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.)

 

[Lewywo4]

Can I just point out that it is bloody hard being a McLaren and a Jenson fan at the moment and it is even harder trying to bite my tongue when I read posts that seem gleeful or gloating at their misfortunes at this time, I am well aware of the position McLaren are in and am fully capable of discussing it in a rational fashion but at the moment these are open wounds and the salt is not necessary...

So forgive me if some of my posts are a bit, shall we say defensive..

Thanks...

Mephistopheles...the racing will be better for all fans when Mclaren and Jenson are back running with the front runners, and don't worry they.... will be.

 

[Mephistopheles]

I will keep an eye for that thanks Senna's_right_foot and for your comments

And for you comments Lewywo4

 

[RickD]

Mephistopheles - I feel your pain and the gloating is sickening, but not unexpected from certain members. Not seen Jenson look so downbeat since 2008, which doesn't bode well, but hopefully McLaren can turn it around and out of any team on the grid, I would put my money on them being able to do it. They managed in 2009..

So chin up..

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I thought we'd got over this and you are dragging us back there. Nobody is gloating and nobody is slagging off Jenson. People are just being critical. If they are getting things right then the criticism will be positive and if they are getting it wrong then it will be negative. They are getting it hopelessly wrong at the moment and the criticism they are getting is light compared to what you might expect or what you might see on other forums with less measured contributors. McLaren and Jenson are NOT being victimised. They are however victims of their own current failure and nobody can argue that they are not failing and nobody can blame anyone else for it.

 

[racecub]

It's horrible when everyone has a go at your driver/ team , as a Lewis fan it comes from all directions whether he's winning/losing/talking or staying quiet. And it's infuriating. So I certainly wouldn't gloat, there but for the grace of God etc etc(God used purely as a turn of phrase!) but as others have said, pointing things out, idiosyncrasies, contradictions, that's different. Quite a few people saw McLaren's woes beginning a long time ago,but were ridiculed. It is sad to see a great mark struggling, I've supported them for many years, mainly because of the drivers they've fielded, but not now. So I can watch it unfold in a more dispassionate way. Its their first race. Yes they've got it wrong and it's probably goodbye to another championship, but they've bounced back before. Whitmarsh's position I think becomes even less tenable. They've lost Lewis, Lowe, Fry, Vodaphone and Red Bull are saying their ECU was responsible for Mark's poor race "he had no telemetry and was driving blind". So I seriously wonder how long Whitmarsh can remain there. But imagine in a year if Brawn went there?( I seriously hope he doesn't, I want him to stay at Mercedes!)but just suppose.......food for thought!

 

[no-FIAt-please]

I don't see what harm they could do by running the old car in a Friday session back-to-back with the new car? Worst case scenario is you lose a Friday session. I reckon it would still be better than the 2013 car.

 

[The Pits]

Transport, unless they used one old car for the whole weekend, then you would have all the spare bits to consider too.

It would be interesting to know how close to the pace the old car would be, based on the development the other teams have done.

I do not necessarily disagree with the decision to build a new car, but I agree with teabagyokel being this far off the pace is very poor.

 

[EvilWhippet]

You're telling me it's hard being a McLaren fan. In 20 years i've seen them let Senna, Alliot, Hakkinen, Raikonnen and Hamilton leave. Ok so there's an odd one out there* but you get my frustration.






*Hakkinen retired, he wasn't actually let go

...and that's leaving out losing Newey and not hiring Heidfeld when they had the chance which is surely the one thing that keeps Ron awake more than imperfect workspaces and employees wearing shorts.

 

[no-FIAt-please]

EvilWhippet Alonso too.

 

[Fenderman]

Nice idea no-FIAt-please but without allowance for a spare car if they bring an old one to run on Friday they;s have to run for the whole weekend. Maybe they should try that anyway to see how big a performance difference there is between the two chassis. They would probably need a whole meeting of data and results to be sure anyway.

Edit: The Pits beat me to it more or less

 

[no-FIAt-please]

Fenderman They could just use the chassis and change all other parts to last years car?

 

[Fenderman]

no-FIAt-please From what we've been told by Gary Anderson, Scarb's and such, the McLaren isn't exactly an evolution of last years car. That means it's hard for us to judge just how easy it would be to just swap the chassis. What we do know is that this years car has pull-rod suspension up front which means the tub's monocoque construction is significantly different.in the area of the suspension mounts and the foot-well. I suspect there are other detail changes which make swapping parts from chassis to chassis somewhat more difficult than one would like.

Still, as we both agree it would be interesting to see if they will do something with the old car, perhaps if Malaysia is another disaster.

 

[FB]

My interpretation was that they would simply use last years car, not just the chassis or monocoque, although I think it has now been denied.

 

[Brogan]

They would need to change the front wing at least, to comply with the 2013 rules.

 

[FB]

Okey doke, and the exhaust as well I presume?

Just another thought, McLaren have lost the capabilities of Uber Test Driver Pedro de la Rosa, wonder if the poor car development might be something to do with his absence?

 

[Fenderman]

They would need to change the front wing at least, to comply with the 2013 rules.

Indeed and we know that there is few centimetres difference in the height of the nosecone so that's unlikely to be a direct swap either.

 

[Il_leone]

Whitmarsh is certainly under pressure to turn this mess around but who then is good enough to replace him in the paddock ?

Vodafone - are quitting but Mclaren have got another sponsor already so I would not worry about that

Lowe - he wanted to work for a manafacturer and being promised team principal is a good bargaining chip too

Hamilton - obviously he needed a new challenge and a bit more money is also a factor as well

the ECU unit - why did it not fail on Vettel's car ? Seems always Webber who gets the lionshare of gremlins glitch

 

[Brogan]

That wasn't directed at you at all ExtremeNinja, apologies if I gave that impressions.

It's just that all this talk of ECU's and Mark Webber has nothing to do with McLaren the team.

I'll get the posts moved somewhere more appropriate.

(Ignore me, I'm just extremely hacked off.)

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Ah. Cheers Brogan. Sorry for misinterpreting.

[Edit] I feel like a bit of a wally now.

 

[Fenderman]

Thanks Bro'. As you know I like talking technical!