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.)

 

[Brogan]

I just posted this in the race thread but it's appropriate here too.

Gary Anderson on the BBC.

"The fuel rig guy put the rig on, but he had the handle set to drain fuel. He discovered his mistake and switched it to put fuel in the car. But as a result he didn't put as much fuel in it as he should have. You have to be able to drive back to the pit-lane and have one litre of fuel left for the FIA to test. He went across the start-finish line 20 seconds before the chequered flag but if they had sat in the garage for three or four more seconds to get more fuel in, they still would have had time to cross the line and complete another flying lap. Sometimes I don't think McLaren think on their feet."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/18047760

The emphasis is mine and pretty much sums up McLaren IMO.

 

[The Artist.....]

Brogan

This is exactly the point I was trying to make... Control could be attributed as a cause which led to this problem.... There was a set time when Hamilton was set to leave the pits, and because of a small mistake by a team-member, this led to not enough fuel being put in to the car.... If mclaren didn't have such a rigid structure, instilled throughout, then they may be better at thinking on their feet... However, it is something that is embedded in their DNA, and has been ever since the 1980s... Sometimes, a little chaos in the factory might have positive effects on the team!

 

[Brogan]

Fully agree Artist.

Not everything has to be run by computers like clockwork; a little common sense and human intervention is sometimes required.

 

[Dizzi]

If McLaren are so intent on controlling things to the nth degree I don't understand why they didn't get on to the radio during Lewis's outlap & pull him back into the pits? He was pretty much assured a high end grid spot & it just wasn't worth risking it.
Rather a pity as Williams would've had a superb pole & the fans would have enjoyed watching Alonso/Hamiton/Kimi tussle.

 

[Incubus]

[quote="Brogan, post: 128431]

a little common sense and human intervention is sometimes required.[/quote]

--------------------------------------------------------------------

True but the point of writing out rules in the first place is precisely to ensure none of these are needed, since common sense and human intervention are necessarily subjective and therefore variable according to whoever is responsible for applying them.

 

[racecub]

It seems Mclaren personel are leavin by the bucket load. 3 or 4 gone overnight and Whitmarsh under pressure to leave. About time .https://twitter.com/#!/CraigLongdon_F1

 

[Brogan]

That is not correct.

McLaren boss M Whitmarsh tells #skyf1 no-one has left team after fuelling mistake and Lewis is 'ok' today. More when we go on air at 1130.

https://twitter.com/#!/tedkravitz/status/201613161617559552

 

[racecub]

I guess we have to wait and see then. I wonder why that guy and the F1 insider said that? I cant imagine its all Hunkey Dorey at McLaren this morning.

 

[FB]

Two words - Sam Michael. He is the King Midas of F1, although everything he touches turns to shit.

 

[Fenderman]

.https://twitter.com/#!/CraigLongdon_F1

That page does not exist ... according to the pop up when I tried to get to it. Hacked, perhaps?

 

[Jos the Boss]

Account suspended, like mine actually

 

[Fenderman]

Tsk, tsk,

 

[racecub]

Hmmm. How strange, I cant get on it now either. Theres loads of references to it on google. The last thing on it said he'd had a breakdown over it. Why would his account be cancelled? because he was getting angry and shouting?

 

[Jos the Boss]

https://support.twitter.com/groups/...icles/15790-how-to-contest-account-suspension
Thats all the reasons why it may have been suspended, what did it say?

 

[F1ang-o]

When asked about their recent success at Williams...Sir Frank said,...summat like,...."new staff that have come in, they have helped us to be successful...

FB ...Sam Michael ....out.of Williams to McLaren..........not good?

 

[Il_leone]

That is not correct.




https://twitter.com/#!/tedkravitz/status/201613161617559552

Mclaren are not Ferrari where they find scapegoats and fire people to look at they have taken action. They only fire if anyone is professionally incompetent like Mike Coughlan.


Although I do worry what Sam Michael brings to the team.

Having said that after the first two races no one was saying there was a crises at Mclaren and said they would remain near the front. How fickle can some people get.

Mclaren are not Ferrari who big noises that sound like knee jerk reaction to every crisis

Yes Mclaren will be very disappointed with the performance and a costly mistake which have to be cut out. It seems like they get rid of one problem another problem comes along

Name me one team who manages to go through a season without making some bungled or comical errors

 

[Il_leone]

When asked about their recent success at Williams...Sir Frank said,...summat like,...."new staff that have come in, they have helped us to be successful...

FB ...Sam Michael ....out.of Williams to McLaren..........not good?

Guess who Williams have got ... Mike Coughlan ex Mclaren designer sacked for spygate !

I'd say Williams have done well there although they said Sam was doing too much.

The difference at Williams this year is they work on less for better quality... concentrating on making small modifications to make improvements rather than everything and not getting anywhere. I'd say the Renault engineers who Williams enjoyed working with in the 1990's have been a bigger help than either BMW or Toyota were

 

[sportsman]

McLarens race team engineers.These are the guys who are getting it wrong.Not Whitmarsh.

Team manager: David Redding
Principal race engineer: Phil Prew
Race engineer (Lewis Hamilton): Andy Latham
Race engineer (Jenson Button): Dave Robson

 

[racecub]

But Whitmarsh runs the team. He is ultimately responsible for the staff beneath him.

 

[EvilWhippet]

I'm not in the biz, so I wouldn't know, but surely if the wrong guys are on the wrong jobs it's Whitmarsh who's to blame for putting them there?