McLaren Technical Thread (MCL34)

So guys, what are your expectations for this season, what would you say would be a good season for McLaren?

Becoming fourth.

Wow, unimaginable to say that about McLaren 10 or 15 years ago.

A good season would be one where McLaren are arguably the best of the rest (like Renault, Haas, and perhaps Force India last season). Similar level to their early 2018 performance, but sustained throughout the year.

 

However, I expect McLaren to be a step below that level. With all the staff changes and a relatively weak driver lineup, this already seems like (another) transition year – hopefully, we will finally see some progress in 2020.

True fifth would be awesome. True sixth will be realistic

No, I mean Sprite.
Fanta is also not a fit with F1, is too much targetted to kids.

And now for some sacrilege... Couldn't find a picture of a Mclaren wearing a Sprite livery.

Keep floating your own wishes doesn't mean you would be right in a common sense.
Coca Cola doesn't market Sprite in a large market . Sprites marketing and it's market strategy are done locally/regionally. That's why there is a fair share of Europe that is being fed with their low-calorie-sweetened-by-stevia regular Sprite. My piss tastes better.
If anything, Coca Cola would use their main brand. The brand that is familiar with anyone in any country on the globe. The brand that is seen at the World Cup of Football and the Olympic Games. Coca Cola will not use Sprite for marketing in F1 at Working should they sign a deal. That's what I want to bet a tenner at.

So guys, what are your expectations for this season, what would you say would be a good season for McLaren?

 

4th.

Expectation:- A much better car which will be developed through the season. If they manage that then they will be in fight for the best of the rest

I think it's about time McLaren step up. Hopefully a season near the sharpenend of the midpack. However, as SpaceHorsePartu said, I think McLaren will be a step being a Sauber/Haas/Racing Point group. I'm expecting 8th sadly. Hoping to be surprised. Supporting Sainz now that Alonso has gone is refreshing regardless.

Expectation:- A much better car which will be developed through the season. If they manage that then they will be in fight for the best of the rest

Soooo.. same as last year?

My expectation is that the car legitimately improves relative to the competition over the course of the season. 

It doesn't happen overnight, but I think if we see the above, then we will have a good indication that the new structure is beginning to work. 

It's a resigned outlook, yes, but I want to see a start to recovery, because last season wasn't it. 

So guys, what are your expectations for this season, what would you say would be a good season for McLaren?

Hard to say. The car should be better. The driver setup initially seems weaker, but we'll have to wait see. Overall somewhere between 4th to 6th.

4th.

Same as should have been last year. 4th and closing on 3rd or it is a failure. Mac are too big and too established to do worse than that and not consider it a fail.

Personally I stepped of the idea that McLaren is too big and too established to finish below any certain level.
McLaren, after Ron Dennis and after the failed coöperation with Honda (not saying that's Honda's fault!), is a team in chaos.
I hope that 2018 was the eye-opener that was needed. I don't expect miracles for 2019, but I am hopeful that during the season we can see the effect of the new team structure and that the new people turn out to be the right persons in the right places. If they can be consistantly top 5 with visible progress towards top 4 -3 throughout the year, I would say they went in a good direction. 2020 should be the year all the new puppets show their benefits in development of the car.
Too bad they missed out on Ricciardo this time, but hopefully Lando is indeed the bright new star that he is counted for. Sainz I see as a stop-gap solution who should be able to get some points in the basket while keeping his nose clean.
According to Ricciardo's recent interview, if the car in 2 years shows decent improvement, he will be very happy to join ship. He would imo a great leading driver, or a great equal partner to a by then hopefully proven quality as Lando.
For now it looks like McLaren is serious investing in the right people to get the car and company structure in order.
So while I don't expect much magic in 2019, I am hopeful for the longer term.

Edited by Raikkinen, 22 January 2019 - 05:07.

So guys, what are your expectations for this season, what would you say would be a good season for McLaren?

 

Progress in every Area. 

Last time we had two new drivers we unexpectedly did rather well i’d say. Hope history will repeat itself in that aspect, not the crap we got afterwards.

Soooo.. same as last year?

Last year's car was not upgradeable because of the fundamental flaw. Last year's car also was rushed in and had many compromises and blind gambles which did not pay off. Those are the type of mistakes they are looking to avoid for 2019.

2019 will be the first year of the recovery plan Mclaren have in place. MCL35 in 2020 will be the first car under James Key. 2021 budget cap kicks in and the year where Mclaren can start aiming for podiums.

Edited by Quickshifter, 22 January 2019 - 06:52.

My best expectations is to see the McLaren as a third best team given the possible RB setback with Honda. But I would be happy if they end up in fourth place.

preferably 4th best all year with clear progress, but can be we have to accept 5 or 6 best team at the beginning, not least looking at our drivers, but with quickshifters arguments in mind, about a rushed car with bad pu integration, fundamentally flawed and with bad concept decisions, there should be room for considerable progress from the beginning, if they learned from their mistakes like they said, so im still hoping for 4th

Edited by f1rules, 22 January 2019 - 07:46.

4th would be too much in my book. I think McLaren could be pleased with itself with P6 at the end of the season. Anything better would be a bonus.

Edited by Beri, 22 January 2019 - 08:12.

