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.)

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Now they've had a surprisingly good qualifying, it's only going to make it worse when they mess it up in the race tomorrow.

I'm betting they fill Lewis's tank up with diesel and somehow get laxatives in Buttons' drink dispensor.

Wow. Thank you for that fantastic insight.

 

[Mryzyz]

How can speculation without reasoning be insightful?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

How can speculation without reasoning be insightful?

I just assumed that in order to make such a statement there would have to be some reasoning behind it.

Anyway back on topic, sounds like McLaren's performance has come largely from new engine maps. Well done to McLaren for continuing to take the fight to Red Bull. It seems afterall that it was Red Bull and McLaren going backwards with the now abandoned Silverstone regulations rather than Ferrari leaping forward. I fancy McLaren to pick up anything Red Bull leave behind for the remainder of the season. Bit late but perhaps we'll see Lewis take the runners up trophy in the championship. I expect him to win tomorrow.

 

[f1fansp]

Does anyone know which rear wing McLaren are using at the moment?

I think they tested a new one in Silverstone (http://www.f1technical.net/development/337), but photos from qualifying look like the original design (http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2011/07/...d-championship-2011-grand-prix-of-germany-12/).

Seems like they've been trying to get the revised version working for a while unsuccessfully.

 

[Quintessentially]

McLaren's updates...

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/862/884.html

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/861/881.html

I think they are running a new floor too but this hasn't been featured on the site yet.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Congratulations to Hamilton, Whitmarsh, Neale and the rest of the McLaren boys on a fantastic race and for getting back in the hunt. Commiserations to Jenson and the fellers on his side of the garage.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

It certainly helped that Red Bull threatened to sue the FIA for changing the rules mid-season at Silverstone.

Without Renault Sport and Mercedes-Benz HPE and Red Bull Racing shouting to have the OTEBD Ban over-turned, it would have been a Ferrari victory and poor Lewis would have been fighting it out with Felipe and Vettel for 4th and 3rd!

I do like my statement in this thread from Friday when some people were completely giving up:

It's funny how people are giving up on McLaren when only about a month ago - following Canada - they were regarded as having the fastest "race car" over three consecutive GPs (Spain-Monaco-Canada).
Needless to say the WDC is out of reach (realistically speaking) but that doesn't mean they can't win races. I won't discount a McLaren victory at Nurburgring quite yet.

 

[Sarinaide]

Just to say, McLaren looked to have the Catalunya like pace back this weekend, certainly the mods are likely to start ironing themselves out and results come back.

On todays result well and truely the fastest and best race setup.

 

[Brogan]

It certainly helped that Red Bull threatened to sue the FIA for changing the rules mid-season at Silverstone.

Have you got a link for that claim?

I have never seen that mentioned on any of the usual sites.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

I can't dig up the link anytime soon but there was something written during Friday at Silverstone.

Red Bull suggested that the FIA was acting illegally. (Which they were otherwise they wouldn't have done a U Turn).

 

[Senna's_right_foot]

Have you got a link for that claim?

I have never seen that mentioned on any of the usual sites.

I was wondering that myself. The only thing I can find is a German newspaper article claiming that Red Bull threatened to boycott the British GP with Bernie persuading them not to apparently.

 

[Brogan]

Red Bull suggested that the FIA was acting illegally.

That's not the same as threatening to sue the FIA.

Nowhere near.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

On todays result well and truely the fastest and best race setup.

In what context? In the context of this circuit? In the context of suitability to thier drivers? In context of the weather conditions? In context of high fuel or low fuel? In context of qualifying? Or in the context of that Fernando didn't win which can only mean his car is slower?

The cars don't drive themselves. The result tells us that they had a good setup for today's race but it tells us nothing relative to Red Bull, Ferrari or how the car will perform at other circuits with regards to thier race setup. I'm not sure how you are reaching that conclusion and on what information you are basing it.

