2021 Mclaren F1 Team

[mwillems]

It depends on the personal taste I guess. I quite like Max’s interviews and his general behaviour off track, more than his on track behaviour (except the Ocon incident). For me, he comes across as forthright and honest when expressing his views and that doesn’t make him a tw*t. There was this interview with a Dutch channel and the interviewer asked him if max would ever shift his residence to Netherlands. He straight up said that he doesn’t like the dutch weather much and he wouldn’t shift in the foreseeable future. Now, that’s the kind of question where many of the celebrities evade or lie to, in the fear of upsetting home fans.

In contrast, I don’t know what to make of Lewis’s answers when he delivers the PR drivel in interviews. If lando goes towards Max’s style, I have zero problem with it — as long as he matches his cockiness with on track results.

In this case though, Lando’s comments about ricciardo are being taken out of context by the click bait media

I like honesty, I just think.it can be delivered without sounding obnoxious or that you look.down on people, as it seems to me from Max.

I agree on Lewis tho, those interviews are a bit of a bore fest. The human equivalent of beige when he's discussing his latest win lol

Danny Ric I like, his humour and humble jokes allow him to get away with some cheeky remarks. He's also honest and forthright, but in a way that's endearing.

But that’s a little bit of the problem... We “read” an article and our inherent bias for or against someone is what “makes it sound” one way or another... Taking things out of context or placing a tone on someone’s words.

I find it funny that some over analyze everything the drivers say and someway / somehow have draw a psychological profile of the drivers


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Lol

I think over analysis is rife in here. I find it funny that some people dont realise how much they do it too

[SmallSoldier]

I like honesty, I just think.it can be delivered without sounding obnoxious or that you look.down on people, as it seems to me from Max.

I agree on Lewis tho, those interviews are a bit of a bore fest. The human equivalent of beige when he's discussing his latest win lol

Danny Ric I like, his humour and humble jokes allow him to get away with some cheeky remarks. He's also honest and forthright, but in a way that's endearing.

But that’s a little bit of the problem... We “read” an article and our inherent bias for or against someone is what “makes it sound” one way or another... Taking things out of context or placing a tone on someone’s words.

I find it funny that some over analyze everything the drivers say and someway / somehow have draw a psychological profile of the drivers


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Lol

I think over analysis is rife in here. I find it funny that some people dont realise how much they do it too

Lol... If only it would be about data, race pace and other “objective” points of discussion, I don’t mind it


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[Emag]

I just had a wild guess. I think Fernando Alonso is partly responsible for McLaren's unique driving requirements. Fernando is probably the best driver for the job when it comes to dealing with mid-corner understeer. I mean, he won two world championships with a driving style that seemed so bizarre, it's actually still surprising to me how he was that fast while forcefully inducing understeer on his Renault.

He was so comfortable with it, that I am almost certain he pushed the team to design the car with this behavior in mind. Now please remember, Stoffel got absolutely demolished by Fernando in 2018, and I believe this unique handling characteristic is one of the reasons why (apart from Fernando being an absolute beast that year of course). After Jenson left in 2016, I am certain McLaren relied only on Fernando's input for the car's development (and it's not like Jenson disliked understeer either). It makes sense because you wouldn't design your car around a rookie (Stoffel) anyway.

Basically, both 2018 and also 2019 cars were designed around Fernando's unique driving style. Because although Fernando left in 2018, the team probably still used his input to design the next year's car. So this trait of the car (where trail braking induces mid-corner understeer) is probably there just because Fernando asked for it back when he was driving for the team. And there's one final thing to keep in mind. In 2019, McLaren entered the season with a brand new lineup. Carlos just joined the team and Lando was a rookie who had never driven another F1 car before.

I am pretty sure we all initially expected Carlos to be way ahead of Lando in 2019 right (At least I did, Lando was a rookie after all)? But he wasn't. And I think it is because the McLaren was just unlike any other car Carlos had driven up until that point. Until he got over this weird trait of the car (mid-corner understeer under trail-braking), he wasn't exactly standing out compared to Lando. When he got comfortable with the car however, he was often way better than Lando (he finished the season with almost twice Lando's points), as you would expect given 2019 was Lando's rookie season.

