McLaren hasn't covered in glory? I'd say McLaren's situation is brilliant on driver market. That's why they can afford to take time, pick and choose. Mercedes, Red Bull, Williams, and probably Ferrari are locked and McLaren is the next best option on the grid. Everyones wants to go there. And look at those options. Double WDC Alonso, WDC Button, promising young Magnussen and if all that falls apart I am sure McLaren could get Hulkenberg out of Force India if they really wanted to, who also would be a decent option.
I think it is not really quite often a midfieldish team has such a plentiful of good options to choose from. McLaren certainly hasn't been played into the corner, they are playing the game. I have seen good teams being in much worse situations on the driver market.
That's a very selective part of my post, I stick by my point they don't APPEAR to have treated their current drivers well (see this thread and multiple others for plenty of quotes from people who are questioning McLarens driver strategy. However read the rest of my post:
we have no idea what the situation is behind closed doors at McLaren. If they end up with a successful driver pairing then Boullier (and others) will have done a good job... but as long as they end up with the best ones then that's all that's important from their point of view- there has been nothing to stop the current drivers looking elsewhere if they were concerned over their future , they must both have known the situation.
I'm on McLarens side here.
Also midfield team? They may be currently fighting in the mid-field but they have the facilities and finances of a top team and the potential to be able to get back to the top - of course drivers will want to drive for them, apart from Merc most of the other teams are a gamble as to whether they will be able to challenge for the title anytime soon and McLaren are a lot better placed than many of them to turn it around.
Edited by Exb, 18 October 2014 - 22:28.