2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[Alonso Fan]

Planet F1:





Let's hope for the best !!

Boullier being Boullier.
Start of season: yea the car is crap but we'll bring a big update on race X that will narrow thr gap to team Y
Just before race X: yea that huge upgrade won't be huge at all and we'll keep on with the mediocre results until the end of season.

It's been like that since 2015 and I see no reason for that to change. I wonder when will McLaren actually turn things around and get their first top 4 finish since I believe 2012.

I doubt it, imagine how those shareholders feel. Expecting to be behind Red Bull, but ahead of the midfield. Instead McLaren is fighting with teams like Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams. They haven't even entered Q3 once, what a gigantic fail even with the delay of the new engine. Just look at the end of 2017. Alonso was fifth in Q1 Mexico (after stopping because of the penalty), they were 7th in Brazil quali (1,2 seconds of pole), 9th in Austin (1,5 seconds of pole). Where the * are they now?

I agree to an extent but you're talking about late last year when Honda improved.

Now where we're they in qualifying in Australia, Bahrain China and Baku last year?

This car obviously has a tenancy to be much quicker in the races than qualifying. Last year it was the opposite.

Lets see what happens. We know they have a decent car in the race

[diffuser]

I doubt that the shareholders are involved in day to day to that extent.

In reality all they really care about is the $$$ for next years budget and that's the constructors. With regards to that they're 4th over all WAY ahead of last year.

[proteus]

Not again. I was finally expecting them to leap everyone to be the 4th best team. But now Eric B comes with this statement. Either they are playing down the hype to surprise everyone or they genuinely won't make a huge step forward.

How can u just make a giant leap with an untested part of a car? If testing would actully be allowed, there would be no doubts the update will work. Now it will be only fingers crossed that computer corelation is correct with the actual race track. Spain will be more about finding out what the new parts are and less bout giant leaps towards the front....this is the new F1 where we blast tons of money for unimportant things and we decide to agresively save money on things that actually matter and would make the sport more interesting...

I think there are two days of testing at Barcelona right after the race there in 2 weeks time.

Yes, but after the race. So the real results of the update should be seen in the race after Spain.

[Alonso Fan]

Just watched ted's notebook. He said that without the incident on lap one and with a bit more 'luck' Alonso could have won the race.

But I think he was over exaggerating

[trinidefender]

Can anyone direct me to the article about an F1 exec making comments to his boss?

I believe they are one of these blogs but haven't managed to find anything. Wasn't it supposedly on a flight after China?
https://www.motorsportweek.com/joesaward/

[RonDennis]

Boullier being Boullier.
Start of season: yea the car is crap but we'll bring a big update on race X that will narrow thr gap to team Y
Just before race X: yea that huge upgrade won't be huge at all and we'll keep on with the mediocre results until the end of season.

It's been like that since 2015 and I see no reason for that to change. I wonder when will McLaren actually turn things around and get their first top 4 finish since I believe 2012.

I doubt it, imagine how those shareholders feel. Expecting to be behind Red Bull, but ahead of the midfield. Instead McLaren is fighting with teams like Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams. They haven't even entered Q3 once, what a gigantic fail even with the delay of the new engine. Just look at the end of 2017. Alonso was fifth in Q1 Mexico (after stopping because of the penalty), they were 7th in Brazil quali (1,2 seconds of pole), 9th in Austin (1,5 seconds of pole). Where the * are they now?

I agree to an extent but you're talking about late last year when Honda improved.

Now where we're they in qualifying in Australia, Bahrain China and Baku last year?

This car obviously has a tenancy to be much quicker in the races than qualifying. Last year it was the opposite.

Lets see what happens. We know they have a decent car in the race

We all know why. I don't even know why people are comparing the results of the beginning of last year. You should compare the performance from the last few races, because that's the only good comparison if you want to see if the switch was worth it.

[Macklaren]

Can anyone direct me to the article about an F1 exec making comments to his boss?

I believe they are one of these blogs but haven't managed to find anything. Wasn't it supposedly on a flight after China?
https://www.motorsportweek.com/joesaward/

At the very end of his post on 28 March

[diffuser]

Just watched ted's notebook. He said that without the incident on lap one and with a bit more 'luck' Alonso could have won the race.

But I think he was over exaggerating

What's the point in pondering that... 100 things happened , you're asking for 99. The next couple of races are hard to pass races Spain and Monaco.

[diffuser]

Damage to me on the McLaren Car that Alonso was driving !

