This forum contains threads to discuss teams themselves. Anything not technical about the cars, including restructuring, performances etc belongs here.
Testing times are often achieved with engines running in lower modes.
In 2019 testing Lando’s fastest time in testing was set on a C5 tyre at 1:17.0 and in qualifying a couple of months later he did a 1:17.3 on a C3 tyre which could be as much as 1.5s slower. That’s an approximate net gain of around 1.2s in just over two months.
If the same is true this year and they were 0.5s quicker straight out of the box in 2020 testing than they were at the 2019 GP then they could be as much as 1.5-2.0s quicker than they were at the same point last year - an absolutely brilliant step forward given the regulations have hardly changed year-on-year.
Only a few more days to be able to watch the cars on track again... Let’s hope for a decent start to the season.
Curious about which updates will be on the car for the start of the season, reading the comments from the team during the last few weeks, it seems that the focus has been also on having enough replacement parts, hopefully that hasn’t hinder too much the development of the car.
Carlos Sainz: “After a long and difficult time away from racing, it’s finally time to get back at it! It’s been my longest period without competing since I started in go-karts many years ago! The MCL35 felt really good during winter testing, a positive continuation of what we had last year, so I’m very excited to finally compete this season. It’s also been an interesting period away from track, but now we’re back to racing I’m completely focused on the 2020 season. Due to less races in the calendar and the strong competition we expect from our direct rivals we can’t afford to lose concentration. We actually don’t even know the amount of races we are going to do, it’s an unprecedented scenario, so every point we can get is absolutely crucial. As always, I will do everything to perform at my highest level and help the team. I’ve been keeping fit and ready to get back in the car, so I’m ready to hit the ground running in FP1.
“Last year we did well in Austria, having to battle into the points from the back of the grid due to a penalty, so we know there are plenty of opportunities for on-track overtakes. However, it’s difficult to confidently predict our performance given the time away from track. The double header at the same circuit presents a new challenge for everyone and we need to make sure we extract the maximum out of it. I know that by the time the lights go out on Sunday, we’ll be more than ready to fight for the best position possible.”
Lando Norris: “I can’t wait to get back into a Formula 1 car, it’s been a long time coming! This break has been the longest I’ve ever taken since I started racing at seven years old, I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been working hard throughout this period away from track to stay sharp and ready to go racing again. I’ve been training at home a lot and spending plenty of time on my simulator. I’ve also managed to get some karting and F3 sessions in with Carlos over the last few weeks to help get race ready as best I can.
“I’m pleased we’re getting started again in Austria, it’s a great, fast, track and we performed well there last year. It will be an interesting challenge to race there two weekends in a row, but also a great opportunity to analyse how the first race could have panned out differently and adjust our strategy for the second. I expect all of the grid will be feeling a bit rusty going into FP1, but I’m sure we’ll all be back up to speed when it comes to qualifying on Saturday. It will be a real shame not to have the fans at the track as we feel their support, but safety is the priority and we’ll be doing everything we can to give them a good show.”
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “It’s been a long wait, but we’re finally ready to get the 2020 season underway. I know that the fans, our drivers and our team have been waiting a long time for this moment and are all excited and hungry to get out there again. This temporary break in our sport has only made us more motivated to fight again. We’re looking forward to getting back to racing and going for the competition as hard as we can. It will be odd heading to track without fans in the grandstands, we feel their support everywhere we go and will be doing our best to put on a good show for those watching from the safety of their homes.
“Our preparation for Austria has been a balance between building enough parts to get through an intense period of races and updating and developing the car. The team is back up and running again, whether at home or in the factory, and we’re working hard to keep improving the car however we can. We have also spent some time getting used to the new working practices that will enable us to race safely, and we thank Formula 1, the FIA, the circuit and local authorities for their work on this. As one of the first international sports to restart, we value their commitment to keeping our team and the wider paddock safe.
“Two races in Austria presents an interesting new challenge for us. We were strong there last year but, with the uncertainty caused by the delayed start to the season, we will need to be operating at 100% to maximise our performances in both races. I know the whole team, Lando and Carlos are all excited by this challenge and we’ve been working hard to make sure we hit the ground running in Austria.”
Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
The question is why? They will be a customer. Are Williams and RP silver?
If i would get the money to start my own F1 team, i would revive Arrows
Holm86 wrote:Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
I believe that Mclaren is currently banking on a color scheme and Marketing that won’t change dramatically regardless of sponsors and it’s helping build a new identity for the team... Personally prefer the “Papaya” livery scheme to a return to a silver one.
Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
The silver was adopted trough their Mercedes ownership (combined with the West sponsor deal, that choose their gray instead of their normal white/red).
As long as Mercedes doesn’t take over McLaren as in being their largest shareholder, I can’t see this happen. Same as the Marlboro livery. Philip Morris isn’t an investor anymore.
