2022 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[diffuser]

Please, replacing Ricciardo with Gasly would be such a let down.

Gas man isn’t really doing much of note this year and frankly Alpha T were a team that didn’t maximise results for their relative one lap pace last year IMO.


Only one man good enough to replace Ric and that’s Alonso, but suspect there would need to be a straight swap for that to happen as Danny has only Renault as a serious option if McL decide to part ways.

Personally, I hope he comes alive and suddenly starts to record some cracking races.

If that fails, Alonso would be a hell of a good benchmark for young Norris to race with. If he wins that battle you know then he’s the right kid to back the team around long term. Alonso would also drive the wheels off whatever he’s given and is an absolute known quantity.

Still think Dan is closer this year than the results have shown so let’s hope we see it.

I thing Gas is a unknown quantity, not as down beat on him as you are but I'm not a dreamer either.

I agree Alonso would be a good replacement, not sure where Alo is going, he seems to have options. He seems to be interested in AMR. Alpine is gonna be Alonso or Piastri, no room for Ricciardo there.

[JordanMugen]

Please, replacing Ricciardo with Gasly would be such a let down.

Gasly is relatively inexpensive and likes cars that understeer, like the McLaren. Gasly could be a good fit, as could the somewhat older Kevin Magnussen.

Lando has learnt over a few years to master this in his driving style breaking later and rotating the car quicker.

Lando brakes earlier and gets on the throttle earlier (compared to Ricciardo), no? It's true (IMO) that Norris rotates the car earlier in the turn, but that involves braking earlier IMO.

Take turns 3, 4 & 5, Norris is significantly earlier on the brakes, and doesn't need to hesitate when applying the throttle unlike Ricciardo.

Spain:

[runningmanz]

I thought it was later? This article last year at Monaco was mentioning how late he was braking in the McLaren and Dan trying to match it.

https://racingnews365-com.cdn.ampprojec ... -i-cant-do

Funny though as I always thought of Dan as one of the king's of late-braking. I guess in the McLaren he hasn't really been able to do that I think possibly to do with the understeer and how he likes to roll the car through the corner with trail braking where Lando seems to brake harder, later and then rotates the car quickly.

[genarro]

Please, replacing Ricciardo with Gasly would be such a let down.

Gas man isn’t really doing much of note this year and frankly Alpha T were a team that didn’t maximise results for their relative one lap pace last year IMO.


Only one man good enough to replace Ric and that’s Alonso, but suspect there would need to be a straight swap for that to happen as Danny has only Renault as a serious option if McL decide to part ways.

Personally, I hope he comes alive and suddenly starts to record some cracking races.

If that fails, Alonso would be a hell of a good benchmark for young Norris to race with. If he wins that battle you know then he’s the right kid to back the team around long term. Alonso would also drive the wheels off whatever he’s given and is an absolute known quantity.

Still think Dan is closer this year than the results have shown so let’s hope we see it.

I thing Gas is a unknown quantity, not as down beat on him as you are but I'm not a dreamer either.

I agree Alonso would be a good replacement, not sure where Alo is going, he seems to have options. He seems to be interested in AMR. Alpine is gonna be Alonso or Piastri, no room for Ricciardo there.

Cmon guys the whole Alonso/Mclaren saga is over for good. No need to reheat that soup. McLaren started to rise again when Nando left the team. He is too big of a burden to have in a team that is still in its rebuilding phase.
He is a man that dictates everything in a team. It's the same in Alpine. And they are nowhere near consistency since he rejoined. I like Alonso but I don't want him back in my team.

[Mansell89]

Please, replacing Ricciardo with Gasly would be such a let down.

Gas man isn’t really doing much of note this year and frankly Alpha T were a team that didn’t maximise results for their relative one lap pace last year IMO.


Only one man good enough to replace Ric and that’s Alonso, but suspect there would need to be a straight swap for that to happen as Danny has only Renault as a serious option if McL decide to part ways.

Personally, I hope he comes alive and suddenly starts to record some cracking races.

If that fails, Alonso would be a hell of a good benchmark for young Norris to race with. If he wins that battle you know then he’s the right kid to back the team around long term. Alonso would also drive the wheels off whatever he’s given and is an absolute known quantity.

