2021 Mclaren F1 Team

[Big Tea]

It’s going to be an interesting race tomorrow

Lando has a nicer buffer between himself and the rest of the midfield, with the rest of the top 10, bar George, starting on the softs, who should all drop off pretty quickly

This week Ferrari won’t have a strategy advantage, their rubber may be fresh but at least it’s the same compound

McLaren spent a lot of Friday getting an understanding of the tyre and working through set-up, hopefully that will translate into better wear

Whether that will mean Lando has any chance of fighting for a podium is another question… there was a big race pace deficit to the front last week, but you never know, the Mercs are clearly not invulnerable here, however hard it may be

Really pleased Lando’s said he’s going to go for it at the start. What more can we ask of him right now? He has a sensible head and if he needs to save rubber for a fight with Ferrari then he quickly figure that out, in the mean time… GO GO LANDOOOOOO

Hopefully Daniel will have a race as good as last week, but without the power failure this time round . With most of the cars in front on softs perhaps a top 10 finish is on the cards

I couldn’t agree with you more… My hope is that Lando can stick close to Max for at least a handful of laps and stay in the tow, if he can be close to their rhythm and with the tow, he has a chance to keep Perez / Mercs behind for a while and build a gap to the rest of the midfield looking into the PitStops… If he can manage to do that, at least P5 should be in the cards.

The race should also be different to last week’s in which Max and Lewis were really pushing in that first stint (Max trying to break the tow and build a gap, Lewis trying to keep himself in within the undercut)… This week, with Lando and Perez as a buffer and with a softer compound compared to last race, I wouldn’t be surprised if Max’s pace is a bit slower, taking care of his tires while the rest behind him (especially Mercedes) are in dirty air and wearing their tires out… As a matter of fact, it might in Red Bull’s best interest to drag Lando along with them as a buffer against Lewis (not much different than when Lando was asked to keep Daniel in his DRS during this same race in 2019 to avoid the charge from Kimi.


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Which do you think will be most beneficial to him? that, or staying out of the airstream and eeking out his tyres for a few more laps? I don't see him as racing Max, and depending on how things fall, possibly not directly with Hamilton.
If Hamilton has to overwork the car to stay in contact, then race him, but 3rd is an excellent target, so is discretion the better part of valour? Would be nice to see him on the top step, but if that does happen I think it will be due to things other than how Lando races

[mwillems]

I don't want to say it too loud, for fear of being ridiculed here, but I feel like Lando has a chance to keep P2 on merit....

Quick… someone poke mwillems… he’s typing in his sleep again… happy dreams my friend

But on a serious not, 9 long years we’ve waited for this, I didn’t realise it had been that long

Does anyone still remember the days we sat around dreaming of fighting for podiums… well we’re here now, and here on hard work & merit, and I hope we’re all enjoying it

Mwillems, I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re fighting for wins, but sadly I don’t think the race pace is there yet.

Perhaps with another year of development or tokens to update the chassis from last year things might have been different, but to be completely honest, I don’t think I could be any happier than I am today already

lol I'm wide awake and tiling my kitchen floor having watched the England game, so I can't blame drowsiness or dreaming!

I have absolutely nothing to go on but my gut is that the floor upgrade is a marked improvement in med-fast corners (Car, not kitchen floor) and therefore we will have better grip, more speed and less tyre deg. I really like the floor upgrade, it looks like it should be able to make a good difference, simple, inelegant but effective.

You know, I just have this feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very good day for Lando, silly mishaps not withstanding. I don't bet, but I might put some money on him to finish in the top 3.

[mwillems]

It’s going to be an interesting race tomorrow

Lando has a nicer buffer between himself and the rest of the midfield, with the rest of the top 10, bar George, starting on the softs, who should all drop off pretty quickly

This week Ferrari won’t have a strategy advantage, their rubber may be fresh but at least it’s the same compound

McLaren spent a lot of Friday getting an understanding of the tyre and working through set-up, hopefully that will translate into better wear

Whether that will mean Lando has any chance of fighting for a podium is another question… there was a big race pace deficit to the front last week, but you never know, the Mercs are clearly not invulnerable here, however hard it may be

Really pleased Lando’s said he’s going to go for it at the start. What more can we ask of him right now? He has a sensible head and if he needs to save rubber for a fight with Ferrari then he quickly figure that out, in the mean time… GO GO LANDOOOOOO

Hopefully Daniel will have a race as good as last week, but without the power failure this time round . With most of the cars in front on softs perhaps a top 10 finish is on the cards

I couldn’t agree with you more… My hope is that Lando can stick close to Max for at least a handful of laps and stay in the tow, if he can be close to their rhythm and with the tow, he has a chance to keep Perez / Mercs behind for a while and build a gap to the rest of the midfield looking into the PitStops… If he can manage to do that, at least P5 should be in the cards.

