2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[BrunoH]

you mean the that was not the engines fault? the car was really good that year! not th engine as we all know...

[ScottR267]

as i said before the lack of ambition even before the test now shows.. we want to be the 4 best... cmon its planning to fail from the start! i really hope the new tunnel and tech really help this otherwise we are the new Williams.... im really afraid we have killed Mclaren! they need to be doing a car with the aim to win at least races!

Yes, we saw when they made a 2015 car with intention to win the championship and we all know how that truned out to be...

They remained cool headed this year and it is much better than overhyping things. We all know they are still not in a position to be winning races, and doing that in modern F1 has become almost impossible as a privateer. As a customer even almighty RedBull was barely able to win in a new turbo era with one of the best designers by their side. Recovery of Mclaren is a long journey, Zak managed to stabilise the team, get the money and sponsors, Lando as a no.1 driver and now Piastri hopefully also being competitive. Second half are the facilities now and last part of the plan should be poaching more engineering talent and somewhat get themself another factory engine deal if possible.

Didn’t Andreas Seidl say before he left that the team had found efficiencies in other areas and then were looking to redirect this money into a greater number of engineers?

Not sure if any have started mind you, but suspect is a medium term thing for the team

[Ground Effect]

as i said before the lack of ambition even before the test now shows.. we want to be the 4 best... cmon its planning to fail from the start! i really hope the new tunnel and tech really help this otherwise we are the new Williams.... im really afraid we have killed Mclaren! they need to be doing a car with the aim to win at least races!

This has nothing to do with ambition, you'd just be lying to yourself targeting anything higher. Since 2019, this team has consistently said, they won't compete till the infrastructure is up to date, they know that it's not going to happen. So it surprises me a bit when fans expect to challenge the top 3 when the team itself has said that time and time again it won't happen just yet. While McLaren was on a decline, the top 3 were moving forward, spending big, investing in personnel and infrastructure. Mercedes and Ferrari were spending $400M+ yearly. The budget cap is here now, but even that is going to take a couple of seasons to have an effect. We all want McLaren to win races and fight for the title, it's not going to happen yet. It's top 4 for now, let's not pretend this team is where it isn't. It's a journey, they're taking action and have said when all these things are in place, no more excuses.

[Lucky]

Seen enough today to suggest it's not as bad as people try to make it out to be. Car certainly behaves much more on the nose, and with more setup work and into the Baku upgrades it has bags of potential. Might not be the leap we all hoped for, but in time who knows. Excited would be the wrong word to use, but I'm content.

potential, they talk about it every year

Autosport plus
In the suspected midfield maelstrom, the behaviour of the McLaren also needs singling out, but not for the same positive reasons. The MCL36 of 2022 was blighted by inconsistent balance from one corner to the next. It doesn’t appear that this unwelcome habit has been banished by the arrival of the MCL60. Watching Lando Norris in the morning, admittedly when the track temperature has crept above 40 degrees Centigrade and the tyres are quick to overheat, it appears as though he is an unsettled driver.
Several sizeable lock-ups into Turn 1 don’t help his case. But, even between botched braking zones, of which there are many, the front axle looks lazy and slow to respond. The Brit often washes wide and must bide his time until he can jump back on the power. Some of this might be attributed to him circulating with full tanks. Either way, there’s not exactly an abundance of evidence to suggest that, underneath it all, there lies a confidence-inspiring chassis. Oscar Piastri also suffering with understeer and being cautious on the throttle in the afternoon and the car appearing to be easily deflected by bumps and over the kerbs suggest both are uncomfortable.

[Macklaren]

Remarkable assessment given that I was watching the afternoon session and Piastri was OVERsteering all over the place just like most other cars around him (except the ATs). Also the race run times do not reflect this review

[Mostlyeels]

F1 pundits and journalists now peddle and transact on feelings, sounds and vibes. Has anyone come up with any deep delve analysis of the data, which is what they should be working with? Like I said, McLaren may actually be in a bad way, but there's nothing concrete about anything. With "teething" problems, the team did nearly 140 laps today. One day to go, lets see how tomorrow pans out.