 

[Sarinaide]

In context of the track conditions and general setup, factoring in the return to prior spec all was validly the reason for resurgent performances, even Button was coming back until his mischief, but in the coarse of the weekend, Ferrari and Redbull looked great in practice, RB and McLaren were just faster in qualifying.

Why do you keep bringing Alonso into every discussion, there was once upon a time a thread that asked whether Ferrari will win a race this season and many a good users suggested not, so really is there any surprise as to why the norm continued.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

That's not the same as threatening to sue the FIA.

Nowhere near.

I wouldn't make it up. There's no reason to. I'll dig it up when I have time.

PS, if you use the word "illegal" that only means one thing. Still, i'll have to dig up where they allegedly treatened the suit.

If I made a mistake, i'll say so...and then you can delete the posts that say so.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

Ya. It's funny how people are giving up on McLaren when only about a month ago - following Canada - they were regarded as having the fastest "race car" over three consecutive GPs (Spain-Monaco-Canada).

But Red Bull were fastest in qualifying in those 3 races

This is what you later say about what constitutes the fastest car

But a full race distance is actually less of a valid comparison because it takes too many variables into account.

Q2 and Q3 are the most valid comparision because everyone is on the same tyre and fuel and at their absolute fastest, especially Q3.

How can the Mclaren have been the fastest car so far then?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

In context of the track conditions and general setup, factoring in the return to prior spec all was validly the reason for resurgent performances, even Button was coming back until his mischief, but in the coarse of the weekend, Ferrari and Redbull looked great in practice, RB and McLaren were just faster in qualifying.

Why do you keep bringing Alonso into every discussion, there was once upon a time a thread that asked whether Ferrari will win a race this season and many a good users suggested not, so really is there any surprise as to why the norm continued.

Why do I keep bringing Alonso into discussion? Well simple, to continue your theme.

So once again, what is your reason for thinking the McLaren was the better package of the top three teams today? Your only reasoning so far is thet it finished the race first and qualified second. You seem to forget that there was a guy in the car operating the pedals and the steering wheel though. If you factor in the driver as part of the package and race setup then we can certainly say McLaren had the best package. Anything else is baseless speculation.

I'll leave it at that as all this rationalisation it's getting a bit boring.

 

[RayInTorontoCanada]

I didn't say McLaren had "the fastest car"...I said McLaren had the "fastest race car" over those 3 very specific races...and McLaren also said "fastest race car".

The Red Bull is faster in Q2, Q3 but not necessessarily as fast in the race.

Also, my quote was related to comparing the change from OTEBD Ban to re-instatement of OTEBD to Valencia spec when it came to Grid Positions.

 

[Sarinaide]

Why do I keep bringing Alonso into discussion? Well simple, to continue your theme.

So once again, what is your reason for thinking the McLaren was the better package of the top three teams today? Your only reasoning so far is thet it finished the race first and qualified second. You seem to forget that there was a guy in the car operating the pedals and the steering wheel though. If you factor in the driver as part of the package and race setup then we can certainly say McLaren had the best package. Anything else is baseless speculation.

I'll leave it at that as all this rationalisation it's getting a bit boring.

So if it is all driver and nothing to do with Machine a certain Michael Schumacher likely the greatest ever would be winning all the time, just because the driver in you regard trumps the machine. Will the same "peoples driver" "pure driver" accord if you say swap Liuzzi and Hamilton's cars and see how it pans out, with Liuzzi running away in a McLaren and Hamilton barely keeping the HRT on track, will that be due to driver or to car?

I don't know if you are just padding this to make your driver look like a superman, but when you qualify ahead of another car by more than .200 on single lap pace thats 1sec after 5 that is significant...thanks though.

 

[Cookinflatsix]

But a full race distance is actually less of a valid comparison because it takes too many variables into account.

Surely the driver is the biggest variable

Maybe the McLaren driven by a very good driver was the fastest race car in that period
And if the very good driver did not win it was because he had reached the limit for the car whereas another driver in a better car had more capacity and therefore was able to complete the distance faster