I am sure that once Daniel gets used to this weird handling characteristic, he will be up there with Lando. But we have to be patient. Unlike Carlos back in 2019, Daniel is way more experienced in the sport. His muscle memory is way more developed at the moment. I am pretty sure it is extremely difficult for him to drop out techniques that gave him the speed he has shown in the first place. It looks worse for him right now because not only has Lando matured as a driver, he has also completely gotten used to driving this car.

[SmallSoldier]

I just had a wild guess. I think Fernando Alonso is partly responsible for McLaren's unique driving requirements. Fernando is probably the best driver for the job when it comes to dealing with mid-corner understeer. I mean, he won two world championships with a driving style that seemed so bizarre, it's actually still surprising to me how he was that fast while forcefully inducing understeer on his Renault.

He was so comfortable with it, that I am almost certain he pushed the team to design the car with this behavior in mind. Now please remember, Stoffel got absolutely demolished by Fernando in 2018, and I believe this unique handling characteristic is one of the reasons why (apart from Fernando being an absolute beast that year of course). After Jenson left in 2016, I am certain McLaren relied only on Fernando's input for the car's development (and it's not like Jenson disliked understeer either). It makes sense because you wouldn't design your car around a rookie (Stoffel) anyway.

Basically, both 2018 and also 2019 cars were designed around Fernando's unique driving style. Because although Fernando left in 2018, the team probably still used his input to design the next year's car. So this trait of the car (where trail braking induces mid-corner understeer) is probably there just because Fernando asked for it back when he was driving for the team. And there's one final thing to keep in mind. In 2019, McLaren entered the season with a brand new lineup. Carlos just joined the team and Lando was a rookie who had never driven another F1 car before.

I am pretty sure we all initially expected Carlos to be way ahead of Lando in 2019 right (At least I did, Lando was a rookie after all)? But he wasn't. And I think it is because the McLaren was just unlike any other car Carlos had driven up until that point. Until he got over this weird trait of the car (mid-corner understeer under trail-braking), he wasn't exactly standing out compared to Lando. When he got comfortable with the car however, he was often way better than Lando (he finished the season with almost twice Lando's points), as you would expect given 2019 was Lando's rookie season.

I am sure that once Daniel gets used to this weird handling characteristic, he will be up there with Lando. But we have to be patient. Unlike Carlos back in 2019, Daniel is way more experienced in the sport. His muscle memory is way more developed at the moment. I am pretty sure it is extremely difficult for him to drop out techniques that gave him the speed he has shown in the first place. It looks worse for him right now because not only has Lando matured as a driver, he has also completely gotten used to driving this car.

That’s a very interesting thought process, never thought about it been a trait coming from way back, but you are correct that Fernando was pretty much responsible for the MCL34 development, which is the base for the MCL35 and MCL35M... It would even explain Fernando’s current struggles with the Alpine since it probably doesn’t have that characteristic.

I wonder though how such a characteristic is introduce into the car, it sounds more like something that would be a by product of certain other traits and not a trait for which the car is designed around.

I’m with you, Daniel will probably get to grips with what he needs to do to bring the best out of the car... The simulator sessions should be helping with that (I wonder if he has been using the sim a lot from the beginning or just recently, it would be a great way to get to grips with what the car needs since on track time is limited).


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[Mclarensenna]

So I remember in one of Nico Rosberg's podcasts he had Daniel as a guest. They discussed the braking on the Renault and how Daniel was having issues with it. Nico gave him some input on adjusting the brakes and it seems after that Daniel was up to speed with the Renault. Maybe its similar to this? Brake feel can vary from car to car and can be a huge contributor to driver confidence and speed.

yes brake feel and confidence definitely plays a big role i agree.

Daniel has always made a thing about how his braking style underpins his driving and overtaking. If that is undermined then i guess so is his driving.

Anthony Hamilton i saw once in an interview saying all the kids back then racing were very similar and the only way to stand out was to brake later and that he used to stand on the track to show Lewis exactly how late he can brake which helped him and gave him an edge over his competitors.

[mwillems]

But that’s a little bit of the problem... We “read” an article and our inherent bias for or against someone is what “makes it sound” one way or another... Taking things out of context or placing a tone on someone’s words.

