minimalised by better equipment. The equipment is functional but, as Brogan said, a deeper thread such as that on Ferraris axles and wheel nuts could go some way to preventing such errors. Drive pins which are easier to engage might also prevent the other error. If the mechanic uses the current equipment without error then there is no problem, so you either make the equipment less idiot proof or you improve the humans. It would make more sense for them to focus on the equipment rather than the human in these instances but in the meantime a replacement human for that role would be thier best option.

 

[FB]

You have to assume the way the gun, the nut and the axle all interact is designed to minimise the risk of cross threading the nut. I would assume the various engineers at Mclaren will be looking at what can be done to improve things beyond just copying the ideas of other teams.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

A snap-on solution would be ideal but then you have the issue of torque and how to apply it.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

"We have got to look at the equipment, we have got to look at the process, we have got to look at the approach"

Wakey wakey, this is what I've been saying for ages, something is not effective in the way that team is organised wrt the process of servicing two top drivers. I obviously have my own ideas that are not rocket science

This has been going on for ages, apart from screaming about conspiracy no questions are directaeble to the boss

This is obviously beyond the realms of probability and luck, something's broken that a top and slick organisation should not be tolerating for weeks let alone months or even seasons as Mac have

Everyone saying that it was just bad luck etc etc, now that the team themselves are saying something's broken are we allowed to speculate on the problem?

Oh we already have over and over again for ages now?

As for Whitmarsh, surely he is not to blame for anything? It's just misguided Internet loonies pointing fingers, everything is aok?

I have a question I'm almost afraid to ask ;

how come it was JB was pitted first again each time and again LH suffered ?

 

[The Artist.....]

how come it was JB was pitted first again each time and again LH suffered ?

Why don't you tell us? Since you clearly have your own opinions! Anyway, I thought that pitting first was a disadvantage- that's what you were screaming about after china!

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Depends on the context Artist, anyway if you remember it was MC that claimed that lead driver had first choice

All I have asked for is an answer from someone not another bout of 'conspiracy ridicule'

 

[Josh]

Because JB and LH had different strategies and the only reason LH suffered was because of the left rear? It's not rocket science.

 

[The Pits]

Without being present at the driver briefings, and the pre-race strategy discussions, I think it is a tough call to understand why drivers pitted when they did. I do not think that Lewis' lap times were suffering, and the main issue in his race was the botched pit stops.

Maybe with the tyre situation, and the strategy pitting early was a disadvantage? meaning longer stints later in the race leaving the driver vulnerable?

Could the issue be something as simple as the nature of the design? A titanium axle aligned with an aluminium wheel nut seems sensible to prevent cross threading the axle, but I worry about a part which undergoes such processes being made out of aluminum, whihc is after all quite a soft metal. What seems odd to me is that it always seems to be the same wheel, which could be idicative of other things which may on initial view not seem relevant, for example, on a clockwise track, is that corner of the car overheating?

That said, I do agree that this was the worst example of the issues, but by no means the first, and looking into things now is great, but also a little behind the curve. It is also worth considering which of the components involved is easily changeable?

I am now a little concerned, McLaren for once started the season strongly, however, they seem to have conspired to not make hay while the sun shone. I do hope this is not a pattern which continues.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

I am now a little concerned, McLaren for once started the season strongly, however, they seem to have conspired to not make hay while the sun shone. I do hope this is not a pattern which continues.

Easy tiger

Something's wrong, but they can't have conspired, remember?

Josh different strategies? which were?

 

[The Artist.....]

This is not a new phenomenon though.... Mclaren have conspired to lose massive leads in the past! 1998 and 1999 jump immediately to mind- 2007 when a certain driver had a 17 point lead with 20 left available managing to lose the championship as well! Mclaren have lacked the killer instinct for many years- in fact largely since senna left them! Sure, they've won championships, but much like williams in the 80s and 90s, they are reliant on having a car driver advantage, whilst their procedures are not always perfect!

 

[The Artist.....]

Ps... This has nothing to do with running 2 top drivers, but has a lot more to do with general procedural faults!!! Even if there was a clear number 1 and number 2, the same mistakes would be prevalent, if not more, as all the team's eggs would be in 1 basket!

 

[Brogan]

You only have to read the first post of this thread to see what I've thought about McLaren for a long time...

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/mclaren.3217/

 

[Cookinflatsix]

They are running two top drivers and it's a free for all as far as resources

Probably it's all happy touchy freely share alike atomosphear in the team, but someone overlooked the simple fact that if it was possible to have a team with top drivers sharing data and strategists, why hasn't anyone done it before? maybe because it doesn't lead to the competition that causes all team members to give their best and be motivated to be slick

Mclaren have A1 engineering and D3 organisation

Restructuring required starting from the top

 

[Fenderman]

Brogan
Ah the opportunity to like that one twice!

 

[Viscount]

McLaren really need to improve their pitstops, even their best pitsop in Bahrain was only the 15th fastest pitstop of the day.

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/04/22/2012-bahrain-grand-prix-tyre-strategies-pit-stops/