[zoroastar]

I doubt it, imagine how those shareholders feel. Expecting to be behind Red Bull, but ahead of the midfield. Instead McLaren is fighting with teams like Sauber, Force India, Toro Rosso and Williams. They haven't even entered Q3 once, what a gigantic fail even with the delay of the new engine. Just look at the end of 2017. Alonso was fifth in Q1 Mexico (after stopping because of the penalty), they were 7th in Brazil quali (1,2 seconds of pole), 9th in Austin (1,5 seconds of pole). Where the * are they now?

I agree to an extent but you're talking about late last year when Honda improved.

Now where we're they in qualifying in Australia, Bahrain China and Baku last year?

This car obviously has a tenancy to be much quicker in the races than qualifying. Last year it was the opposite.

Lets see what happens. We know they have a decent car in the race

We all know why. I don't even know why people are comparing the results of the beginning of last year. You should compare the performance from the last few races, because that's the only good comparison if you want to see if the switch was worth it.

it still wouldnt have mattered because they would still be the only team using the honda, and any lack of top speeds would be put down to the honda not having enough power. regardless of what they should have done in a perfect world, the only way to move forward, in reality, was to part ways with honda. and if they started this season with the honda, i still have a hard time believing that they would have had the race results theyve had so far. maybe they would have, but i think that the relationship had been too tainted to move forward. hindsight is 20/20, but mclaren need to concentrate on the future. one day the rest of the world will.

[diffuser]

It's hard to be definitive about this. Things change from race to race. If you look at Sunday race STR's speed was dead last. Some 5 mph slower than SV.

Is the lack of aero efficiency representative of last year's car, this year's car's incompleteness, both or neither?

[max_speed]

Damage to me on the McLaren Car that Alonso was driving !


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DcDTGM1WkAAW8k1.jpg

i must say alonso's race craft is best among all.he always punches above the mediocrity and he is mega consistent. no one comes close to him in race trim. he is aggressive but not stupid enough to throw points.
sadly current mclaren car is not at red bull level else considering current situation among ferrari/mercedes and rivalry within red bull camp. alonso for sure will have a decent chance to win championship.

[proteus]

I agree to an extent but you're talking about late last year when Honda improved.

Now where we're they in qualifying in Australia, Bahrain China and Baku last year?

This car obviously has a tenancy to be much quicker in the races than qualifying. Last year it was the opposite.

Lets see what happens. We know they have a decent car in the race

We all know why. I don't even know why people are comparing the results of the beginning of last year. You should compare the performance from the last few races, because that's the only good comparison if you want to see if the switch was worth it.

it still wouldnt have mattered because they would still be the only team using the honda, and any lack of top speeds would be put down to the honda not having enough power. regardless of what they should have done in a perfect world, the only way to move forward, in reality, was to part ways with honda. and if they started this season with the honda, i still have a hard time believing that they would have had the race results theyve had so far. maybe they would have, but i think that the relationship had been too tainted to move forward. hindsight is 20/20, but mclaren need to concentrate on the future. one day the rest of the world will.

We definetly should compare the start of 2017 season and this season. But on the other hand it is no problem at all taking last 4 races of the last year. Yes, they are far away in terms of qualifying, but they scored 7 points in that last 4 races and they have scored 36 so far with basically stock car. Points matter at the end of the day. If they would start every race dead last this year and score more points than they did last year, it would still mean they are better.
4 races, triple double points finishes and only one finish of Vandoorne out of top 10 so far, no retirements left and a brilliant recover of a car which was 2-wheeling into the pits... In this 4 races we have also seen that teams are aparently very track specific as well. Different teams shining on different tracks. 4 races and they have allready surpassed their 2017 tally of points and the progress is deemed as a "failure"...

[nirvaand]

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/over ... n-1032355/

Aero changes for next year, and stronger DRS approved by F1 chiefs. Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Haas, Renault and Toro Rosso were against it. But Mercedes, Williams, Force India and Sauber supported it, hence it passed. (Only needed support from 4 teams apparently)

With these regulation changes, the Renault teams "might" be at a slight disadvantage with the engine deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari. But this will allow closer following in corners, so might also help them. Don't know the direct effects on teams. Will have to wait and see.

[Ground Effect]

Bad news for McLaren: https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/over ... n-1032355/

Aero changes for next year, and stronger DRS approved by F1 chiefs. Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Haas, Renault and Toro Rosso were against it. But Mercedes, Williams, Force India and Sauber supported it, hence it passed. (Only needed support from 4 teams apparently)

With these regulation changes, the Renault teams will be at the big disadvantage with the engine deficit to Mercedes. Unbelievable. I hope Ferrari can veto it.

Surprising that Sauber went the other way, against Ferrari.