2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[Jackles-UK]

Grosjean took time away from the sport after an absolutely disastrous first spell and came back to find far greater success on his second attempt. Kimi also came back to the sport after a few years out and quickly got back into the groove (although I’m aware that as a world champion that was probably made easier for him at better teams). Don’t rule out Stoffel coming back to the grid soon even if he doesn’t get a seat for 2019 and making a solid career for himself.

[max_speed]

Magnussen and Vandoorne didn't work out, now they hope for the third time being luckier. If the car is a pig, Norris will be out the door within 2 years. Hopefully, for his sake, it proves to be more competitive than this year's car.

i have the same feeling. problem is that in such Mclaren car only Alonso like driver can perform. another young talent on way to be destroyed by Mclaren. i did watch F2 but agree that russell is far better than Norris at the moment

[mwillems]

Magnussen and Vandoorne didn't work out, now they hope for the third time being luckier. If the car is a pig, Norris will be out the door within 2 years. Hopefully, for his sake, it proves to be more competitive than this year's car.

i have the same feeling. problem is that in such Mclaren car only Alonso like driver can perform. another young talent on way to be destroyed by Mclaren. i did watch F2 but agree that russell is far better than Norris at the moment

In current form yes, but he has 2 years on him. So personally I don't question his talent, just the timing. There seems to be a focus on winning a formula 1st time but his progress has been exceptional. He is in F2 1 year earlier than Leclerc, who I see as the young driver benchmark right now.

But plenty of drivers have done well in lower classes and failed in F1. Its the transition that has earmarked Leclerc for brilliance. You will only ever know he's the right choice once he drives an F1 car in anger.

[dodds_turbo]

Ocon failed the seat fitting for this year's car (I presume the 2010 car isn't much different). Seems his height (1.97cm?) is outside the norm (Alonso, Sainz, etc. are all a lot shorter).
Hopefully Perez or Norris to be announced shortly.

Ocon i 1.86m tall. And you probably mean 2019 car?

Correct - he is 1.86m tall (not that giant-like). But he did fail the seat fit for this year's car:
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/20123/oc ... ailed.html

[WaikeCU]

Magnussen and Vandoorne didn't work out, now they hope for the third time being luckier. If the car is a pig, Norris will be out the door within 2 years. Hopefully, for his sake, it proves to be more competitive than this year's car.

He's not getting the ax cause the car is slow ...he's getting the ax cause he is slow. I'd like to see Norris in there full time this year. We know Stoffel will not score much between now and the end of the year.

I think it's hard to stay confident and positive when the car is just falling apart. I mean how long did it take before the chassis change happened (I thought 2 races). At Hungary he was able to follow Fernando throughout the race, but again had to retire because of technical issues. At FP1 in Spa, he had brake issues, engine issues before he eventually was sidelined because of a floor change. I mean how many issues can you have in 1 day?

[ivanlesk]

Ocon failed the seat fitting for this year's car (I presume the 2010 car isn't much different). Seems his height (1.97cm?) is outside the norm (Alonso, Sainz, etc. are all a lot shorter).
Hopefully Perez or Norris to be announced shortly.

Ocon i 1.86m tall. And you probably mean 2019 car?

Correct - he is 1.86m tall (not that giant-like). But he did fail the seat fit for this year's car:
https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/20123/oc ... ailed.html

Yes, he did. But you wrote:

(I presume the 2010 car isn't much different)

I presume you were talking about 2019 and his height probably being problem also for next year?

[Ground Effect]

Magnussen and Vandoorne didn't work out, now they hope for the third time being luckier. If the car is a pig, Norris will be out the door within 2 years. Hopefully, for his sake, it proves to be more competitive than this year's car.

i have the same feeling. problem is that in such Mclaren car only Alonso like driver can perform. another young talent on way to be destroyed by Mclaren. i did watch F2 but agree that russell is far better than Norris at the moment

Lando may be an Alonso like driver, who knows. One thing is for sure, as much as I hate to admit it, Stoffel disappointed, even after taking all his challenges into consideration. I personally feel it's too soon for Lando, but the team don't think so, they have all the info. I'd have so much more preferred Ocon, but why accommodate a rivals driver, with no chance of keeping him? Just because Stoffel didn't work out, doesn't mean Lando won't. One thing I already see in Lando is confidence and personality.

