2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[Big Tea]

I too am interested in the Goss bit. I’m sure I read a number of years ago that McLaren rotated/alternated the chief designer of the car, and IIRC was Goss the guy who produced the fast 2011 car that was quicker than they expected and didn’t know why?

That ring any bells or is it my hazy memory/Incorrect knowledge?

According to Wiki (yes, sorry) he is still at Mclaren listed under 'technical'

[zeph]

Fernando will get linked to everything, it fits the media's narrative of him being a political figure.

Exactly. Then again, Mark Hughes doesn't just throw words around.

It could well be Boullier did indeed resign voluntarily, Saward reports he was frustrated with the "matrix management" structure at McLaren. Or he could be the fall guy, who knows?

But blaming Boullier for the car's shortcomings is just off. As team principal he was responsible for track-side operations; he had nothing to do with design.

[Snorked]

https://twitter.com/SportmphMark/status ... 9993962497

Zak Brown confirmed on the BBC that Alonso was consulted and a part of the reshuffling process.

That seems absolutely bonkers to me. A driver having a say in the hiring and firing of the upper management. Has that ever happened before?

McLaren are in a right mess.

[NL_Fer]

How about Paddy Lowe to escape the mess he came into at Williams? Maybe he functions better in a higher budget environment, hoping McL still has them. He was not fired in 2013 right?

[PlatinumZealot]

Satan reigns in McLaren!

First time goss and now. Boullier is the next scapegoat!

This sort of head rolling would never happen in Ron's days! What sort of tyrany is this?! Firing the guys who do their job with what you give them?

[PlatinumZealot]

After reading Zack words, it is clear was forced to resign. I think it really shows the deep crisis in the team because it was time for action/reaction and no resing as it will delay even more the solutions.

Eric is a no BS guy and has always been. I can see him arguing against the company direction with Zak and the others. So yeah.. Could be forced.. Could voluntary.. Let's wait and see. I hope he goes to a better place.

[Jacinto]

How about Paddy Lowe to escape the mess he came into at Williams? Maybe he functions better in a higher budget environment, hoping McL still has them. He was not fired in 2013 right?

AFAIK Paddy Lowe is a shareholder at Williams Racing...

[Big Tea]

After reading Zack words, it is clear was forced to resign. I think it really shows the deep crisis in the team because it was time for action/reaction and no resing as it will delay even more the solutions.

Eric is a no BS guy and has always been. I can see him arguing against the company direction with Zak and the others. So yeah.. Could be forced.. Could voluntary.. Let's wait and see. I hope he goes to a better place.

He is not dead man

TBH, Tost should at least have a chat with him.

[ispano6]

so it looks like Gil de Ferran will be the fall guy, Erm replacement foe Eric

He was at B>A>R was he not?

Seeing that he was involved with Honda for many years and Alonso's mentor for Indy500 this is probably more a play for a prospective Indy season than Formula 1.

According to Joe Saward McLaren have axed their Indy car program. The focus is fully on F1, which seems like a good decision. I also feel that people should give Zak Brown a chance, I really don't know why he's hated so much. Changes take time in F1.

I really doubt Alonso has given up on winning the Indy 500. The whole Indy season was to cater to Alonso, probably the same with LMP but now that's not necessary. It still seems to me Alonso is part of the problem, or Zak promising anything to Alonso is a problem. All that lack of focus was caused by the marketing guru who wanted to see McLaren expand into lesser series for "marketing" reasons... this all happening after his "promotion". We probably haven't seen the last of the McLaren departures.

[McL-H]

Good thing. Now bring Ron Dennis back and fire Zak.

[Zynerji]

Good thing. Now bring Ron Dennis back and fire Zak.

I'd fire Promadou and hire James Key instead..

[diffuser]

Good thing. Now bring Ron Dennis back and fire Zak.

I'd fire Promadou and hire James Key instead..

He's not a aerodynamics.

You probably wouldn't fire him. you'd want to keep him but get him help. If you fire him he'd walk over to RBR and they'd pick him up in a heartbeat. You need more of those guys not fewer.

[Squid]

Here's an interesting point that hasn't been brought up yeat. This interview with Boullier at the end of 2017.

Q: Eric, you said that it dawned on you even at the Barcelona tests in February that 2017 would be another disastrous year. Can you talk us through the discussions that set in at that very moment?

Eric Boullier: That’s easily told: I went to the management, showed them the data and told them that we cannot accept another year like this. We had a tough first year with Honda, we had a tough second year, and had expected progress good enough to get us back to where we belong – but Barcelona showed that we would go backwards and that was absolutely not an option. I obviously warned them about the consequences of another year of no results, where you keep everybody afloat. We have a new team, which has been reconstructed in the last three years: new people, very good new people – competitive people who used to win – and the danger was we’d lose them. The perception of a team is still very much based on drivers, because they are the faces of the team, but for me the real danger was losing those people. That was the discussion at the very beginning of the season.

So from his answer, I think it's safe to say that he was the one who convinced management to dump Honda. Making a case for Renault would get them Red Bull as their benchmark for how well the car is actually performing, and they've failed to hit anywhere close to it.

If I had to guess, management was starting to regret getting rid of Honda after seeing Honda's progress this year and McLaren's continued struggle. Boullier didn't help his case at all when he admitted last week that customer teams can't win championships. In the end, McLaren worked hard for 3 years to give Red Bull works status.

[Manoah2u]

Oh boy oh boy, it's happening!



finally, the first real smart and effective decision Mclaren has been making in YEARS

BYE bouillier, won't miss you, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

[mwillems]

After reading Zack words, it is clear was forced to resign. I think it really shows the deep crisis in the team because it was time for action/reaction and no resing as it will delay even more the solutions.

As in most sports, when the team doesn't perform the manager gets it.

There was interview with Zak in France I think ....where he said that EB was responsible for performance that was the first hint. The 2nd was the hiring of Gil de Ferran. He seems to be a EB clone with better English skills.

I would have keep EB until Christmas, to analize and go with him all the decisions and steps have been done in the past and why, also to talk with factory and their imput. Then with better idea of the situation sending him free. Because changing one manager to other don't resolve the problems if the problem it is well cemented on the staff at the factories or above on the managing level.

I guess there are a few things at play here. Do they want the new heads bedded in prior to the start of the new car design and has Boullier lost the respect of the workforce?

Might not be anything to do with that, but I guess it could be.