2024 Mclaren Formula 1 Team

[Dimond]

VER finished 4.6 seconds behind Sainz

From what i remember: Unless otherwise stated, you're allowed to cross the pit line if you're NOT pitting, but not if you're pitting. So it's perfectly legal to cancel pitting at the very last second.

Makes sense, thanks

[PapayaFan481]

VER finished 4.6 seconds behind Sainz

My bad, i read wrong on the timings.

But i don't think it's illegal for this race, as someone else pointed out. I just pulled up the Race Directors events notes, and there's no mention of it.

From what i remember: Unless otherwise stated, you're allowed to cross the pit line if you're NOT pitting, but not if you're pitting. So it's perfectly legal to cancel pitting at the very last second.

I remember a few years ago, actually quite a few lol, Lewis crossed the pit entry line late after he spun and broke his wing. Can't remember if he got a penalty though.

[SilviuAgo]

Hard race for McLaren. The good news is that the team performed well in terms of strategy (pitting the cars to overtake, like PIA to TSU, pitting Lando for FL and Lando doing the job, all the communication with the drivers for lift and coast through T3, T5, T13, how to manage PU temperatures etc). Also a race that could have been worse, with Ferrari P1-P2, ended with a damage limitation better for McLaren.
As someone said strange car for Mercedes. It was a very cold track and this made Mercedes to take the spot light from Ferrari.

Now, in Qatar, McLaren should be way better and put some more points to the Ferrari P2 gap in WCC race and to go confident to Abu Dhabi.

[PapayaFan481]

Could now be a weird situation where McLaren actually want Max to score big points in the remaining races

Though I think Qatar will suit McLaren. Abu Dhabi strikes me as possibly suiting Ferrari more though.

For all the hype around the WDC in the media, we actually DO have an exciting championship fight in the WCC.

[venkyhere]

He wasn't slow and he was quicker than us

Anyway, point is, nonsense spouted after FP2 is exactly that. Nonsense

Take my word, both McLarens are going to easy DRS pass Verstappen tomorrow, the Redbull's real weakness isn't exposed in those Q runs. The RB20 is eating rear tyres, and McLaren have a huge tyre advantage and can maintain long run pace for really long.

Mclaren is worse on its tyres than the rest of the Top 4. Max is much faster.

The Red Bull not slow yesterday and the Mclaren clearly ate its tyres as much as anyone.

That was a surprise... see how the mercedes and the ferarris breezed past Max.. expected the Mclaren to do the same. Did they change the car from Friday ? (other than the rear wing change) ? McLaren was eating tyres. Redbull did something between FP3 and Q, inorder to fix tyre deg. Effectively, after three practice sessions, the two teams went in opposite directions.

[bauc]

NOR challenge has ended, now lest focus on getting that Constructors Championship

[mwillems]

Take my word, both McLarens are going to easy DRS pass Verstappen tomorrow, the Redbull's real weakness isn't exposed in those Q runs. The RB20 is eating rear tyres, and McLaren have a huge tyre advantage and can maintain long run pace for really long.

Mclaren is worse on its tyres than the rest of the Top 4. Max is much faster.

The Red Bull not slow yesterday and the Mclaren clearly ate its tyres as much as anyone.

That was a surprise... see how the mercedes and the ferarris breezed past Max.. expected the Mclaren to do the same. Did they change the car from Friday ? (other than the rear wing change) ? McLaren was eating tyres. Redbull did something between FP3 and Q, inorder to fix tyre deg. Effectively, after three practice sessions, the two teams went in opposite directions.

I just don't think any data supported us having a good weekend.

[CjC]

Mclaren is worse on its tyres than the rest of the Top 4. Max is much faster.

The Red Bull not slow yesterday and the Mclaren clearly ate its tyres as much as anyone.

That was a surprise... see how the mercedes and the ferarris breezed past Max.. expected the Mclaren to do the same. Did they change the car from Friday ? (other than the rear wing change) ? McLaren was eating tyres. Redbull did something between FP3 and Q, inorder to fix tyre deg. Effectively, after three practice sessions, the two teams went in opposite directions.

I just don't think any data supported us having a good weekend.

I don’t even think Mclaren expected to be good either.
Merc were definitely a pleasant surprise for the team.

[SilviuAgo]

Happy for NOR going to Las Vegas for deciding WDC. After 2023 and how 2024 started almost everybody expected Max to be champion before summer brake.

But 2024 was a different year:
-> Red Bull was living from season start, Max 7 wins and trying to rely on Max masterclass.
-> Ferrari has a good car, still bad strategy, the upgrades that they didn't understant for some races. The car likes fast races like Saudi, Baku, Monza, Las Vegas.
-> Mercedes is even more strange, waiting very cold races to came alive, like in Spa, Silverstone or Las Vegas. In other races they scored most by luck (as Russell won in Austria) or they were invisible.
-> McLarem started the season not so good, and waiting until Miami to have the car they should have it from Bahrain. Also a lot of strategy mistakes from them. But from development point the car was a car that performed well on majority of the tracks.

Overall, a very interesting 2024, brought by the fact that none of the main constructors was able to develop a car dominant like RB in 2023. And this, together with the weather, hazard, strategy errors...made this year to be wonderful and us, the fans, to enjoy it till last lap of Abu Dhabi.

[PapayaFan481]

NOR challenge has ended, now lest focus on getting that Constructors Championship

Norris never really had a chance. Only the media and some fans thought he did.

[SilviuAgo]

NOR challenge has ended, now lest focus on getting that Constructors Championship

Norris never really had a chance. Only the media and some fans thought he did.

Let me not to agree with this. I know we are talking about "what if" but let think only about last race from Brazil: what if the race was not on wet and the drivers finished the race as they were started? Two drivers with 3 races to go and only around 20 points in between? That would have been interesting.

And after 2023, when RB won 23 out of 24, what we only hoped at the 2024 start was to have this year at least 2 races where RB not to be P1 or P1 and P2.
Not to say that most of the "experts" were wondering IF RedBull can this year win all the races.
So from this mindset, to have a fight for WDC and WCC until last races, I think is a very very long way.

I am super happy with what McLaren showed in 2024 and I am optimist about next year, as Lando said, maybe the title fight was "a real one" (as you said) if McLaren was performing right from Race 1.

[Mclaren-Honda-1988]

Norris understandably only got a car capable to win from Hungary and after and that is debatable depending on circuits. So it was very hard from the start as he had a huge lead to cover to a driver who would keep him behind by any means nessesary. Still I must say he did very well for his first time challenging for a title. I will hold judgement until we see him with a dominant car like last year's Red Bull or a car that will be top from the start. If he still doesn't deliver which I doubt he wont then we can discuss his talent.

Two things to mention. 1)Karun Chandhok mentioned that Mclaren had the wrong rear wing here and that costed them on top speed? Did we lose time on the straights or on the turn part?
2)Next two GPs are like Interlagos and Mclaren should be perfect there.

[mwillems]

At the point everyone said Lando had a chance at WDC, it was after one dominant win. Before that race, the gap to max was steadily opening despite his car struggling.

It was fairy tail.

[Ben1980]

Morris never really was in a real fight. Max with 7 wins in the first 10 was always too much. And even then the RB was still pretty good, just not as good as it had been.

Some ifs and buts, but the outcome was probably fair.

[Sieper]

Austin Morris was certainly in the race on Brazil sunday after qualy.