2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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CjC
CjC
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Joined: 03 Jul 2012, 20:13

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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M840TR wrote:
10 May 2021, 01:25
elldizzle wrote:
10 May 2021, 00:32
SmallSoldier wrote:
09 May 2021, 20:21
A few interesting highlights of the weekend:

Last year in Qualifying the MCL35 was 1.5 seconds from pole, this season that was cut to 0.9 seconds from pole... (And as a few may argue, there could have been another tenth or two available with Norris)... Once again showing improvement over last season!

The pitstops today were the best of the season probably, consistent and below the 3 second mark which is what the team needs to continue their fight.

Slow corners are still an issue for the MCL35M, maybe not as much as last year, but still behind main rivals this season (Ferrari)... That will be problematic in races as Monaco, Hungary and Singapore, but on the other hand, the team could have great performance in faster circuits... With more circuits favoring the MCL35M than the other way around, we could be in for a long and fun fight with Ferrari season all year long.

What seems to be clear that even though the midfield is tight, the car is ahead of the rest of the rest of the midfield, with more performance than Aston Martin, Alpine and Alpha Tauri (although, there will be a few races where those could potentially be ahead of Mclaren)... The biggest advantage might be that the Team has the better driver pair against those in my opinion (with the exception of Ferrari, where they have drivers pretty much on par with Mclaren).


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Effectively what I was thinking. While we didn't have the race pace to Ferrari, we were a good step ahead of others in the midfield today. There were points after pitstops where alpha, alpine and Aston where right behind us and they had nothing.
It was interesting if you Listen to Lando's comments after the race, re the pace difference to Ferrari. He said they could lean a bit more on the rear here in the slow to medium speed corners and on this track there just wasn't enough straights or high speed corners to suit the Mclaren car. This kind of confirms what others have said. This battle will swing back and forth as we go to tracks that suit the 2 cars. See Monaco as a struggle for us, But the likes of baku, being a more highspeed power circuit suiting us. I look forward to a close battle, as we remember last year how much it swung with Racing Point.
You bring up an interesting point actually. The team has had the upper hand for I'd say 3 out of 4 races this year and even the remainder was a bit confusing to accurately gauge real pace given quali mess. However, Ferrari is not RP/Aston; they have better drivers, better resources and better strategists. Let's not forget only 2 years ago Leclerc was snatching poles every other week.

It's not going to be easy going against this behemoth. The team can't afford slip-ups. But I believe they have what it takes. That's why Daniel's performance today was so crucial.
Also Ferrari probably spent at least 30% more money developing this ‘21 car compared to Mclaren as it was the last season before the budget cap
Just a fan's point of view

Balalu
Balalu
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Joined: 14 Feb 2020, 23:58

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Good race from McLaren considering the whole picture, but I can't help this feeling that something is amiss. I don't believe Ric is suddenly faster than Norris. Norris seemed lost compared to the previous races.

Did something change with the updates? Was he demoralised for some reason?
Did we get it wrong somehow?
Did we go backwards?

Hopefully not, but still not convinced we were 100% yesterday.
"I showed him [with my hands] and said: I have bigger balls!” - Mika Hakkinen

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djos
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Joined: 19 May 2006, 06:09
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Darth-Piekus wrote:
09 May 2021, 17:32
Monaco now in two weeks. What do we expect from this race?
Daniel is epic at Monaco, he’ll drag the car up the grid for sure. I’d say row 2 start is achievable.
"In downforce we trust"

genarro
genarro
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Joined: 15 May 2019, 10:22

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Balalu wrote:
10 May 2021, 11:00
Good race from McLaren considering the whole picture, but I can't help this feeling that something is amiss. I don't believe Ric is suddenly faster than Norris. Norris seemed lost compared to the previous races.

Did something change with the updates? Was he demoralised for some reason?
Did we get it wrong somehow?
Did we go backwards?

Hopefully not, but still not convinced we were 100% yesterday.
new aerodinamic package was introduced, so perhaps he was struggling a little bit with set up plus the car just simply wasnt that race fast. Ferrari was simply faster. And you have to take in consideration that Barcelona is a track where you cant overtake. Lando was stuck in traffic so that made the whole situation worse.

