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]

I think Mclaren's problems all started around the time Alonso and Hamilton went to the team.

I'd put the problems a long way earlier than that. Maybe 2001 was the first year of the slump; Hakkinen had a poor year and left. 2002's car wasn't very good in 2002 but worked surprisingly well with 2003 regs. The 2003 car was never actually built, the 2004 car was a dog and the engine kept blowing in 2005, while 2006 was a 'mare.

If you look at 1999 and 2008 as well, they got a little lucky that they were facing the "wrong" Ferrari, so 1998 is really the only year since Senna Berger left that McLaren have hooked it up properly.

 

[Quintessentially]

Perez is too rough around the edges and the decision to recruit him looked to me like a hasty one. In fact the driving by both Sauber drivers at the start today was a prisonable offence. They'll be fine with Jenson leading and it will be a more manageable environment with the unstated number 1 and 2 arrangement, like Lewis and Heikki. Contrary to popular belief a team stands a better chance of winning both championship with this arrangement.

 

[Irishgreen]

Jenson, God love him, couldn't lead a dog through a gate. Hamilton has shown this time and again. Perez will show this in 2013 IMHO.

 

[The Artist.....]

Jenson, God love him, couldn't lead a dog through a gate. Hamilton has shown this time and again. Perez will show this in 2013 IMHO.

???????

2009?

 

[Irishgreen]

???????

2009?

Car????????????????

 

[teabagyokel]

Irishgreen - I believe to "lead" a Grand Prix, you must "lead" at least one person in the same car.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Irishgreen

If it was the car? Then why didn't Rubens win more races? Jenson has the talent to lead Mclaren's challenge next year IMHO.

 

[Irishgreen]

1999 A Mr E Irvine was within a breath of winning the WDC! Would he have been a team leader ????

 

[Irishgreen]

Irishgreen

If it was the car? Then why didn't Rubens win more races? Jenson has the talent to lead Mclaren's challenge next year IMHO.

Ruby was crap

 

[The Pits]

Would he have been in with a shout if Michael had:

Not been team leader for the preceding 3 seasons.
Not broken his leg?

I think that is a poor argument.

Leading a team is not just about the driving. How successful Jenson will be I do not know. He did OK in 2009, although it is a little difficult to work out anything before that. As for next year, I guess we will see.

 

[Irishgreen]

Would he have been in with a shout if Michael had:

Not been team leader for the preceding 3 seasons.
Not broken his leg?

I think that is a poor argument.

Leading a team is not just about the driving. How successful Jenson will be I do not know. He did OK in 2009, although it is a little difficult to work out anything before that. As for next year, I guess we will see.

This is my point.

 

[landogeorgelewis1]

Ok i'm not gonna get into this argument anymore. But I think in my opinion Jenson Button will be/is a good leader but lets leave it alone. I don't wanna get into a squabble over something so silly .

 

[RickD]

racecub - funnily enough, its the same people whinging about Whitmarsh, so nothing has changed there..

 

[racecub]

the difference is its more widely recognised now that something is amiss at McLaren and Whitmarsh is not an effective manager , it's no longer just the" loonie fringe". they just highlighted it earlier

 

[Mephistopheles]

Jenson, God love him, couldn't lead a dog through a gate. Hamilton has shown this time and again. Perez will show this in 2013 IMHO.

I don't wish to be rude but isn't that complete bollocks????

 

[Kewee]

the difference is its more widely recognised now that something is amiss at McLaren and Whitmarsh is not an effective manager , it's no longer just the" loonie fringe". they just highlighted it earlier

I've said on another thread, those that criticize Whitmarsh are effectively damning Ron Dennis. It was Ron Dennis who groomed him to take over as team principle and it's Ron Dennis who continues to support his leadership. Martin Whitmarsh is a very good team principle. Many criticize others, especially drivers for throwing their toys out of the pram, I think Whitmarsh does bloody well keeping his cool considering what he has to deal with.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I see nothing wrong with the way Whitmarsh runs the team..

 

[Kewee]

A lot of people have difficulty realizing you can be a gentleman and still do a fine job. You don't have to crap on people from a great height to be successful, in fact it's very rarely productive to do so in the long term, I'm sure Ron Dennis understands this.

 

[racecub]

It's nothing to do with craping on people from a great height. where did that come from? it's to do with being a good team principal. McLaren have big problems and you can't absolve the team manager from some responsibility for that. gentleman he may be, I don't know, I've never met him, but being a gentleman doesn't win championships. ok so Ron groomed him, it's not the first thing Ron's got wrong.

 

[FB]

Indeed not racecub, I believe RD once ordered a cappuccino after an evening meal during the race at Monza and, as anyone with any class knows, a cappuccino is a breakfast coffee

Anyway, for for thoughts on MW see the MW thread. Noce bloke but nice blokes don't finish first. They will need to build a "monster" next year if McLaren, and their new driver line up, are to challenge for either title. Perhaps a more similar driving style between the two drivers will make this more achievable?