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.)

 

[teabagyokel]

The two circuits they've been way off have been Barcelona and Silverstone. So I reckon it may be the old fast corners issue rearing its head again.

 

[Brogan]

It's a high-speed circuit and we did think that was one of our strengths.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/101072

 

[teabagyokel]

Sorry, Jense, results say no.

 

[KekeTheKing]

Fascinating strategy from McLaren today. Completely negated the long first stint by running only 6 racing laps on the Option.

P6 was probably the maximum anyway though.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

"Keep going Lewis, great job. We're on target and gapping our competitors. Fantastic stint, Lewis. Don't worry about anyone Lewis, we're not racing anyone [sic]"

Seriously!? Lewis know's what to do. It's you lot!

 

[Brogan]

we're not racing anyone

They got that right at least

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I made that bit up. Althought they did say that of Schumacher and Jenson at one point and I think someone else, too.

 

[Brogan]

Hey! At least they've got the fastest pit stops

 

[F1ang-o]

If Fernando had retired & was looking to be a team manager.......he could sort their problems
Whitmarsh & co look like a troop of yesterday men...
They are badly in need of .....something that Alonso, Vettel ,Horner have....being 'on it' being able to read a situation & changing like the wind..if necessary

 

[KekeTheKing]

They're dominating that development race now Bro!

Too bad they've lost the plot in the other one.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Well, they've sorted out their pit-stops, by the looks of things. Despite being a fan of Jenson, I think that he is probably thier biggest problem at the moment. I think that a team focused around their fastest driver would have a quicker car at this stage. I am sure that McLaren are falling behind on development trying to build something that will work in the narrow window within which Jenson can perform. If they make a car that is quick Lewis will drive it quickly, regardless of it's characteristics. I think they are sacrificing speed in their development by trying to create some kind of hybrid.

I don't blame Jenson for this. I'm sure he is doing the best job he can. It is the guys at McLaren that need to rethink their approach to winning and, at this stage, that looks like sacrificing Jenson's personal needs and moving their efforts towards Lewis as a lead driver. If they do this, as Ferrari have, then Jenson will eventually benefit, as Massa has. Most importantly, the team will benefit.

It's harsh of me to say this, but I feel it is a harsh reality.

 

[The Pits]

ExtremeNinja its very magnanimous of you to not blame Jenson for something that may or may not be happening!!

Personally, I am not sure what the issue is, although it was said that they brought a lot of upgrades to this GP, maybe unable to run them due to the wet practice, maybe in the rush to get the higher nose through they ended up having a bit of a dead spot in the lead times, it takes a while to get aero updates through. They also have a big upgrade for Germany apparently.

Jensons issues have been set up related. It may be that the design teams have been brought in to help, I dont know what the structure is, or how the organisation works in this respect, but I accept it as a possibility.

It could be since changing from the low nose concept to the high nose concept that they have had more issues trying to find things that make a difference, also a possibility.

It could be that running pit stop simulations, and designing new jacks could have eaten into development time.

A faster car benefits both drivers. More downforce benefits both drivers. better mechanical grip benefits both drivers. So whilst I accept that what you say may be true, it is certainly not the only possibility.

But I dont blame Jenson for that either!

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Yep. It's hard to aportion blame to someone who is clearly doing the best job they can. He is clearly unable to do as good a job as his team-mate at the moment and when Jenson has been close to Lewis, Aus aside, Lewis has come back to Jenson as much as Jenson has come forward to Lewis. That must be a huge headache for any team, especially if you are running a system of driver equality.

I think they need to look at their results, look at the points table and sit down with the drivers and deal with some pretty tricky issues. Their best hope, if they want half a chance at a championship is to put all of their efforts behind Lewis at the moment. Will Jenson be magnanimous enough to swallow these bare facts for the good of his employer?

I'm very glad they have sorted the pits-top issues. Big problem ticked off and so now onto the next one.

 

[The Pits]

To be honest, they simply need to make the car faster. The Jenson conundrum is working itself out, but has clearly been an issue, and cost the team a lot of points. The fact that Lewis has struggled in the last couple of races is an indication that the inherent pace in the car is not good enough, and this needs rectifying.

 

[Il_leone]

I think the problem is Mclaren trying to make the car quick over 1 lap and not really understandable the car on long runs over different fuel loads

 

[The Pits]

Il_leone I think they seem to be struggling on both counts at the moment...

 

[ExtremeNinja]

The Pits, I don't think the Jenson conundrum is working itself out and I can't see anything to suggest that it is. Whilst Jenson grabbed the last point today, the combined results of the two drivers is lesser than Hamilton was previously achieving on his own. Jenson qualified in 19th on absolute merit which is extremely poor. He moved up two places due to pre-race penalties and made up places in the race again, mainly due to others' mishaps. I see no real change in form from Jenson but see the ultimate pace of the car falling backwards.

Another theory about this weekend would be down to setup. Perhaps McLaren had a wet set-up focused on generating tyre heat. They were quick on full wets, not quite dire on the hard-tyres but burnt the softs. Not sure about the inters, but some food for thought.

 

[Lewywo4]

Well, they've sorted out their pit-stops, by the looks of things. Despite being a fan of Jenson, I think that he is probably thier biggest problem at the moment. I think that a team focused around their fastest driver would have a quicker car at this stage. I am sure that McLaren are falling behind on development trying to build something that will work in the narrow window within which Jenson can perform. If they make a car that is quick Lewis will drive it quickly, regardless of it's characteristics. I think they are sacrificing speed in their development by trying to create some kind of hybrid.

I don't blame Jenson for this. I'm sure he is doing the best job he can. It is the guys at McLaren that need to rethink their approach to winning and, at this stage, that looks like sacrificing Jenson's personal needs and moving their efforts towards Lewis as a lead driver. If they do this, as Ferrari have, then Jenson will eventually benefit, as Massa has. Most importantly, the team will benefit.

It's harsh of me to say this, but I feel it is a harsh reality.

If what you say is true Ninja, that the development of the MP4-27 has been focused on a narrow window for the slower, and not their faster driver isn't harsh, but is a sure recipe for disaster.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I wouldn't say that Jenson is universally slower than Lewis. I would say the Lewis is quicker in a wider range of circumstances and conditions. Occasionally we have seen Jenson with the measure of Lewis on pace but I'd want most of my eggs in Lewis' basket, as this only happens when everything is just-so for Jenson.

[EDIT] Don't confuse this with a Jenson vs Lewis post, it is a McLaren vs McLaren post.

 

[The Pits]

ExtremeNinja it depends on how you look at things. It is clear that the car is losing pace relative to its rivals. In Monaco, Jenson finished 16th. In Canada, Jenson finished 16th, and was lapped by his team mate. In Valencia, he was still a way off, but not lapped. In Silverstone, he was closer again, worked a similar pit stop strategy to most others. Yes he made some places due to others issues, but I think the same is true of Lewis. Simply put, the difference between the two was more on the level that I would expect, notwithstanding the performance of the car. The fact that a couple of races ago, an 19th palce quali would have been an 18th place finish is an indication.

Set up, possibly an issue this weekend, new parts? tested on the sim but not on track? There are many possible reasons, but the simple fact is that this was a crap race for McLaren, and the underlying pace of the car needs improving.