The current orange and blue was never used by McLaren in F1, just in Indy. In F1 McLarens were briefly just orange all over. Ron Dennis didn’t like retro looks and wanted to look more current and high tech, that’s why he first kept the chrome and then went for black and neon red. The orange in race trim only came back with new management trying to relive some history.
Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
The silver was adopted trough their Mercedes ownership (combined with the West sponsor deal, that choose their gray instead of their normal white/red).
As long as Mercedes doesn’t take over McLaren as in being their largest shareholder, I can’t see this happen. Same as the Marlboro livery. Philip Morris isn’t an investor anymore.
The current orange and blue was never used by McLaren in F1, just in Indy. In F1 McLarens were briefly just orange all over. Ron Dennis didn’t like retro looks and wanted to look more current and high tech, that’s why he first kept the chrome and then went for black and neon red. The orange in race trim only came back with new management trying to relive some history.
Im starting to think that there could be something to the Mercedes quitting F1 as a factory team.
And if they only continue as engine supplier in 2022 then maybe McLaren would be their pseudo factory team, and McLaren was chrome long after the split from Mercedes as a shareholder, when they was just a supplier before Honda
Okay, so a very speculative off topic thought here.
But what if mercedes keeps their new black livery for next season as well, letting Mclaren get back to their silver/chrome livery when they go back to mercedes engine supply from next season??
The silver was adopted trough their Mercedes ownership (combined with the West sponsor deal, that choose their gray instead of their normal white/red).
As long as Mercedes doesn’t take over McLaren as in being their largest shareholder, I can’t see this happen. Same as the Marlboro livery. Philip Morris isn’t an investor anymore.
The current orange and blue was never used by McLaren in F1, just in Indy. In F1 McLarens were briefly just orange all over. Ron Dennis didn’t like retro looks and wanted to look more current and high tech, that’s why he first kept the chrome and then went for black and neon red. The orange in race trim only came back with new management trying to relive some history.
Im starting to think that there could be something to the Mercedes quitting F1 as a factory team.
And if they only continue as engine supplier in 2022 then maybe McLaren would be their pseudo factory team, and McLaren was chrome long after the split from Mercedes as a shareholder, when they was just a supplier before Honda
And again, it was just a thought, nothing serious
As discussed in another threat, the HPE side of Mercedes is the only non profitable part of Mercedes GP, especially when the budget cap comes into play.
After Mercedes themselves and Renault, it’s pretty clear F1 makes sense as a platform when you have control of your brand exposure. Going back to have a less visable presence and for more cost then your own team makes no sense.
McLaren lost their opportunity to be a full factory team with Honda, and as long as they don’t find another partner that will step into F1 on that basis, their chances are slim, especially with their automotive branch in mind (so no Porsche/VW for instance)
Seidl confirmed that McLaren will introduce upgrades at this weekend’s season-opening Austrian Grand Prix.
He stressed that the reaction to the financial impact of COVID-19 has not had an impact on McLaren’s capacity to develop its car and introduce upgrades – a programme that will start in Austria this weekend.
Last edited by McFAN on 30 Jun 2020, 16:38, edited 1 time in total.
McLaren won’t resume big projects yet (wind tunnel ect...) despite funding boost
Understandable but this might mean Mclaren ability to fight with the big 3 will still be far away even in 2-3 years
McLaren won’t resume big projects yet (wind tunnel ect...) despite funding boost
Understandable but this might mean Mclaren ability to fight with the big 3 will still be far away even in 2-3 years
Notice how it says "yet". This is very smart in my opinion. Not ideal, but understandable.
The situation right now is very unpredictable. Nobody knows what might happen later. Things may return back to normal, or the long lasting consequences of the pandemic may turn out to be much more "devastating" for the world. There's also the chance of covid having a second wave of infections. It probably won't happen, but it still needs to be considered, along with all the other negative effects.
It would be unwise for McLaren to use a big portion of their newly acquired finances for projects that do nearly nothing to help the business recover. Yeah sure, if the situation gets better, then the automotive business will start selling cars to make some money. But what happens if the situation gets worse and they spend a good deal of the money they currently have to advance the Wind Tunnel project?
They will be stuck on a nasty situation. As I said the wind tunnel does not generate income for the business to survive. It will only bring money implicitly if it helps the Formula 1 team to finish higher up in the standings (hence more bonus money from FIA). But until that time it's completely useless for the business.
It is wise to wait and judge the situation before committing borrowed money on big projects that do not guarantee a return of investment in the short term view. They will only start doing that when they are absolutely sure that the business is safe in terms of finances for the foreseeable future.
Were McLaren given “extra” development tokens to accommodate the switch to the Mercedes PU, or do the have to take care of that from their standard allocation?
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.