Still think Dan is closer this year than the results have shown so let’s hope we see it.

I thing Gas is a unknown quantity, not as down beat on him as you are but I'm not a dreamer either.

I agree Alonso would be a good replacement, not sure where Alo is going, he seems to have options. He seems to be interested in AMR. Alpine is gonna be Alonso or Piastri, no room for Ricciardo there.

Cmon guys the whole Alonso/Mclaren saga is over for good. No need to reheat that soup. McLaren started to rise again when Nando left the team. He is too big of a burden to have in a team that is still in its rebuilding phase.
He is a man that dictates everything in a team. It's the same in Alpine. And they are nowhere near consistency since he rejoined. I like Alonso but I don't want him back in my team.

All I’d say is that Alonso was very much praised by Pat Fry and the team who built the 2019 car for the feedback and development work after McLarens woeful 2018 effort that laid bare the myth that only Honda PU was holding them back.

Sure, on paper it looks like McL revival started after he left, but ultimately he just ducked out for a while as he knew race wins weren’t on the table and wanted to try out some other racing.

As for Alpine, essentially the problem for them is the woeful management of the project and the chop changing of key personnel at key moments - Alonso can’t be blamed for inheriting that mess.

I’d be disappointed if Alonso made way for Piastri without getting a good drive somewhere, having comfortably shown better speed than Ocon.

Perhaps he’d get teamed up with Vettel if daddy stroll could pay Williams to take Lance again!!

[zxof]

I would love to see Danny Ric bounced back and proves everyone wrong but honestly I can't recall it ever happened in recent years? Gasly and Albon at RB, Vettel at Ferrari?

[CMSMJ1]

It's quite interesting how little credit Danny Ric now seems to have but when you review his credentials - he is a bona fide top level driver.

Is it now that after struggling to deliver the top line drives that he is washed up and done?

Were it a free driver market - who would you want to see in the second McLaren seat (assuming that we all agree that Lando is a talented young chap - even though he has not delivered the kind of seasons that highlight the really special drivers?)

You'll not get one of the other top line drivers - so who is left? Perez would be good..is he better than an on form Danny Ric?

Danny needs some confidence and once he has a taste he'll deliver, in my view, on a par with Lando but up to the limits of the car.

[the EDGE]

I would love to see Danny Ric bounced back and proves everyone wrong but honestly I can't recall it ever happened in recent years? Gasly and Albon at RB, Vettel at Ferrari?

If the Mcl36 was a front running car then I’d be saying the problem was Danny. Fact is, it’s not, and it’s up to the team to figure out why & fix it

Lando also says that like last year, he can’t drive the car the way he wants either https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/31/nor ... g-results/

It’s great that he can adjust and get the best out of it, it shows the guy is super talented, it’s a surprise Daniel has got there yet, but as you say, others are in a similar position, including Lewis

I honestly don’t see anyone better than Daniel to be in that car at present. My first option would be Bottas, who is surely back showing the skill of why he went to Merc in the first place, but I dobt any of them would be a match for Lando at present, and all would probably experience the same issues as Daniel, not to mention anyone worthy has a contract for next year.

The fact is McLaren need to work harder to fix the handling characteristics of the car to suit the drivers if they are to win. Not the other way round, & super Lando is proof of that, because he too is ultimately far off of the winning pace

[mwillems]

I would love to see Danny Ric bounced back and proves everyone wrong but honestly I can't recall it ever happened in recent years? Gasly and Albon at RB, Vettel at Ferrari?

If the Mcl36 was a front running car then I’d be saying the problem was Danny. Fact is, it’s not, and it’s up to the team to figure out why & fix it

Lando also says that like last year, he can’t drive the car the way he wants either https://www.racefans.net/2022/05/31/nor ... g-results/

It’s great that he can adjust and get the best out of it, it shows the guy is super talented, it’s a surprise Daniel has got there yet, but as you say, others are in a similar position, including Lewis

I honestly don’t see anyone better than Daniel to be in that car at present. My first option would be Bottas, who is surely back showing the skill of why he went to Merc in the first place, but I dobt any of them would be a match for Lando at present, and all would probably experience the same issues as Daniel, not to mention anyone worthy has a contract for next year.