I find it funny that some over analyze everything the drivers say and someway / somehow have draw a psychological profile of the drivers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lol

I think over analysis is rife in here. I find it funny that some people dont realise how much they do it too

Lol... If only it would be about data, race pace and other “objective” points of discussion, I don’t mind it


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Hey I don't mind that you do the same but pretend you don't

[Jolle]

I think it was a interview with Ricardo Rosset years back (keep in mind, this was F1 twenty years ago) that he was shocked that the whole car was basically set up for braking above anything else and that that was the biggest difference between F1 and F3000/F3.

On the other hand, it’s a nice theory about Alonso, but I guess most of that specific setup is done by the race team, not the factory. They try to design the fastest well balanced aero and chassis package. The race team tweaks that (with right highs, cambers, toes, weight distribution, rollbar stiffness, etc etc).

The current F1 drivers are incredibly close and the cars and tires have a very narrow window of performance. If you don’t have the 100% confidence in for instance the brakes, you tumble from high up the chain, all the way to the back of the midfield. Especially with the harder to drive cars.
That Ricciardo, Perez and Alonso are relatively struggling compared to Sainz and Russell (for one race) probably has more to do with the confidence that the Mercedes and Ferrari are giving to the driver then anything else.

[Emag]

I wonder though how such a characteristic is introduce into the car, it sounds more like something that would be a by product of certain other traits and not a trait for which the car is designed around.

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Easy. When you test something out and your top driver says "That was good, I went quite a bit quicker", you just focus on that. Because at the end of the day, the job of the engineers is to make the car go fast. As long as it is within the rules, they don't care about any handling characteristic. All that matters is that the drivers are getting the expected results out of it.

[JPower]

That’s a very interesting thought process, never thought about it been a trait coming from way back, but you are correct that Fernando was pretty much responsible for the MCL34 development, which is the base for the MCL35 and MCL35M... It would even explain Fernando’s current struggles with the Alpine since it probably doesn’t have that characteristic.

I wonder though how such a characteristic is introduce into the car, it sounds more like something that would be a by product of certain other traits and not a trait for which the car is designed around.

I’m with you, Daniel will probably get to grips with what he needs to do to bring the best out of the car... The simulator sessions should be helping with that (I wonder if he has been using the sim a lot from the beginning or just recently, it would be a great way to get to grips with what the car needs since on track time is limited).


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Alonso’s current struggles are almost solely tire related. He hasn’t figured out to turn them on when he needs yet. That’s extremely important with the very narrow window they have.

I think Ricciardo’s problems are different but just as important though.

Baku will probably be a good event for both just because of the cars’ characteristics but I don’t think they’ll be close to 100% until after the halfway point.

[djos]

Considering Daniel is considered to be one of the best late braking drivers in F1, it seems to me that Mclaren need to improve their braking system to improve feel and stability.

[PhillipM]

It's not really improve, it's just getting things tailored to his preference.

[Mclarensenna]

I just had a wild guess. I think Fernando Alonso is partly responsible for McLaren's unique driving requirements. Fernando is probably the best driver for the job when it comes to dealing with mid-corner understeer. I mean, he won two world championships with a driving style that seemed so bizarre, it's actually still surprising to me how he was that fast while forcefully inducing understeer on his Renault.

He was so comfortable with it, that I am almost certain he pushed the team to design the car with this behavior in mind. Now please remember, Stoffel got absolutely demolished by Fernando in 2018, and I believe this unique handling characteristic is one of the reasons why (apart from Fernando being an absolute beast that year of course). After Jenson left in 2016, I am certain McLaren relied only on Fernando's input for the car's development (and it's not like Jenson disliked understeer either). It makes sense because you wouldn't design your car around a rookie (Stoffel) anyway.

Basically, both 2018 and also 2019 cars were designed around Fernando's unique driving style. Because although Fernando left in 2018, the team probably still used his input to design the next year's car. So this trait of the car (where trail braking induces mid-corner understeer) is probably there just because Fernando asked for it back when he was driving for the team. And there's one final thing to keep in mind. In 2019, McLaren entered the season with a brand new lineup. Carlos just joined the team and Lando was a rookie who had never driven another F1 car before.

