This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
Is it possible that we are faster than they all thought?
I'm almost inclined to believe they're faster than even they thought...
What makes you believe they are faster and we are not? Or do you mean the journalists thought that we are faster than they thought?
Sorry, I can see that the way I put it could be confusing. I actually meant, maybe McLaren are actually faster than they thought they would be. Maybe they're surprising themselves (the team) as well as surprising the fans...
Q: (Stefano Mancini – La Stampa) Kimi, will you help Vettel to win his championship this year?
Kimi Raikkonen: I can only drive one car, obviously.
@2018 Singapore Grand Prix drivers press conference.
I'm almost inclined to believe they're faster than even they thought...
What makes you believe they are faster and we are not? Or do you mean the journalists thought that we are faster than they thought?
Sorry, I can see that the way I put it could be confusing. I actually meant, maybe McLaren are actually faster than they thought they would be. Maybe they're surprising themselves (the team) as well as surprising the fans...
What could be the reason..?
Finishing races is important, but racing is more important.
"Asked to have a guess at where he feels Renault lie in the pecking order, he said: “It definitely looks like it’s close in the midfield group. I would assume that the top three teams still have a bit of margin. I don’t know – if you look at Sainz’ time from this morning, even if it’s on the softest tyre, it’s still a 17.1. But you just don’t know what tyres or fuel loads anyone is on, and we’re just not going to know until Australia qualifying when everyone’s on the same and in the same conditions. At the moment, that midfield group looks close – everyone is able to do a low 17.”"
I wonder if McLaren could have done 1:16 on C5. Ricciardo seems to think midfield is low 17s.
Really good day, 130 laps is a fantastic count and quite possible the highest since the hybrid era?
Nice to see none of the midfield heading McLaren on the C4 tyre. We know that the front three teams have got McLaren covered but other than Renault, who are solid on long runs, McLaren look to have made progress.
These next two days will begin to reveal some true speeds and whilst that might mean we aren’t as forward as we really dream of being (in comparison tonthe front), I’m hoping it shows that progress has definitely been made.
Sainz:
We are not going to win in Auatraila.
We are not going to be on podium.
We are not going to be in top 5.
It will take years to get there.
Maybe their going the Mercedes route of downplaying and position themselves as underdogs????
Q: (Stefano Mancini – La Stampa) Kimi, will you help Vettel to win his championship this year?
Kimi Raikkonen: I can only drive one car, obviously.
@2018 Singapore Grand Prix drivers press conference.
"McLaren end another day at the top of the standings as Carlos Sainz posts the fastest time, but it's Ferrari's struggles that will dominate the agenda. " - Classic Sky F1 bias.
That's not bias, it's just fact.
The higher profile drivers and teams will get more media attention. It's one thing for a car to be a certain speed on a day, another when a team isn't sure why their car crashed so close to the end of testing and so close to Australia.
We know headline times in testing don't terribly matter.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute
Sainz:
We are not going to win in Auatraila.
We are not going to be on podium.
We are not going to be in top 5.
It will take years to get there.
Lando will snatch Pole in the rain.
If he does than he is what Mclaren needs.
Mclaren has had a top class driver for decades....Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Kimi, Mika....this is the first year drivers are so so....
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication & competence."
Alonso said the team were content with progress with their new car so far, at the start of a season in which they want to show significant progress after a disappointing 2018.
"There are a couple of areas they need to revise and keep developing to improve performance, some others are surprisingly good," Alonso said. "Generally it has been a very positive two weeks. It is not perfect yet but the direction seems the right one."
Sainz:
We are not going to win in Auatraila.
We are not going to be on podium.
We are not going to be in top 5.
It will take years to get there.
Lando will snatch Pole in the rain.
If he does than he is what Mclaren needs.
Mclaren has had a top class driver for decades....Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Kimi, Mika....this is the first year drivers are so so....
Maybe because the team has been so so for years..
Q: (Stefano Mancini – La Stampa) Kimi, will you help Vettel to win his championship this year?
Kimi Raikkonen: I can only drive one car, obviously.
@2018 Singapore Grand Prix drivers press conference.
If he does than he is what Mclaren needs.
Mclaren has had a top class driver for decades....Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Kimi, Mika....this is the first year drivers are so so....
Maybe because the team has been so so for years..
Maybe.....looking positive for 2021 title whit Alonso.
"I have no idols. I admire work, dedication & competence."
what if, just like mclaren said, 2017 really was a good car, and last years car had a design flaw that made it pretty hard to develop, and they actually do know how to make a good car, regardless of what media, and honda fans decided to run with? (much like that run on sentence). the media has a short memory, and fanboys sometimes only have one foot based in reality. its really not hard to imagine that mclaren wouldnt start this season in the back of the grid like most people assume if they just corrected the flaws from last years car. they ARE being forced to begin a whole new concept most likely, while others are still using the same that theyve been developing for at least a year now, (ferrari) or developing off of last years best chassis (haas, toro rosso) thanks to parts sharing. i just hope that will buxton (and others) has to eat words when everyone shows up in melbourne.
If they’re anywhere near the front of the midfield I think they’ve done amazingly well over the winter.
It looks like a stable platform that has lots of potential to start refining and building on.
I also feel the midfield will close up on the leaders which will make tyre wear crucial for the front runners as an early first pit stop may spell utter doom
