AMuS article detailing problems at Mclaren
But the MCL33 has a fundamental problem.
He is only competitive if the rear wing is set to stop. So on routes such as Barcelona, Monte Carlo or the Hungaroring. If the rear wing flattened, the McLaren loses in comparison to the environment too much contact pressure. And is too slow on the straights.
The engineers have realized that something is lazy with the concept. That's why Alonso in Spielberg has tried a new front wing, baffles and underbody. It was an experiment in a different direction. Apparently with a positive result. McLaren wants to make the parts ready for the GP Hungary.
For Williams and McLaren, the question is, how much time to invest in the 2018er season. In 2019, a major aerodynamic reform is due. Is it a coincidence that just the world champions of the 80s and 90s are now slipping into crisis? No, it has method. The problems are homemade, sometimes even on the same basis.
An engineer who worked for both teams says: "Both are mature teams with loyal employees. Many people at McLaren or Williams have never looked out of their own homes. They do not even know how Formula 1 has evolved, what other teams look like because they do not know anything else. If you tell them how the competition has upgraded, they will not believe you. They live in their own world and the great heritage of their racing teams. "
McLaren has a second problem. There are too many bosses in the technical office. "You talk to one engineer one day, the other one to another. Both are responsible for the same area, but no one is really responsible, "recalls the same engineer whose team was a McLaren customer.
The structures that made McLaren grow into a public agency have others to answer for as those who now had to take their hat off. They originated in the era of Ron Dennis. And they were never abolished properly.
Dennis introduced work processes as in mass production, he structured the engineering office as a matrix with many levels of leadership instead of a guru at the top. Stars on the drawing board like John Barnard or Adrian Newey were more and more suspect to him. He revolutionized racing in part, but also developed his own company into an authority in which everyone stood for success, but none for failure.
McLaren has been living on his own planet since that time. For years people were talking to each other and to others about building the best chassis in the field. If it was not enough for the earlier exploits, the engine was automatically responsible. Meanwhile, even the team management admits that this was probably a mistake. "We did not have the best chassis last year. And the current car has even less downforce than that of 2017, "admits Zak Brown.
The 46-year-old American concludes: "We have to change our structures. We have many good people who can not show their talent. The decision-making processes are too long. The communication internally too bad. And we need expertise from outside to get to know new ways of thinking. "
Fernando Alonso agrees: "Last year we had a couple of systems in the car that are now prohibited by the regulations. We could not compensate for this loss. The big Aero package we brought to Spain was a good step. But only for two races. We need more of it. At the track we do a good job. We have to improve off the track. "
McLaren has done the opposite. Downforce at any price, even if it is inefficient. The car is even more in the wind than a Red Bull with his job, but the McLaren generates far too little downforce over the chassis compared to a Red Bull. And with Red Bull, McLaren has to compare itself to the ambitions and the identical engine, whether they like it or not.
McLaren is also taking a risky path in its development program. Mostly, large packages arrive at the car. If they do not work, the engineers stand in the woods. Cleanly developed in small steps. That helps understanding. Williams and McLaren should wonder why a small Swiss team is constantly improving their car while kicking on the spot or falling back.
At McLaren it's even more complicated. There is no safety net. McLaren depends on the patience of its shareholders. Zak Brown is already preparing Mansour Ojjeh and the sovereign wealth fund from Bahrain for a long wait: "The problems did not arise overnight. You will not be able to solve it overnight. "
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