I am pretty sure we all initially expected Carlos to be way ahead of Lando in 2019 right (At least I did, Lando was a rookie after all)? But he wasn't. And I think it is because the McLaren was just unlike any other car Carlos had driven up until that point. Until he got over this weird trait of the car (mid-corner understeer under trail-braking), he wasn't exactly standing out compared to Lando. When he got comfortable with the car however, he was often way better than Lando (he finished the season with almost twice Lando's points), as you would expect given 2019 was Lando's rookie season.

I am sure that once Daniel gets used to this weird handling characteristic, he will be up there with Lando. But we have to be patient. Unlike Carlos back in 2019, Daniel is way more experienced in the sport. His muscle memory is way more developed at the moment. I am pretty sure it is extremely difficult for him to drop out techniques that gave him the speed he has shown in the first place. It looks worse for him right now because not only has Lando matured as a driver, he has also completely gotten used to driving this car.

very analytical with a lot of facts and details behind your assessment which i must say i agree with as it is completely plausible.

[mclaren111]

http://www.gptoday.com/full_story/view/ ... struggles/


Mclaren working on Rics problems... Will be sorted soon...

[adrianjordan]

I like honesty, I just think.it can be delivered without sounding obnoxious or that you look.down on people, as it seems to me from Max.

I agree on Lewis tho, those interviews are a bit of a bore fest. The human equivalent of beige when he's discussing his latest win lol

Danny Ric I like, his humour and humble jokes allow him to get away with some cheeky remarks. He's also honest and forthright, but in a way that's endearing.

But that’s a little bit of the problem... We “read” an article and our inherent bias for or against someone is what “makes it sound” one way or another... Taking things out of context or placing a tone on someone’s words.

I find it funny that some over analyze everything the drivers say and someway / somehow have draw a psychological profile of the drivers


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lol

I think over analysis is rife in here. I find it funny that some people dont realise how much they do it too

Can we take a minute to analyse that....

[PlatinumZealot]

I just had a wild guess. I think Fernando Alonso is partly responsible for McLaren's unique driving requirements. Fernando is probably the best driver for the job when it comes to dealing with mid-corner understeer. I mean, he won two world championships with a driving style that seemed so bizarre, it's actually still surprising to me how he was that fast while forcefully inducing understeer on his Renault.

He was so comfortable with it, that I am almost certain he pushed the team to design the car with this behavior in mind. Now please remember, Stoffel got absolutely demolished by Fernando in 2018, and I believe this unique handling characteristic is one of the reasons why (apart from Fernando being an absolute beast that year of course). After Jenson left in 2016, I am certain McLaren relied only on Fernando's input for the car's development (and it's not like Jenson disliked understeer either). It makes sense because you wouldn't design your car around a rookie (Stoffel) anyway.

Basically, both 2018 and also 2019 cars were designed around Fernando's unique driving style. Because although Fernando left in 2018, the team probably still used his input to design the next year's car. So this trait of the car (where trail braking induces mid-corner understeer) is probably there just because Fernando asked for it back when he was driving for the team. And there's one final thing to keep in mind. In 2019, McLaren entered the season with a brand new lineup. Carlos just joined the team and Lando was a rookie who had never driven another F1 car before.

I am pretty sure we all initially expected Carlos to be way ahead of Lando in 2019 right (At least I did, Lando was a rookie after all)? But he wasn't. And I think it is because the McLaren was just unlike any other car Carlos had driven up until that point. Until he got over this weird trait of the car (mid-corner understeer under trail-braking), he wasn't exactly standing out compared to Lando. When he got comfortable with the car however, he was often way better than Lando (he finished the season with almost twice Lando's points), as you would expect given 2019 was Lando's rookie season.

I am sure that once Daniel gets used to this weird handling characteristic, he will be up there with Lando. But we have to be patient. Unlike Carlos back in 2019, Daniel is way more experienced in the sport. His muscle memory is way more developed at the moment. I am pretty sure it is extremely difficult for him to drop out techniques that gave him the speed he has shown in the first place. It looks worse for him right now because not only has Lando matured as a driver, he has also completely gotten used to driving this car.

The hole in your theory is that Carlos and Lando never said the handling was poor, and neither does Daniel. Daniel actually says the car feels normal, but he is unable to replicate what Lando does with it. This is not a problem with the car, it is a problem with the driving style that Daniel is used to.