The race should also be different to last week’s in which Max and Lewis were really pushing in that first stint (Max trying to break the tow and build a gap, Lewis trying to keep himself in within the undercut)… This week, with Lando and Perez as a buffer and with a softer compound compared to last race, I wouldn’t be surprised if Max’s pace is a bit slower, taking care of his tires while the rest behind him (especially Mercedes) are in dirty air and wearing their tires out… As a matter of fact, it might in Red Bull’s best interest to drag Lando along with them as a buffer against Lewis (not much different than when Lando was asked to keep Daniel in his DRS during this same race in 2019 to avoid the charge from Kimi.


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Which do you think will be most beneficial to him? that, or staying out of the airstream and eeking out his tyres for a few more laps? I don't see him as racing Max, and depending on how things fall, possibly not directly with Hamilton.
If Hamilton has to overwork the car to stay in contact, then race him, but 3rd is an excellent target, so is discretion the better part of valour? Would be nice to see him on the top step, but if that does happen I think it will be due to things other than how Lando races

I want to see him keep in touch, enough to get a tow, not enough to knacker his tyres.
I'd be surprised if he doesn't get racy anyway, because that's what he's done.

The same question was asked earlier in the season, we were just behind Hamilton at a restart and some were saying he'd never race Hamilton. He did race Hamilton and took his place, and as much as common sense says look after your tyres, I want to see Lando in a fighting mood and I want to see his confidence and elbows.

But I also fully understand and respect anyone who thinks the opposite!

[SmallSoldier]

It’s going to be an interesting race tomorrow

Lando has a nicer buffer between himself and the rest of the midfield, with the rest of the top 10, bar George, starting on the softs, who should all drop off pretty quickly

This week Ferrari won’t have a strategy advantage, their rubber may be fresh but at least it’s the same compound

McLaren spent a lot of Friday getting an understanding of the tyre and working through set-up, hopefully that will translate into better wear

Whether that will mean Lando has any chance of fighting for a podium is another question… there was a big race pace deficit to the front last week, but you never know, the Mercs are clearly not invulnerable here, however hard it may be

Really pleased Lando’s said he’s going to go for it at the start. What more can we ask of him right now? He has a sensible head and if he needs to save rubber for a fight with Ferrari then he quickly figure that out, in the mean time… GO GO LANDOOOOOO

Hopefully Daniel will have a race as good as last week, but without the power failure this time round . With most of the cars in front on softs perhaps a top 10 finish is on the cards

I couldn’t agree with you more… My hope is that Lando can stick close to Max for at least a handful of laps and stay in the tow, if he can be close to their rhythm and with the tow, he has a chance to keep Perez / Mercs behind for a while and build a gap to the rest of the midfield looking into the PitStops… If he can manage to do that, at least P5 should be in the cards.

The race should also be different to last week’s in which Max and Lewis were really pushing in that first stint (Max trying to break the tow and build a gap, Lewis trying to keep himself in within the undercut)… This week, with Lando and Perez as a buffer and with a softer compound compared to last race, I wouldn’t be surprised if Max’s pace is a bit slower, taking care of his tires while the rest behind him (especially Mercedes) are in dirty air and wearing their tires out… As a matter of fact, it might in Red Bull’s best interest to drag Lando along with them as a buffer against Lewis (not much different than when Lando was asked to keep Daniel in his DRS during this same race in 2019 to avoid the charge from Kimi.


