2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[Ground Effect]

I think we shouldn't underestimate the task faced by Mclaren and STR with their respective late PU switches. There's performance to unlock and they're not a million miles from the upper midfield. Once they have a clearer understanding of the package, they'll improve. Let's see the performance in the race.

[SameSame]

All this negative talk of how McLaren have gone "backwards". Let's just wait and see their points haul by the seasons end. Let's see if they end up second to last again because at the end of the day their position is all that matters. Anyone thinking they would finish third or above in the constructors this year was dreaming.

[the EDGE]

The first race of the season is wayyy to early assess the order of the field

What is clear is we have a 3 tier field at present and McLaren are firmly in the 2nd tier

Let’s wait to see how variables & upgrades play out over the first few races before trash talk

[godlameroso]

2.5 seconds simply cannot be made up through development of the chassis. Maybe they close the gap by a second if all their updates work. So at the end it's still not good enough for a podium.

Hopefully the race pace is better.

[diffuser]

Australia is a 1 off track, kind of like Montreal so I wouldn't sweat it. Like I said before the last Year McLaren Ran with the Merc PU they were 2nd and 3ird but didn't break the top 10 again until Montreal.

Also I like to focus on RBR and Ferrari and Not Merc. So focus on the 1:21.8. we were at 1:23.6 and should have been at 1:23.2. So 1.5 seconds off that pace very doable.

As far as tomorrow race is concerns we're faster than some of the cars in front of us and they're on used tires and we'll be on Fresh tires. we'll have a good opportunity at the start.

[Macklaren]

2.5 seconds simply cannot be made up through development of the chassis. Maybe they close the gap by a second if all their updates work. So at the end it's still not good enough for a podium.

Hopefully the race pace is better.

There is no way that the race pace will be 2.5 sec off. This is thanks to the qualifying Merc “party mode”

[godlameroso]

2.5 seconds simply cannot be made up through development of the chassis. Maybe they close the gap by a second if all their updates work. So at the end it's still not good enough for a podium.

Hopefully the race pace is better.

There is no way that the race pace will be 2.5 sec off. This is thanks to the qualifying Merc “party mode”

Having thought about it I tend to agree with you, that "party mode" is easily worth half a second. Hamilton gained .3 in sector 1 alone and that's all engine power. But even if McLaren had such a festive mode, I don't think they'd have enough in the chassis to make up the rest of the deficit, not yet anyway.

Party mode + flawless development could get them within spitting distance, assuming of course Mercedes stands still. As it is, they're still 1.7 seconds off the pace of last year's pole. On the bright side their 2018 car is .4 seconds faster than Mercedes 2016 car was in qualifying so progress has been made.

[majki2111]

I am accually intrigued about pace in FP3. It looked really really good., I think. On RBR, Mercedes level... What can cause relative performance decline from intermediate to dry conditions.

[Andres125sx]

2.5 seconds simply cannot be made up through development of the chassis. Maybe they close the gap by a second if all their updates work. So at the end it's still not good enough for a podium.

Hopefully the race pace is better.

2.5 seconds? Are you really comparing a Q2 time with a different car Q3 time? In Melbourne?

In Q2 difference is 1.6, I know Mercedes is not using party mode in Q2 but even so, that´s a more realistic comparison about real pace difference, as party mode is only available for Q3 but not in race trim. 2 seconds if you will as they don´t need to push to the limit, but talking about 2.5 seconds you´re including track improvement between Q2 and Q3, wich in Melbourne it´s quite noticeable

[Andres125sx]

Alonso says McLaren's qualifying pace "a relief"

Fernando Alonso admitted he was relieved about his McLaren Formula 1 team's competitiveness in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, despite missing out on a Q3 slot.
Alonso was knocked out in Q2 after setting the 11th fastest time, but could move up to the top 10 if Valtteri Bottas is sent to the back of the grid following his heavy crash during the final qualifying segment.

The McLaren driver finished 2.5 seconds off Lewis Hamilton's pole position time, but insisted his first qualifying session with the Renault-powered MCL33 had been positive.

The Spaniard says the fact that McLaren still has progress to make on the integration of the power unit means the Woking team has a lot of potential to move up the grid.

"I'm very happy with how qualifying started. You are always curious to know where you stand and I think we have been pretty fast, especially in FP3 in wet conditions we were very close to the top all the time," said Alonso.

"Then in Q1 and Q2 we were always between seventh and 12th and as a starting point that's great because we'll have a lot of updates from now and the integration we need to do.


"We are the only ones who have to do that - so we have 'free' upgrades that are going to make us a lot more competitive and so it was a relief to reach qualifying and see that it's going to be a good year."

When asked if he expected a season-long fight with rival Renault, he said: "Now yes, but not all season."

Not having reached Q3 means Alonso can choose the tyre compound he wants to start tomorrow's race with, but he said in this case that will not be a major benefit.

