2019 Mclaren F1 Team - Renault

[EddyBaggio]

A good week 1, lets hope for a even better week 2

[Mansell89]

Ferrari set the best times for the C2 and C3 tyres in testing at a respective 1:18.6 and a 1:18.0.

Personally I feel you can disregard some of the fastest C4 and 5 times from Merc and Ferrari because both of them can and will go significantly faster on those tyres on light fuel and it’s almost certain they won’t have pushed the limits yet- week 2 tends to being that for both of them

So if you compare the 1:19.4 from Lando on C2 - 8 tenths down on the Ferrari, that isn’t looking too shabby at all.

In fact the McLaren pace on the harder tyre gives me hope that they can have a decent race car this season.

If they can have reduced the race pace gap to something like 8 tenths to Ferrari, it would have been a seriously good winter. (Think they’ll struggle to do that with qualy modes)

Now I know we can’t take it literally, but I think the harder tyre performance comparison is the one that bears the most reality at this stage.

The only time we will really know is when the wick is turned up and everyone is racing for points on a Sunday in those opening flyaways. But I’m quietly pleased with what I’ve seen of McLaren at this still early stage.

[BrunoH]

was hoping to see mclaren make 1:17 ish, im not that impressed to be honest....i was more hopefull in the first 2 days.

They haven't even run the C5 tyre, so I don't know what you're on about. The difference between C4 and C5 is already 6 tenths, so they can easily do a 17.8. Norris was on to do some fast laps, but the Alfa caused two red flags.

yes i know, but i was talking 17is wit the C4 not the C5.. the C5 looks like a qualy tire. and to be fair its more easy to judge the real pace with the C4 than with the C5.

[FittingMechanics]

Honestly that 26 lap stint in 1:23s is very good. I didn't look at the stints today, but on the first three days no one was really doing such stints (except maybe Mercedes).

Just shows us how much hidden potential there is in every car, McLaren is no expection so I expect that most teams are still not showing their hand. However, I think that both Sainz and Norris look quite happy so I'm hoping that means they see that the car has serious potential.

[bauc]

was hoping to see mclaren make 1:17 ish, im not that impressed to be honest....i was more hopefull in the first 2 days.

They haven't even run the C5 tyre, so I don't know what you're on about. The difference between C4 and C5 is already 6 tenths, so they can easily do a 17.8. Norris was on to do some fast laps, but the Alfa caused two red flags.

yes i know, but i was talking 17is wit the C4 not the C5.. the C5 looks like a qualy tire. and to be fair its more easy to judge the real pace with the C4 than with the C5.

Yea but some of the times of the other cars in the 1:17's were on C5's so Mclaren if needed could have dipped into 1:17's by using the same tire spec

[FittingMechanics]

Google translate from Soymotor (spanish site).

As for McLaren, Lando Norris has run a full race simulation. It is the first that the team successfully overcomes, since the one that Carlos Sainz did yesterday ended earlier than expected due to a problem with the leaks. The Brit has surpassed it with three stints. He started with 17 laps with the C2, followed with 19 laps with another unit of the C2 and finished off with a marathon run of 28 laps with the C1, in which his pace has been especially competitive. In the first two stints, he has been slower than his teammate.

For comparison, Mercedes did a race sim yesterday, their third stint was mid 1:22s on C2.

[M840TR]

Fastest average top speed of the entire session.

[Ground Effect]

Just read an article on gpblog. It's claiming some teams are already copying McLaren aero creations, the engine cover fin and, as the put it, "innovative bargeboard designs".... Said they started popping up on some team cars during the week. Did anybody notice?

[charliesmithhd]

Just read an article on gpblog. It's claiming some teams are already copying McLaren aero creations, the engine cover fin and, as the put it, "innovative bargeboard designs".... Said they started popping up on some team cars during the week. Did anybody notice?

Alfa and Williams have the same engine cover, I think it’s too soon to say they’ve copied mclaren

[Ground Effect]

Just read an article on gpblog. It's claiming some teams are already copying McLaren aero creations, the engine cover fin and, as the put it, "innovative bargeboard designs".... Said they started popping up on some team cars during the week. Did anybody notice?

Alfa and Williams have the same engine cover, I think it’s too soon to say they’ve copied mclaren

That's what I thought as well... but maybe that's what delayed Williams..

[FittingMechanics]

Alfa and Williams have the same engine cover, I think it’s too soon to say they’ve copied mclaren

Alfa showed their car without the fin, today they ran with it.

[muramasa]

Just read an article on gpblog. It's claiming some teams are already copying McLaren aero creations, the engine cover fin and, as the put it, "innovative bargeboard designs".... Said they started popping up on some team cars during the week. Did anybody notice?

Alfa and Williams have the same engine cover, I think it’s too soon to say they’ve copied mclaren

Can safely say it's not copy but one of those things that's sort of no-brainer under certain regs that different teams come up with at the same time, like hanger wing, tapered down FW (all cars but Merc and RBR have the same concept front wing), fins on halo etc. Whoever blogger better study about lead time for verify, design and manufacture..

[dr_cooke]

I'm feeling quite optimistic after this week. The team has not only shown their ability to follow a testing program without big hiccups, lap times were quite stable and similar for both drivers, showing probably they were driving far from the edge but besides that:

- It would be rasonable if Mclaren (and, to a lesser extent, RB) are the two teams with less interest in going fast from day one, building a broad and stable base for development instead. This would mean they are the two teams from which you could expect more real development from 1st week of testing to Australia
- If (IF) Mclaren have something up their sleeve, as was rumoured, it would be also sensible not to show their hand until days 7 and 8 of testing, not only to keep it out of everybody else's sight, but also for reason 1, they can't test too many changes at once until they understand the car (and engine, RENAULT said this year's unit is a new concept)

[PhillipM]

They were running a little late with parts for the car as it was so it might not have all the bits until the actual race weekend anyway.

[FittingMechanics]

Btw, let's remember how people were mad that the McLaren did not do a shakedown day before the test.