2024 Mclaren Formula 1 Team

[mwillems]

Not sure why the Lando hate. He had a slower start and that defined the next corner. He did well to get back into it with the car showing it's strength in the higher speed corner, but the rear did have a moment and couldn't keep the line in the lower speeds where Lando was fighting the car the whole time. He probably should have just given up first place as he knew the car didn't want to go where he was taking it. Switching wouldn't have worked but it would have been safer.

Hopefully that might also put paid to the idea that at those slow speeds, downforce isn't important. Looks top me like the car does not like to trail brake and this is why we lost the car next to Hamilton at the more aggressive area of turn in. I don't think he was squeezed much by Hamilton although it was a little, but that is what good racers do. If the car had held out then Lando would have been entitled to be on the inside for the next corner but it wasn't to be.

As predicted, once behind they won't make up ground. It's a shame. He'd have been slower than Max and a few others in any case, but he could have been top 4 here today.

I'm very certain that my prediction for the race is correct unfortunately, but this was always a throwaway race. I hoped for some nice points in Sprint and it was possible, but as soon as we drop behind someone through luck or racing incidents, we will struggle to get back in front, we need our races at this track to be clean and with good strategy.

[Sphere3758]

What's going on with Oscar? He is fading away after a good start last year. His race pace is nowhere. Doesn't seem to understand the car or tyres. I thought in his second year, he will have better understanding of race pace, seems like he has got no clue how to be competitive in race trim.

I think it might have to do with him never being whithin DRS zone, while Lando looked better cause he was behind Sainz and Leclerc

Oscar started on used mediums while Norris had new.
Given that Charles and Sergio were pretty quick at the end on used mediums, the McLaren race pace looks questionable

[CjC]

Well that was disappointing.
Think McLaren and their drivers need to really sharpen up on race execution. The most recent multi world champion drivers and teams are teaching McLaren so hard lessons.

Race pace doesn’t look great either. Regardless of what happens in the main quali (my hopes aren’t high) Sunday will be a long day

[LionsHeart]

Racing pace available, that's a fact. If Lando had given up first position right away, he would have easily finished in third position. Aston can't match McLaren's pace yet. One Red Bull, two Ferrari and one McLaren were faster than Alonso. But it was difficult to overtake because Sainz could not pass immediately. In general, at the moment I am happy with the pace itself, but I remain dissatisfied with the first lap from Lando.

[mwillems]

Well that was disappointing.
Think McLaren and their drivers need to really sharpen up on race execution. The most recent multi world champion drivers and teams are teaching McLaren so hard lessons.

Race pace doesn’t look great either. Regardless of what happens in the main quali (my hopes aren’t high) Sunday will be a long day

It's odd because a lot of the critisism is that Lando didn't have "cajones", but it looks to me that the issue is that he needed to realise he'd lost the corner and race smarter, he was fighting a lost cause on the outside of 2, not that he wasn't fighting enough.

[Ben1980]

The reaction times showed 0.01 between Hamilton and Norris, it wasn't a bad and good start it was very even. Norris was just on the outside, and Lewis knew what to do. As Rosberg said, he didn't attempt the apex and did just enough to make it difficult. Then it went a bit wrong.

But, in reality it's no real harm. The only way of getting the points was to get ahead and hope. But Max was always coming through.

Bigger points to protect tomorrow if in a similar situation. Though I'm not expecting the Merc to be up the front.

[mwillems]

Racing pace available, that's a fact. If Lando had given up first position right away, he would have easily finished in third position. Aston can't match McLaren's pace yet. One Red Bull, two Ferrari and one McLaren were faster than Alonso. But it was difficult to overtake because Sainz could not pass immediately. In general, at the moment I am happy with the pace itself, but I remain dissatisfied with the first lap from Lando.

I agree, certainly that we had top 4 pace here, won't argue with 3rd if we'd had a clean race.

But you think we will have good pace here on Sunday? I'm hoping top 6 for our drivers in Qualification today, maybe even top 4. But you know what I think of the race pace tomorrow.

[BMMR61]

What's going on with Oscar? He is fading away after a good start last year. His race pace is nowhere. Doesn't seem to understand the car or tyres. I thought in his second year, he will have better understanding of race pace, seems like he has got no clue how to be competitive in race trim.