[Jolle]

It might well be that the shareholders/investors put an hold on expensive drivers, before they got the car and team in order.

[Ground Effect]

Magnussen and Vandoorne didn't work out, now they hope for the third time being luckier. If the car is a pig, Norris will be out the door within 2 years. Hopefully, for his sake, it proves to be more competitive than this year's car.

He's not getting the ax cause the car is slow ...he's getting the ax cause he is slow. I'd like to see Norris in there full time this year. We know Stoffel will not score much between now and the end of the year.

I think it's hard to stay confident and positive when the car is just falling apart. I mean how long did it take before the chassis change happened (I thought 2 races). At Hungary he was able to follow Fernando throughout the race, but again had to retire because of technical issues. At FP1 in Spa, he had brake issues, engine issues before he eventually was sidelined because of a floor change. I mean how many issues can you have in 1 day?

We can't pretend Stoffel's issues are dated back to the chassis issue or brake issues in Spa. in qualifying, he's 0-14, including last season it's 3-31! There's no way to spin it, those are not the stats of someone we thought was the next big thing. Fernando is 11 years older, and this year has included WEC to his commitments, comes back from Le Mans and is quicker than Stoffel on a track that he, Stoffel, is one of a few drivers who have driven a modern F1 car on. There doesn't seem to be an ability to adapt in him. I think for him, he'd have done better in pre-2017 downforce levels cars, where it's a bigger challenge finding grip. Like I've said before, I feel bad for him, but if Gil couldn't save him, then the data evidence must have been quite conclusive.

[WaikeCU]

He's not getting the ax cause the car is slow ...he's getting the ax cause he is slow. I'd like to see Norris in there full time this year. We know Stoffel will not score much between now and the end of the year.

I think it's hard to stay confident and positive when the car is just falling apart. I mean how long did it take before the chassis change happened (I thought 2 races). At Hungary he was able to follow Fernando throughout the race, but again had to retire because of technical issues. At FP1 in Spa, he had brake issues, engine issues before he eventually was sidelined because of a floor change. I mean how many issues can you have in 1 day?

We can't pretend Stoffel's issues are dated back to the chassis issue or brake issues in Spa. in qualifying, he's 0-14, including last season it's 3-31! There's no way to spin it, those are not the stats of someone we thought was the next big thing. Fernando is 11 years older, and this year has included WEC to his commitments, comes back from Le Mans and is quicker than Stoffel on a track that he, Stoffel, is one of a few drivers who have driven a modern F1 car on. There doesn't seem to be an ability to adapt in him. I think for him, he'd have done better in pre-2017 downforce levels cars, where it's a bigger challenge finding grip. Like I've said before, I feel bad for him, but if Gil couldn't save him, then the data evidence must have been quite conclusive.

There's both sides to the story that's he's not quick enough, but also Mclaren haven't provided well enough for Stoffel to perform on his true potential. It's also not easy to drive alongside a multi time world champion. It's a poisonous gift tbh. When a team/car isn't working then it's crucial to get vital feedback and information. It's more listening to Fernando and keeping him happy, because he has the experience and he has stats to back him up.

Wouldn't be surprised if Lando drives alongside Fernando at Suzuka. The more time he gets in the car, the better.

[Ground Effect]

I think it's hard to stay confident and positive when the car is just falling apart. I mean how long did it take before the chassis change happened (I thought 2 races). At Hungary he was able to follow Fernando throughout the race, but again had to retire because of technical issues. At FP1 in Spa, he had brake issues, engine issues before he eventually was sidelined because of a floor change. I mean how many issues can you have in 1 day?