All in all a solid weekend for the team

Mansell89
Mansell89
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Joined: 22 Feb 2015, 19:21

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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I’d be very surprised (but pleased) if we were able to get Row 3 in Monaco- I suspect Ferrari will be mighty there.

PhillipM
PhillipM
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Joined: 16 May 2011, 15:18
Location: Over the road from Boothy...

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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djos wrote:
10 May 2021, 13:52
Darth-Piekus wrote:
09 May 2021, 17:32
Monaco now in two weeks. What do we expect from this race?
Daniel is epic at Monaco, he’ll drag the car up the grid for sure. I’d say row 2 start is achievable.
Not in a car he's not comfortable in yet he won't. Monaco is all about absolute faith in where the car will end up when you commit.

haza
haza
7
Joined: 18 May 2015, 23:14

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Going into Monaco if I was the team I’d think about slapping on as much downforce as possible and focusing on quali performance as we all know overtaking is next to impossible at monaco

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bauc
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Joined: 19 Jun 2013, 10:03
Location: Skopje, Macedonia

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Mansell89 wrote:
10 May 2021, 15:21
I’d be very surprised (but pleased) if we were able to get Row 3 in Monaco- I suspect Ferrari will be mighty there.
I'm on the same page, I think if we can finish p7 & p8 there we should be happy. The season is long, and most of the other tracks will suit our car.
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mwillems
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Joined: 04 Sep 2016, 22:11

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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PhillipM wrote:
10 May 2021, 15:41
djos wrote:
10 May 2021, 13:52
Darth-Piekus wrote:
09 May 2021, 17:32
Monaco now in two weeks. What do we expect from this race?
Daniel is epic at Monaco, he’ll drag the car up the grid for sure. I’d say row 2 start is achievable.
Not in a car he's not comfortable in yet he won't. Monaco is all about absolute faith in where the car will end up when you commit.
Depends I guess, if Monaco relies of traits in the car he is comfortable with, then yes, but if the Principality brings a trait to the fore that he is struggling with, then no.
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

PhillipM
PhillipM
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Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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I mean, it's a slow speed track with huge reliance on braking nuance and committed corner entry. Exactly what he's struggling with.

Lucky
Lucky
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Joined: 15 Feb 2014, 09:23

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Mansell89 wrote:
10 May 2021, 15:21
I’d be very surprised (but pleased) if we were able to get Row 3 in Monaco- I suspect Ferrari will be mighty there.
Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, Alpin will definitely be faster.

CjC
CjC
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Joined: 03 Jul 2012, 20:13

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Alpha Tauri will probably trouble Mclaren too
Just a fan's point of view

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Darth-Piekus
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Joined: 28 Apr 2018, 15:27
Location: Greece

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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I would say let's not count our chickens before they hatch. You can't be sure that they won't find some solutions to the set up before the GP. The car might surprise some.
Last edited by Darth-Piekus on 10 May 2021, 18:41, edited 1 time in total.

Balalu
Balalu
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Joined: 14 Feb 2020, 23:58

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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Lucky wrote:
10 May 2021, 17:33
Mansell89 wrote:
10 May 2021, 15:21
I’d be very surprised (but pleased) if we were able to get Row 3 in Monaco- I suspect Ferrari will be mighty there.
Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, Alpin will definitely be faster.
CjC wrote:
10 May 2021, 17:36
Alpha Tauri will probably trouble Mclaren too
That's a tad pessimistic don't you think?

We're fighting Haas and Williams then....
Last edited by Balalu on 10 May 2021, 17:51, edited 2 times in total.
"I showed him [with my hands] and said: I have bigger balls!” - Mika Hakkinen

SmallSoldier
SmallSoldier
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Joined: 10 Mar 2019, 03:54

Re: 2021 Mclaren F1 Team

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haza wrote:Going into Monaco if I was the team I’d think about slapping on as much downforce as possible and focusing on quali performance as we all know overtaking is next to impossible at monaco
I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what they are going to do :)


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