They are just quoting Zak you know... no need to pretend otherwise
“We had some teething problems yesterday,” Brown admitted
https://www.racefans.net/2023/02/24/mcl ... 023-brown/

And after he said "Nothing alarming, just the usual testing bugs."

And then "“But I think we will be going into the the first race off of our projected targets and it’s hard to really know where that means we’ll be on the grid.”"

It sure sounds like we could be faster, but it doesn't sound like doom and gloom.

This is Andreas Stella today:

"Last year, we had some clear objectives in terms of development, they had to do with aerodynamic efficiency, some development related to the exploitation of the tyres, and also some other objectives to improve the balance," explained Stella.

"The reality is that most of these objectives have actually been met. But the objective in terms of aerodynamic efficiency of the car, that's the one where we are still shy of what was our target.

"So some of the objectives have been met. Aerodynamic efficiency is still not where we would like it to be, or where we would like it to be a top-four contender. So I would say that's the one in which we are still short."


And we know that the team have an upgrade package which deals with the outwash from the front wing and should offer a good step forward.

That's actually more positive than I expected. Of course, lower aerodynamic efficiency will hurt the car's overall lap time, and probably will be a tough nut to crack. Hopefully there are no other big issues and the car drives well, and the first upgrade can start to address it.

[Mostlyeels]

Stay positive guys... No one said being a McLaren fan was easy

Just look how McLaren turned it around last year... Race 1, they were nowhere... race 4. and a well earned podium

We already know there is a big update coming in a couple of months, so even if it its not good next weekend, there's plenty to be happy about, and that's not to mention having the best driver on the grid, and most highly rated rookie in say... the last 4 years, behind the 2 car's steering wheels...ops, I just did

100%…we all went through McHonda surely it can’t be that bad right… right

Yep, those years taught me my pain threshold is higher than I thought.

With the amount this team is talking about this damn upgrade, that sh*t better be a rocket their going to strap to the car

LOL, perhaps a literal rocket strapped to the car?

[Lucky]

[MrGapes]

Besides the doom and gloom, I expect two things from the team on day 3, they complete a proper full race simulation, which will give us a more accurate representation of fuel load in correlation with lap time.

And hopefully soft low fuel running near the very end… today’s race sims from other teams suggest mid 38s in the first stint is good, my greater concern is really the degradation I’ve seen with this car, hopefully the setup is more dialled in the combat it.

[BrunoH]

as i said before the lack of ambition even before the test now shows.. we want to be the 4 best... cmon its planning to fail from the start! i really hope the new tunnel and tech really help this otherwise we are the new Williams.... im really afraid we have killed Mclaren! they need to be doing a car with the aim to win at least races!

This has nothing to do with ambition, you'd just be lying to yourself targeting anything higher. Since 2019, this team has consistently said, they won't compete till the infrastructure is up to date, they know that it's not going to happen. So it surprises me a bit when fans expect to challenge the top 3 when the team itself has said that time and time again it won't happen just yet. While McLaren was on a decline, the top 3 were moving forward, spending big, investing in personnel and infrastructure. Mercedes and Ferrari were spending $400M+ yearly. The budget cap is here now, but even that is going to take a couple of seasons to have an effect. We all want McLaren to win races and fight for the title, it's not going to happen yet. It's top 4 for now, let's not pretend this team is where it isn't. It's a journey, they're taking action and have said when all these things are in place, no more excuses.
[/quote

Top 4? you mean bottom 2 right'? its a total gp2 chassis this time!

[johnny comelately]

How long has Zak Brown's tenure got to go?

[djos]

How long has Zak Brown's tenure got to go?

I don’t think Zac is the problem, the aero department seem to be way too timid to me and the chassis guys need to learn how to incorporate driver feedback!

[mwillems]

Lando being interviewed by Sky:

We have a reasonable car, we will know more tomorrow (Today) where we stand in the order.

[SmallSoldier]

Lando being interviewed by Sky:

We have a reasonable car, we will know more tomorrow (Today) where we stand in the order.

Thanks… No Sky over here

[mwillems]

It is a tough interview, the reporting stating Mclarens trajectory is down and his is up and that he won't get a car to challenge at Mclaren.