We can't pretend Stoffel's issues are dated back to the chassis issue or brake issues in Spa. in qualifying, he's 0-14, including last season it's 3-31! There's no way to spin it, those are not the stats of someone we thought was the next big thing. Fernando is 11 years older, and this year has included WEC to his commitments, comes back from Le Mans and is quicker than Stoffel on a track that he, Stoffel, is one of a few drivers who have driven a modern F1 car on. There doesn't seem to be an ability to adapt in him. I think for him, he'd have done better in pre-2017 downforce levels cars, where it's a bigger challenge finding grip. Like I've said before, I feel bad for him, but if Gil couldn't save him, then the data evidence must have been quite conclusive.

There's both sides to the story that's he's not quick enough, but also Mclaren haven't provided well enough for Stoffel to perform on his true potential. It's also not easy to drive alongside a multi time world champion. It's a poisonous gift tbh. When a team/car isn't working then it's crucial to get vital feedback and information. It's more listening to Fernando and keeping him happy, because he has the experience and he has stats to back him up.

Wouldn't be surprised if Lando drives alongside Fernando at Suzuka. The more time he gets in the car, the better.

I guess you're right on that. But I honestly wouldn't want Mclaren to deprive Stoffel of any chances to secure a drive. Every race weekend will be an audition for him. I hope he puts in some blinders between Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

[alexx_88]

If Mclaren were a top team, then Stoffel's performance wouldn't have been any different to that of Kimi and Bottas. Norris in F1 can be a good thing, but then again, I'd have kept Stoffel and simply not signed Sainz. Don't see what the Spaniard can bring to Mclaren.

[WaikeCU]

We can't pretend Stoffel's issues are dated back to the chassis issue or brake issues in Spa. in qualifying, he's 0-14, including last season it's 3-31! There's no way to spin it, those are not the stats of someone we thought was the next big thing. Fernando is 11 years older, and this year has included WEC to his commitments, comes back from Le Mans and is quicker than Stoffel on a track that he, Stoffel, is one of a few drivers who have driven a modern F1 car on. There doesn't seem to be an ability to adapt in him. I think for him, he'd have done better in pre-2017 downforce levels cars, where it's a bigger challenge finding grip. Like I've said before, I feel bad for him, but if Gil couldn't save him, then the data evidence must have been quite conclusive.

There's both sides to the story that's he's not quick enough, but also Mclaren haven't provided well enough for Stoffel to perform on his true potential. It's also not easy to drive alongside a multi time world champion. It's a poisonous gift tbh. When a team/car isn't working then it's crucial to get vital feedback and information. It's more listening to Fernando and keeping him happy, because he has the experience and he has stats to back him up.

Wouldn't be surprised if Lando drives alongside Fernando at Suzuka. The more time he gets in the car, the better.

I guess you're right on that. But I honestly wouldn't want Mclaren to deprive Stoffel of any chances to secure a drive. Every race weekend will be an audition for him. I hope he puts in some blinders between Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Actually, now I'm thinking about it.

Mclaren desperately want James Key, but Red Bull doesn't want to release him unless Mclaren can find a reasonable deal. Thus by Suzuka:

- At Mclaren: Lando in, James Key in, Stoffel out?
- At STR: Vandoorne in, James Key out, Hartley out?

[Ground Effect]

There's both sides to the story that's he's not quick enough, but also Mclaren haven't provided well enough for Stoffel to perform on his true potential. It's also not easy to drive alongside a multi time world champion. It's a poisonous gift tbh. When a team/car isn't working then it's crucial to get vital feedback and information. It's more listening to Fernando and keeping him happy, because he has the experience and he has stats to back him up.

Wouldn't be surprised if Lando drives alongside Fernando at Suzuka. The more time he gets in the car, the better.

I guess you're right on that. But I honestly wouldn't want Mclaren to deprive Stoffel of any chances to secure a drive. Every race weekend will be an audition for him. I hope he puts in some blinders between Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Actually, now I'm thinking about it.

Mclaren desperately want James Key, but Red Bull doesn't want to release him unless Mclaren can find a reasonable deal. Thus by Suzuka:

- At Mclaren: Lando in, James Key in, Stoffel out?
- At STR: Vandoorne in, James Key out, Hartley out?

You never know with Marko, but he's already ruled out dropping Hartley during the season. It seems they only want a financial settlement for the early release of Key.

[ScottB]

Pat Fry in as Engineering Director according to Joe Saward...