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Which do you think will be most beneficial to him? that, or staying out of the airstream and eeking out his tyres for a few more laps? I don't see him as racing Max, and depending on how things fall, possibly not directly with Hamilton.
If Hamilton has to overwork the car to stay in contact, then race him, but 3rd is an excellent target, so is discretion the better part of valour? Would be nice to see him on the top step, but if that does happen I think it will be due to things other than how Lando races

I strongly believe that ultimately they will let both Red Bull’s and Mercedes go through and that’s the more sensible approach… The team is fighting Ferrari at the end of the day and to be ahead of them has to be the target for the race… But, depending on the pace in front of him, if he can hitch a ride with those guys, the time delta he can create to whom ever is P6 could be critical at the end of the race… The front group usually pulls a pitstop from the midfield… If he can be in that train, he has a ton of options open for him… I do believe that the race may end up been a 2 stop race, this because all the cars behind him with the exception of Russell are on Softs to start the race, that means that he can also go for a 2 stop and under that scenario, the tire degradation because of running hard to keep up with the front should be less of an issue and play a lesser factor.


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[McL-H]

I wouldn’t mind Daniel accidentally taking out one of the Ferrari’s at the start. It would make him useful for once this year lol (is a yoke). I hope Norris can keep Perez behind tomorrow. All we will need then is for Verstappen to DNF and we finally be standing on the top step of the podium again. It is possible if luck is on our side. It will also depend on how racy the car will be tomorrow on these softer compounds and slightly lower temperatures compared to last week.

[mwillems]

I couldn’t agree with you more… My hope is that Lando can stick close to Max for at least a handful of laps and stay in the tow, if he can be close to their rhythm and with the tow, he has a chance to keep Perez / Mercs behind for a while and build a gap to the rest of the midfield looking into the PitStops… If he can manage to do that, at least P5 should be in the cards.

The race should also be different to last week’s in which Max and Lewis were really pushing in that first stint (Max trying to break the tow and build a gap, Lewis trying to keep himself in within the undercut)… This week, with Lando and Perez as a buffer and with a softer compound compared to last race, I wouldn’t be surprised if Max’s pace is a bit slower, taking care of his tires while the rest behind him (especially Mercedes) are in dirty air and wearing their tires out… As a matter of fact, it might in Red Bull’s best interest to drag Lando along with them as a buffer against Lewis (not much different than when Lando was asked to keep Daniel in his DRS during this same race in 2019 to avoid the charge from Kimi.


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Which do you think will be most beneficial to him? that, or staying out of the airstream and eeking out his tyres for a few more laps? I don't see him as racing Max, and depending on how things fall, possibly not directly with Hamilton.
If Hamilton has to overwork the car to stay in contact, then race him, but 3rd is an excellent target, so is discretion the better part of valour? Would be nice to see him on the top step, but if that does happen I think it will be due to things other than how Lando races

I strongly believe that ultimately they will let both Red Bull’s and Mercedes go through and that’s the more sensible approach… The team is fighting Ferrari at the end of the day and to be ahead of them has to be the target for the race… But, depending on the pace in front of him, if he can hitch a ride with those guys, the time delta he can create to whom ever is P6 could be critical at the end of the race… The front group usually pulls a pitstop from the midfield… If he can be in that train, he has a ton of options open for him… I do believe that the race may end up been a 2 stop race, this because all the cars behind him with the exception of Russell are on Softs to start the race, that means that he can also go for a 2 stop and under that scenario, the tire degradation because of running hard to keep up with the front should be less of an issue and play a lesser factor.


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It was barely a one stopper last week, so I suspect you are right. I was surprised to see it spoken of as a one stopper, but maybe we are missing something. I guess the cars are better setup and they should be lower tyre deg, particularly since they raced here just a week ago, so the track should be very grippy.

[MrGapes]

https://twitter.com/LandoUpdates/status ... 7612800001

A thread from with the analysis of Lando's Lap with lots of driving style Jargon that isn't really spoken about in interviews as drivers try to skirt around giving direct details.

If you hear what he does in the second to last corner he is basically over driving the car, using unorthodox methods to pull lap time…. Incredible

[Emag]

This is super random, but damn, I miss Carlos :/

[M840TR]

I think they won’t be as bad as last race on pace given all top-5 are on the same tyres now. But still expect at least 0.5 per lap.

[mwillems]

https://www.grandprix.com/news/norris-a ... erent.html

Lando discussing himself and his relationship with Daniel.

But this bit i found particularly interesting

"It may be true that I focus more on myself than before, because I believe that's how I am getting more out of myself," said the Briton, who is an impressive fourth in the drivers' standings.

"That includes spending more time with my engineers and less time joking around. It's not that I've lost the fun of it, I just concentrate more on the essentials."