I think it might have to do with him never being whithin DRS zone, while Lando looked better cause he was behind Sainz and Leclerc

Oscar started on used mediums while Norris had new.
Given that Charles and Sergio were pretty quick at the end on used mediums, the McLaren race pace looks questionable

Thanks for that, didn't realise Oscar was on used, that makes sense. People are jumping all over both our guys but first we need to realise that the wet SQ3 flattered the McLaren which switches it's tyres on quickly (there's a downside to that), and that the long slow corners are always going to be a challenge to the MCL38 in it's present state. Also the China circuit is not a great one for the modern large, heavy cars. There's a long game necessary to make most passes, preserve the corner of the car which is most under stress - the front left I believe - and be patient. Of course the circumstances of DRS and having to defend come into play but Max played a more patient game than we normally see and it paid dividends - a 12 second sprint win. I have no appetite for this sort of track but you throw in some major variables and it can produce a race, sadly I think it will be business as usual for the front runners. I think we will struggle to keep in particular, the first set of tyres alive, I hope to be proven wrong.

[Emag]

People ride 'success waves' as they come ignoring how things are in the big picture and then get disappointed when reality slaps.

This car has major weaknesses and, as things are at the moment, it has no capabilities of fighting neither RedBull nor the much improved Ferrari this year.

A pole in mixed conditions doesn't magically change that.

This race is all about trying to keep Mercedes and AM behind. Then, let's see what the Miami package delivers.

[f1rules]

Exactly, what did people expect. Mclaren succeeded in the rain cause they could keep temperature in the tires. In dry they have no chance at this track. Qual maybe ok cause new soft tires mask the cars weaknesses, but reality will hit again in the race

[FittingMechanics]

Lando's reaction was quick but he did not have good traction of the line. It was immediately noticeable that Hamilton had a jump on Norris. I can't really blame Norris, he tried to stick around the outside but the track is slippery and it was a tough ask. A shame really but in my opinion wins are more important than P3 or P5. I fully support him taking more risk instead of slotting behind Hamilton at the start.

What concerns me more is that the car was losing out in DRS zones even when they had DRS (obviously Ferrari ahead had DRS as well). It looks like DRS is not efficient at all. Being in a DRS train will be a big problem.

I am still optimistic that the end result will be decent - clear 3rd best team, but after yesterday I hoped for more.

Both of our guys leaving pits at the start of Q1 on used softs.

[Slahinki]

Lando's reaction was quick but he did not have good traction of the line. It was immediately noticeable that Hamilton had a jump on Norris. I can't really blame Norris, he tried to stick around the outside but the track is slippery and it was a tough ask. A shame really but in my opinion wins are more important than P3 or P5. I fully support him taking more risk instead of slotting behind Hamilton at the start.

What concerns me more is that the car was losing out in DRS zones even when they had DRS (obviously Ferrari ahead had DRS as well). It looks like DRS is not efficient at all. Being in a DRS train will be a big problem.

Yeah, once we lose out on position it seems practically impossible to regain it with the way our DRS works.

[mwillems]

Exactly, what did people expect. Mclaren succeeded in the rain cause they could keep temperature in the tires. In dry they have no chance at this track. Qual maybe ok cause new soft tires mask the cars weaknesses, but reality will hit again in the race

I'll be surprised if the car doesn't do well in all the sprints. Its not just tyres but low fuel. The car is one of the best in race pace when it has shed over half its fuel. It was the conditions that got us to 1st though.

Will be good in Q here too before we get destroyed in the race.

[FittingMechanics]

Exactly, what did people expect. Mclaren succeeded in the rain cause they could keep temperature in the tires. In dry they have no chance at this track. Qual maybe ok cause new soft tires mask the cars weaknesses, but reality will hit again in the race

I'll be surprised if the car doesn't do well in all the sprints. Its not just tyres but low fuel. The car is one of the best in race pace when it has shed over half its fuel. It was the conditions that got us to 1st though.

Will be good in Q here too before we get destroyed in the race.

So we made a last years Ferrari?

[FittingMechanics]

P4 and P5 - so close to P3. Red Bull looks to be clearly ahead. Alonso doing his magic.

I think we can be happy - hopefully they can keep their spots in the race. That would be a good result for a track where the team expected to struggle heavily.