"With the tyres we know that you always use the softs to start because they are better to start, you have better performance on the opening lap and there'll be little degradation as all three tyres are very similar so there's not a lot to play with there.

"We'll start 10th, I guess, because Bottas will be last, so I think it's a good starting point."

I watched this interview live in spanish, and I want to explain how positive and plenty of confidence Alonso was while saying the part I marked red, even laughing. He looked like someone fully conviced McLaren will improve a lot in next couple of races, to the point he´s not even worried about Renault, Haas, etc.

[bauc]

Alonso says McLaren's qualifying pace "a relief"

Fernando Alonso admitted he was relieved about his McLaren Formula 1 team's competitiveness in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix, despite missing out on a Q3 slot.
Alonso was knocked out in Q2 after setting the 11th fastest time, but could move up to the top 10 if Valtteri Bottas is sent to the back of the grid following his heavy crash during the final qualifying segment.

The McLaren driver finished 2.5 seconds off Lewis Hamilton's pole position time, but insisted his first qualifying session with the Renault-powered MCL33 had been positive.

The Spaniard says the fact that McLaren still has progress to make on the integration of the power unit means the Woking team has a lot of potential to move up the grid.

"I'm very happy with how qualifying started. You are always curious to know where you stand and I think we have been pretty fast, especially in FP3 in wet conditions we were very close to the top all the time," said Alonso.

"Then in Q1 and Q2 we were always between seventh and 12th and as a starting point that's great because we'll have a lot of updates from now and the integration we need to do.


"We are the only ones who have to do that - so we have 'free' upgrades that are going to make us a lot more competitive and so it was a relief to reach qualifying and see that it's going to be a good year."

When asked if he expected a season-long fight with rival Renault, he said: "Now yes, but not all season."

Not having reached Q3 means Alonso can choose the tyre compound he wants to start tomorrow's race with, but he said in this case that will not be a major benefit.

"With the tyres we know that you always use the softs to start because they are better to start, you have better performance on the opening lap and there'll be little degradation as all three tyres are very similar so there's not a lot to play with there.

"We'll start 10th, I guess, because Bottas will be last, so I think it's a good starting point."

I watched this interview live in spanish, and I want to explain how positive and plenty of confidence Alonso was while saying the part I marked red, even laughing. He looked like someone fully conviced McLaren will improve a lot in next couple of races, to the point he´s not even worried about Renault, Haas, etc.

I'm only worried that Mclaren can not still push the PU to the max, maybe do to the overheating issue? As Alonso says in the interview

we'll have a lot of updates from now and the integration we need to do

We are the only ones who have to do that - so we have 'free' upgrades that are going to make us a lot more competitive

[PhillipM]

Probably running conservative until they get a lot more data on stress, vibration levels, etc, when the car is actually loaded up behind other cars and clattering over kerbs.
I imagine TR are doing the same with the honda.

[BrunoH]

im a huge Mclaren fan, however they are the new Williams, no doubt about it now. So, i guess the optimists/ die hard defenders of the team are now going into hiding.

it was obvious since testing, at the time i said 1.5+ seconds from the top... i guess i was wrong, its much worse... there is no hiding it now.. not even Q3.

its a full disaster, they cant even change tires in practice, heat issues due to design errors, they did not even bring an updated engine cover to fix it, and i was sure they wold... all in all its even worse than i thought. plus like some people say, with less 100 million they are worse than they were before. last year they were q3 most of the end of the year.
that Eric Boullier needs to be fired! he hasn't done anything positive so far to fix the team. They are slacking, not good enough! that´s the reality.

they have huge drag issues ( dirty downforce and please dont come to me with comments like,, ´´haa and you know this from what? pictures? ) hahahahha i guess reality is stating to sink in....

Where were they at the start of the 2017 season? That is all i am asking.

fernando did p13 in qualy, today he did p11.. so around the same place give or take as they werebefore
... and that is with the ´´gp2 engine´´ so either the car got worse or the ´´gp2 engine´´ was better... my guess is the car is worse or chassis lost ground to some other teams as the renault is for sure better!

[Andres125sx]

I watched this interview live in spanish, and I want to explain how positive and plenty of confidence Alonso was while saying the part I marked red, even laughing. He looked like someone fully conviced McLaren will improve a lot in next couple of races, to the point he´s not even worried about Renault, Haas, etc.

I'm only worried that Mclaren can not still push the PU to the max, maybe do to the overheating issue? As Alonso says in the interview

we'll have a lot of updates from now and the integration we need to do

We are the only ones who have to do that - so we have 'free' upgrades that are going to make us a lot more competitive

He didn´t said a word about not being able to push the PU to the max

[Mansell89]

That’s exactly what I was coming on to ask about. Alonsos confidence and relative satisfaction completely surprised me and he referred to the PU “intergration” and “small issues”.

Could it be that McLaren aren’t turned up to full wick until they implement their changes as a result of the lessons learnt from testing? That to me sounds logical, but it is reading between the lines of course.