2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[djos]

that couldnt possibly be true - only Lando has the Mclaren experience to drive an otherwise undrivable car, right - must just be beginners luck

No one said it’s undrivable, it’s just got a really weak front end and inefficient aero.

[Rushu]

Regarding Baku. Is it a B-Spec car with a new philosophy or is it gonna be a major upgrade that's gonna be implemented on the current car? Whatever it will be it must deliver 7 tenths at least in order for the team to be able to say that they are doing something.

“So I think if you race well, if we can improve the car by a few tenths like we plan to do, then we can have some enjoyable races"

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/09/mc ... h-weekend/

Baku upgrade is going to be by only a few tenths according to Stella.

[AR3-GP]

Regarding Baku. Is it a B-Spec car with a new philosophy or is it gonna be a major upgrade that's gonna be implemented on the current car? Whatever it will be it must deliver 7 tenths at least in order for the team to be able to say that they are doing something.

“So I think if you race well, if we can improve the car by a few tenths like we plan to do, then we can have some enjoyable races"

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/09/mc ... h-weekend/

Baku upgrade is going to be by only a few tenths according to Stella.

Where are the journalist asking the hard questions. What if other teams bring upgrades worth a few tenths as well.

[djos]

Regarding Baku. Is it a B-Spec car with a new philosophy or is it gonna be a major upgrade that's gonna be implemented on the current car? Whatever it will be it must deliver 7 tenths at least in order for the team to be able to say that they are doing something.

“So I think if you race well, if we can improve the car by a few tenths like we plan to do, then we can have some enjoyable races"

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/09/mc ... h-weekend/

Baku upgrade is going to be by only a few tenths according to Stella.

Where are the journalist asking the hard questions. What if other teams bring upgrades worth a few tenths as well.

Haven’t you noticed? They no longer exist, in any field.

[chrisgr]

The proper question is where are the good readers. I have seen it in many articles that are posted here, about the Baku upgrade. Stella has said it many times. I am posting once again "We are not naïve, we know that pretty much every team will be saying the same about having good developments."

https://racingnews365.com/stella-cools- ... ealisation

[BMMR61]

What happened on Saturday at Jeddah? Mediocre was replaced by promising, team’s pessimistic attitude was not borne out in the results, Lando’s error notwithstanding. Is this an aberration or is it a sign that the design deficiencies were not as dire as Key and Stella expected? If the Baku upgrade can truly improve aero efficiency and recover top speed, then these two drivers could give McLaren the chance to at least fight for top 4 or 5, maybe even jump the tight upper midfield. Last year the early season recovery from Bahrain with a podium offered a hope which was really a false dawn. I’d hate to get ahead of myself here but I feel a tiny bit more optimistic than yesterday - however, seasons aren’t built on single days.

[BMMR61]

Last season, the major rules around aero, wheel sizes, etc etc resulted in a pecking order not greatly changed, Mercedes being the main exception. This year a 15mm floor height adjustment has thrown the form book into chaos! Quite encouraging really, except that Aston Martin made the biggest leap, not McLaren. I will hold my breath for a few races but if fighting for P4 or 5 (or better) happens let some people here eat humble pie or (in USA) eat crow. Zak has more haters than he deserves in my opinion and his decision to axe Daniel and hire Oscar has nearly been vindicated by round 2. I like my fellow Mac fans loyal, not whining doomsayers.

[_cerber1]

The speed in the corners is even higher than the Red Bull, but the complete lack of speed on the straights.

[Stig14]

The speed in the corners is even higher than the Red Bull, but the complete lack of speed on the straights.

https://postimg.cc/7JfcWtNY

Thanks for the traces Cerber- it's really interesting to see that McLaren have gone such a different way on the downforce trade off vs everyone else. I suppose that analysis would also include some consideration for DRS efficiency which will be less prevalent in the race. Here's hoping the boys can stay with the cars in front with the cars' cornering ability and keep hold of DRS. I don't expect this to be straightforward race though and would be surprised if we didn't have multiple VSCs/full safety cars so luck may well play a part in the end result too.

[Balalu]

Piastri is very promissing. He seems to be destined to push Norris, which is good for both McLaren and Norris.

We should allow him to make mistakes though. Just need to remember he is a rookie and young.

[mclaren111]

@TheMcLarenZone:

Mclaren’s James Key insists the #MCL60 is not as bad as has been claimed, after all it’s not like they have to “attack” some “crazy characteristic”, they just need more “grip”.

Sounds Positive...

Sounds positive however There is an understanding among the experts that McLaren has the weakest car at the moment.

Disagree... We are Not the Worst... And we must wait for Baku and see how the new parts perform...

[PhillipM]

“So I think if you race well, if we can improve the car by a few tenths like we plan to do, then we can have some enjoyable races"

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/09/mc ... h-weekend/

Baku upgrade is going to be by only a few tenths according to Stella.

Like I said before, it's never been said to be anything but a few tenths.
It's only people getting carried away here talking of seconds and 'B' cars, etc.

[organic]

The important thing is that the team is on the right development path now

[BMMR61]

“So I think if you race well, if we can improve the car by a few tenths like we plan to do, then we can have some enjoyable races"

https://www.speedcafe.com/2023/03/09/mc ... h-weekend/

Baku upgrade is going to be by only a few tenths according to Stella.

Like I said before, it's never been said to be anything but a few tenths.
It's only people getting carried away here talking of seconds and 'B' cars, etc.

Nobody’s “talking seconds”. Progress race by race is always measured in tenths and half tenths. If they find strong correlation points then a fairly major upgrade can yield three tenths. Correlation also is conducive to greater understanding of the chassis dynamics which can also bring quicker and more accurate setup improvements. It’s not unrealistic to think in terms of challenging all but the Red Bulls within the first half of the season. On the other hand, upgrades can prove virtually worthless and reduce confidence in the simulation and wind tunnel correlation. 2019 - 2021 brought mostly steady progress - from a horrible lack of competitiveness, to frequent podiums, this largely due to a good understanding of MCL34,35 & 35M.

[ScottR267]

https://www.grandprix.com/news/angry-wo ... neers.html

Of course it’s only speculation at this point. However if heads were to roll at Mercedes, could McLaren pick up some of these engineers?

Appreciate they went down a dead end with the no sidepods concept, however they were still part of the dominant period and don’t become bad engineers overnight