2025 McLaren F1 Team

[mwillems]

Is there any update on the gearbox(s) they changed on the cars after the sprint in cota? Sure I heard Zak say they swapped them.

Could there be a penalty for the box or engine down the line.

I doubt there will be any penalties. The gearboxes are quite resilient and they get plenty of spares to use as dictated by the regs.

Unlike PU elements they arent declared though and I dont think weve lost any boxes through crashes or reliability this year.

[De Wet]

Is there really nothing Mclaren can bring at the table? Even a special set up or some track specific update that could squeeze something more out of the car?

I'm saying it because the two straights are huge and you need to be able to gain more than whatever the team loses in the straights.

Stella was speaking about a potential upgrade at a local taqueria in Austin after the race. They’ve been experimenting with chili peppers, adding them to the fuel, it apparently adds extra spice to the combustion stroke for more performance. The only downside is the exhaust fumes become noxious, so they could potentially run into trouble with the FIA for “pepper spraying” cars behind.

But other than that I don’t think we are expecting any upgrades.

[organic]

Oscar was 1 tenth faster than tsunoda in clean air at cota... Maybe they should swap norris' and Oscar's chassis to see if there's a car problem

[bauc]

Some positive vibes from Stella

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclar ... /10770067/

[WardenOfTheNorth]

Oscar was 1 tenth faster than tsunoda in clean air at cota... Maybe they should swap norris' and Oscar's chassis to see if there's a car problem

I can't see them doing that, it would potentially disadvantage one driver over the other.

[SilviuAgo]

Is there any update on the gearbox(s) they changed on the cars after the sprint in cota? Sure I heard Zak say they swapped them.

Could there be a penalty for the box or engine down the line.

Starting 2025 there is no penalty anymore for gearbox.
Formula 1 has removed the gearbox penalty for the 2025 season because of improvements in reliability. The FIA decided to scrap the rule that limited teams to five gearboxes per season, meaning drivers will no longer receive grid penalties for exceeding this limit.

[Darth-Piekus]

Helmut Marko said that Red Bull has one more upgrade to give but haven't decided when to bring it.

[mwillems]

Oscar was 1 tenth faster than tsunoda in clean air at cota... Maybe they should swap norris' and Oscar's chassis to see if there's a car problem

Whilst this is possible, I think this continues a trend of Oscar having a poor run at these tracks.

But i like that you also enjoy dropping uncertainty bombs, this place needs more of them

[Farnborough]

Helmut Marko said that Red Bull has one more upgrade to give but haven't decided when to bring it.

He's just saying that to ring your bell DP

[mwillems]

Is there any update on the gearbox(s) they changed on the cars after the sprint in cota? Sure I heard Zak say they swapped them.

Could there be a penalty for the box or engine down the line.

Starting 2025 there is no penalty anymore for gearbox.
Formula 1 has removed the gearbox penalty for the 2025 season because of improvements in reliability. The FIA decided to scrap the rule that limited teams to five gearboxes per season, meaning drivers will no longer receive grid penalties for exceeding this limit.

There are still penalties, but are parts based and not for whole units. Essentially you get 5 gearboxes worth of parts. It makes penalties even less likely.

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... LojGLWS3F1

[Big Tea]

Oscar was 1 tenth faster than tsunoda in clean air at cota... Maybe they should swap norris' and Oscar's chassis to see if there's a car problem

I can't see them doing that, it would potentially disadvantage one driver over the other.

That is assuming it is Lando who has the better car, it could just as easily be the opposite.

[vorticism]

Regarding Tapegate.
McLaren/Norris: "I'm gonna modify this part of the track to make it easier for me."
RB: "Nah, mate. That's BS." *riiip*

The RB personnel was in the right there. You have to understand the mindset of these competitors--they want as even a playing field as possible in terms of the track itself. So to read in this thread some were writing "despicable" and "confirms my suspicion that every RB employee is evil" is humorously out of touch; reminds me where some of the Hamilton bandwagon has taken refuge. The RB member going out on track during the formation lap is another question. Maybe it was stupid/impulsive because it was an easy indictment and fine; then again, they could have deemed $50k worth it in terms of returning the track to its original state.

[mwillems]

Regarding Tapegate.
McLaren/Norris: "I'm gonna modify this part of the track to make it easier for me."
RB: "Nah, mate. That's BS." *riiip*

The RB personnel was in the right there. You have to understand the mindset of these competitors--they want as even a playing field as possible in terms of the track itself. So to read in this thread some were writing "despicable" and "confirms my suspicion that every RB employee is evil" is humorously out of touch; reminds me where some of the Hamilton bandwagon has taken refuge. The RB member going out on track during the formation lap is another question. Maybe it was stupid/impulsive because it was an easy indictment and fine; then again, they could have deemed $50k worth it in terms of returning the track to its original state.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com ... ipo=images

The rights and wrongs are totally subjective.

It is in the tradition of F1 but the world has moved on and many see that stuff differently.

The only real wrong is that the guy tried to get on track when the rules said he shouldn't be and they were punished for this behaviour. Doing it to.impede another team just makes the optics worse in some eyes, or an excuse for headlines.

[organic]

Oscar was 1 tenth faster than tsunoda in clean air at cota... Maybe they should swap norris' and Oscar's chassis to see if there's a car problem

But i like that you also enjoy dropping uncertainty bombs, this place needs more of them

You saw through me

[AR3-GP]

If Piastri is running behind Lando Norris, is he allowed to undercut Lando Norris without the other garage being told? Or would Lando have the option to cover it?

Right now it seems that Piastri's only goal should be to finish in front of Lando Norris. Considering the way that Mclaren operates, I don't see that he will truly have the free reign to execute that strategy. Mclaren have a running order pit stop priority which goes against having a true battle between the two garages. Furthermore, if there is only one pitwall and one pitbox for a stop, then are the cars truly free to strategize against one another?