Its great to see that he made that choice to get his head down more and be a bit more his own man.

[Hammerfist]

I don't want to say it too loud, for fear of being ridiculed here, but I feel like Lando has a chance to keep P2 on merit....

Quick… someone poke mwillems… he’s typing in his sleep again… happy dreams my friend

But on a serious not, 9 long years we’ve waited for this, I didn’t realise it had been that long

Does anyone still remember the days we sat around dreaming of fighting for podiums… well we’re here now, and here on hard work & merit, and I hope we’re all enjoying it

Mwillems, I’m sure it won’t be long before we’re fighting for wins, but sadly I don’t think the race pace is there yet.

Perhaps with another year of development or tokens to update the chassis from last year things might have been different, but to be completely honest, I don’t think I could be any happier than I am today already

lol I'm wide awake and tiling my kitchen floor having watched the England game, so I can't blame drowsiness or dreaming!

I have absolutely nothing to go on but my gut is that the floor upgrade is a marked improvement in med-fast corners (Car, not kitchen floor) and therefore we will have better grip, more speed and less tyre deg. I really like the floor upgrade, it looks like it should be able to make a good difference, simple, inelegant but effective.

You know, I just have this feeling that tomorrow is going to be a very good day for Lando, silly mishaps not withstanding. I don't bet, but I might put some money on him to finish in the top 3.

He very well might. I will be shocked if Sergio or Lewis is able to pass him on track. Bottas? Forget about it. The Mclaren is a beast in the straights and if Lando decides he is not letting anyone by because a win is possible, he won't let anyone by. Now he might get undercut by Checo, but I have strong reasons to think that Hamilton will try to undercut Checo first, which then leaves Lando in p2 after the first stint. Checo will likely try to undercut for the second pit stop though. But yeah p3 is still possible for Lando. I just hope everyone is smart enough not to go for the one stopper. I just don't see it working with these tires.

[MrGapes]

As optimistic as I want to be, the Macca just doesn't have the pace of the Merc's and Red Bull's, but I'm obviously not ruling out anything hopefully a few external factors can help the team score a podium, but the best bet for Lando today is either get ahead of Max at the start and hold him and the rest of the front runners up as long as possible with straight line speed, hopefully use up some of there tyres, or go aggressive with strategy with either a extended stint, or a 2 stop... Besides that I think even if its a P5, a nice clean and straight forward race would be fine for me, it's a tight race with Ferrari every point will count especially whilst Daniel finds his feet (well I hope he does).

--Although I'm excited to see how Lando goes up against the Merc's they are far slower in the straights, maybe.. just maybe he could hold them up enough

[_cerber1]

[the EDGE]

As optimistic as I want to be, the Macca just doesn't have the pace of the Merc's and Red Bull's, but I'm obviously not ruling out anything hopefully a few external factors can help the team score a podium, but the best bet for Lando today is either get ahead of Max at the start and hold him and the rest of the front runners up as long as possible with straight line speed, hopefully use up some of there tyres, or go aggressive with strategy with either a extended stint, or a 2 stop... Besides that I think even if its a P5, a nice clean and straight forward race would be fine for me, it's a tight race with Ferrari every point will count especially whilst Daniel finds his feet (well I hope he does).

I don’t see how a 1 stop strategy is possible. Cars were too slow last week at the end of the race and the tyres were a step harder, I can’t see how anyone could have run an effective race on the soft and medium which is in effect where we are now

Sure the tracks very well rubbered, but if there’s been rain overnight or b4 the race that will reduce grip

I think Lando’s best chance is go aggressive on a planned 2 stop with intent of getting 3rd

[MrGapes]

https://the-race.com/formula-1/norris-a ... is-facing/

"For the last two weekends he has been practicing using the evil sausage kerbs on the exit of the turn to limit the rear-end slide, to knock the car straight, when just an inch further or 1km/h more would have the car clattering over them, destroying the lap and the car’s floor at best. He was using that kerb to take in an entry speed that was otherwise unfeasible for that car.

In the places where the McLaren was reluctant to get quickly enough into the turn on entry, he was using the power to amplify that rotation, when using too much would have just slid the laptime away – or spun the car."

That's just crazy - that's absolutely on the limit and beyond of trying to find lap time...put's it more into perspective why Daniel can't find the lap time Lando is because he's trying to find speed the car can't quite extract