The fact is McLaren need to work harder to fix the handling characteristics of the car to suit the drivers if they are to win. Not the other way round, & super Lando is proof of that, because he too is ultimately far off of the winning pace

I do think this highlights a chink in DRs abilities in that he cannot adjust as well as others. But some drivers can go fast in every car, but there are drivers that can go very very fast in a car that suits them but look average in a car that doesn't, DR seems to be the latter.

But what is it that DR needs? Feels like a pointy front end that always goes where he wants it to. Is it likely to come next year? If not, is there a point in keeping Dan?

Maybe he will click at some point, but if he hasn't got on it by the summer break, what are the chances that he will?

As I have said before though, Dan does not cost $15m, his salary will be offset by marketing income that he brings and he isn't as expensive a "weight" as some want to portray.

[runningmanz]

The thing is Dan is ok at tracks with grip this season particularly in Australia, its low grip he has trouble it seems. It's not like he hasn't been on Lando's pace though during races generally apart from Miami and the car issue in Spain. Qualli is hurting him tho but even there at least two of those were compromised at Miami and Imola. That Imola points loss tho through a minor mistake unfortunately was really big in the scheme of things this season so far given its the only big points haul the team has had so far. Really painful to see.

Dan needs a car with a sharp front end and a touch of oversteer it's what he had at RBR and Renault. When he is on he is spectacular but so far the McLarens low grip and understeer is making it hard for him. Even Lando doesn't really like it, but again imo only really on low grip tracks where it hurts Dan alot . Hope he can start bouncing back in Baku and as Key mentioned they continue to improve the car and make it more predictable and easy to drive. That will come with more grip obviously but how hard is it to sharpen up the front end and get rid of that oversteer?

[Emag]

We have also yet to see a "commanding" performance by Daniel as well. When he is ahead of Lando, he is usually barely ahead making it seem not as impressive as Lando looks when he puts it P5 while Daniel is P14...

Obviously ideally I would want both drivers to perform at their best, so the perfect scenario maybe would have been one driver in P6 and the other P4 or P5.

[djos]

We have also yet to see a "commanding" performance by Daniel as well. When he is ahead of Lando, he is usually barely ahead making it seem not as impressive as Lando looks when he puts it P5 while Daniel is P14...

Obviously ideally I would want both drivers to perform at their best, so the perfect scenario maybe would have been one driver in P6 and the other P4 or P5.

Monza last year was 100% merit and he out performed Lando across the weekend.

[politburo]

Ricciardo situation is now reminding me of the Maverick Viñales situation last year - once really fast but now apparently failing to adapt to his machinery, nowhere near their younger teammates, rumours coming out about their contracts being cut short, and may move to pastures new earlier.

Sadly for Viñales, changing teams did nothing for his fortunes. Aleix is far ahead of him.

[politburo]

We have also yet to see a "commanding" performance by Daniel as well. When he is ahead of Lando, he is usually barely ahead making it seem not as impressive as Lando looks when he puts it P5 while Daniel is P14...

Obviously ideally I would want both drivers to perform at their best, so the perfect scenario maybe would have been one driver in P6 and the other P4 or P5.

Monza last year was 100% merit and he out performed Lando across the weekend.

It was also 100% merit when he scored 90 total points in the other 22 races total. It’s not like he’s Fernando who’s been unlucky this year, no, he’s just not what he used to be and he’s not irreplaceable. If McLaren have the ambition of competing at the top of the grid next year or the year after they must consider all viable options.

[runningmanz]

Ricciardo explains story behind ‘FEA’ message on F1 helmet

Interesting comments

"Ricciardo made no secret of his disappointment over his Monaco qualifying result, particularly at a track with which he has “a big admiration for and a love affair”.

“But equally, it’s not just me, the team want to see me get better results,” Ricciardo said on Saturday. “It’s not just me that’s not wanting to be 14th. The team don’t want to see me there as well.

“I don’t think it necessarily changes the course, moving forward, but for sure there is an emphasis on us improving together.”"

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/ricci ... /10313048/