2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[Xero]

This is their best time from the Spanish pre-season test, no improvement whatsoever. Can someone care to explain this ? I'm surprised none of you have taken note!

The testing times were set on Hypersofts, on a much cooler track. It's no surprise that they're only just matching those times with tyres 2-3 steps harder in much warmer conditions.

[Big Tea]

Can't help it, McLaren has become people's favorite underdog. A team capable of so much that has basically had to rewrite it's whole story and start from scratch. Gone are the engine works deals of the past, gone are the huge title sponsors. A lot of people want to focus on the fact that some of it is McLaren's own doing and a certain amount of hubris was involved.


The price has been paid, the damage dealt, this package is more than just a few tenths up the order. It represents the Phoenix that has metaphorically risen out of the ashes of the last 6 years. I said it would be a modest bump up the order and it has, and there's still more to come, a lot more it won't happen all at once.

On a related note I am extremely annoyed by next year's forced regulation change.

I think there is a lot of "Ex Syndrome" involved with Mclaren.
Just as EX Smokers are evangelist against smoking and Ex wives / Husbands seem to be the devil incarnate to their Ex partner, so it is with Mclaren. I am (sort of) an Ex Mclaren fan, if I can be said to be a fan of one team since Tyrroll days, and lost feelings to them at the time the heart was ripped out and so many left. Ron Dennis in particular, even though it was his time, I still feel he was wronged, and then the Honda 'thing' which was not Mclaren's fault originally, but was not handled well.

I want Mclaren to be right up there again, but still have not re-bonded with them, but want to, which makes it worse.

[NK23]

This is their best time from the Spanish pre-season test, no improvement whatsoever. Can someone care to explain this ? I'm surprised none of you have taken note!

The testing times were set on Hypersofts, on a much cooler track. It's no surprise that they're only just matching those times with tyres 2-3 steps harder in much warmer conditions.

Ferrari were 2 tenths faster on the time sheets in winter testing, going the charts. With hyper softs. They're now over a second faster with softs! Where's our 1 second improvement. tiny detail, but things don't add up. I wish I'm wrong.

[_DM_]

Looks like PP have done a good aerodynamics: a complex front wing, a new nose and so on. But the fact that the layout of the body (engine cover) is not as dense as that of others, and also the cooling system is bulky (wide sides) suggesting that it is necessary to strengthen the engineering staff. Maybe that's why Tim Goss gone.

[Steven]

I've moved a bunch of posts to the Spanish GP thread.
Weather forecasts, tyre selections etc are off-topic here.

[Andres125sx]

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/vil ... 0613204334

Hope u still honour ure bet that Mclaren will catch RedBull or leap over Renault?

What bet? What are you talking about? I never said a word in that regard

[Andres125sx]

There is no more to extract from this update.

Who told you so?

[mclaren111]

MotorSportWeek:

Alonso:

“It definitely felt better, quicker,” he said. “I think the average position was P12 or P13 for us this year, so P8 is definitely a step forward.

“Everyone brought updates here, so it seems relative to them we made a step forward.

“We did a 1:17.7 over the winter with the Hypersofts, and we did a 17.7 with the Softs, so it’s a huge step forward.

Let's keep it up !!

[Monster Hesh]

Its great to have them reach Q3 at last, but, maybe question how much was down to Alonso and this track? Vandorne had quite a time gap to Alonso. This update needs to be working for both drivers. So Vandorne might have a bit of setup optimsing ahead of him, or come other tracks, McLaren slip back into Q2. Hopefully not, the updates keep coming and they keep climbing.

[Andres125sx]

I don´t understand Vandoorne bashing at all, he was just 2 tenths down Alonso in Q2. Raikonnen was around 4 tenths down Alonso on average at Ferrari, just as a reference

[Dextercitox]

In yesterday interview, Alonso said "All that we put in the car works just as the wind tunnel says, we have to bring more things as quick as we can..." and that's really good, if the correlation works you can develop with confidence in what you're doing.

Also yesterday EB said "We're going to bring new things to Monaco and Canada, and the're significative, only one pack doesn't make magic we have to keep working ..." so I hope they can keep pushing along the year, finish the year very near to RedBull will be a superb evolution.

Will see how this B-Spec works today at the race !

[dp12]

Would a green track benifit Fernando even more???

[bauc]

The Kid from yesterday Qualy



I just love this moments, like last year with Kimi and that kid who cried when Kimi crashed. It must be a life changing experience to meet your hero while you are a kid, a privilege I never had.

[mwillems]

Toto just said that the race looks like a two stop strategy, but that it is tight.

[GoranF1]

Race pace not good...