I guess it all depends on how good or bad the 2015-2017 McLaren really were.

We all expected McLaren to be around 4^th in the championship, perhaps challenging 3^rd place Red Bull late in the season in 2018. McLaren certainly saw it that way.

 

If the 2018 McLaren was indeed a one-off dud as sometimes happens, McLaren should be 3^rd, 4^th or 5^th based on size/budget and the Renault engine.

 

If however McLaren really lost the plot in those years, they indeed face a couple of years of rebuilding.

How much longer can Mclaren sustain low performance seasons?

The whole infrastructure and headcount is setup for top 3-4 performance and related income.

At some point Mclaren will have to downsize, divest and possibly go for 1 paydriver.

2 more seasons before this Williams route comes into sight?

Williams route didnt have rich Bahraini's pulling strings and pouring money in the bank in its darkest years.

Also Liberty is still pushing for a Budget Cap from 2021 onwards.

Number of jobs advertised on McLaren.com:
-Racing 47
-Automotive 238
-Applied Technologies 33
-Marketing 5
-Group 12
=Total 335

Number of jobs advertised on WilliamsF1.com
-Racing 18
-Advanced Technolgies 17
=Total 35

Edited by purpleturtle, 22 January 2019 - 09:18.

4th or 5th in constructors would represent (for me) a successful turnaround from recent troubles.

Any better probably requires other teams misfortune and is unrealistic.

6th might feel a bit flat.

Any lower than 6th would be highly disappointing.

My best expectations is to see the McLaren as a third best team given the possible RB setback with Honda. But I would be happy if they end up in fourth place.

 

I'll second that.

 

Let's hope they deliver the performance in the chassis we all thought they were going to deliver last year.

4th or 5th in constructors would represent (for me) a successful turnaround from recent troubles.

Any better probably requires other teams misfortune and is unrealistic.

6th might feel a bit flat.

Any lower than 6th would be highly disappointing.

 

that depends on your confidence in Honda to deliver performance and reliability

that depends on your confidence in Honda to deliver performance and reliability

Depends on a whole heap of unknown variables, not just Honda. What about Renault?

What about Sauber? What about Haas? What about Williams?

Variables that can not excluded by a team like McLaren when you take into account the chassis was not award winning in any kind the last seasons. It would take serious effort to secure P4. And I cant see McLaren doing this any time soon.

Last year’s livery harked back to the team’s roots, drawing its inspiration directly from the team’s iconic papaya orange colour scheme which McLaren first raced in Formula 1 in 1968. A nod to the past, with a focus firmly on the future. It was brave, and a hit with fans who had clamoured for its return. This year’s livery will once again deliver in those terms, building on the equity of the brand colours which have been synonymous with success across Formula 1, Indy 500 and the Can-Am series.
https://www.mclaren....-mcl34-1173956/

Last year’s livery harked back to the team’s roots, drawing its inspiration directly from the team’s iconic papaya orange colour scheme which McLaren first raced in Formula 1 in 1968. A nod to the past, with a focus firmly on the future. It was brave, and a hit with fans who had clamoured for its return. This year’s livery will once again deliver in those terms, building on the equity of the brand colours which have been synonymous with success across Formula 1, Indy 500 and the Can-Am series.
https://www.mclaren....-mcl34-1173956/

 

Ron Dennis returned to McLaren as a writer? I'm not a native English speaker so did I get it correctly that livery won't change?

Ron Dennis returned to McLaren as a writer? I'm not a native English speaker so did I get it correctly that livery won't change?

Me no speaky English natively too. But that is what it suggests in my book, yes.

Suggests evolution of last years Papaya livery. Suggests bold and colourful team wear. Yikes.

Suggests evolution of last years Papaya livery. Suggests bold and colourful team wear. Yikes.

Suggests evolution of last years Papaya livery. Suggests bold and colourful team wear. Yikes.

 

So more orange and blue? 2018 Teamwear was 95 % black or White. That shouldn't be too bad.

Suggests evolution of last years Papaya livery. Suggests bold and colourful team wear. Yikes.

 

 

Livery will feature inspiration from Alonso Abu Dhabi car one presumes, though just keeping the '18 livery would be fine and more Ron-like.

 

Multi-coloured accents could be tailored for various sponsors -- in the style of Benetton or Williams -- and may look rather smart indeed. 

 

Edited by V8 Fireworks, 22 January 2019 - 12:31.

People are having too much expectations. I would just be happy if they manage to be not past by William.
They just stopped all development in the middle of last year, some are saying it's because they were working for this year car but I think it was because they had to save money and had no direction for development.

McLaren will be winning world championships in papaya as they did in the past.....

Oh wait

 

 

Oh wait, McLaren has said the car 2019 is a good one....

I think the car will be better, but I worry that the loss of Alonso will hide that performance.

Expectations are the motherhood of disappointment. Given the variables of changing personnel, drivers, the change in the aero regs, and what the competition might bring, makes it pretty much impossible to predict the results. Which means we have the conditions needed to enjoy an interesting season. Bring it on!

I do know that I'm going to miss Alonso's blinding starts, radio comments, and displays of greatness.

Edited by revmeister, 22 January 2019 - 14:34.

5th or 6th at the start of the season, 4th at the end.

I'd say solidly into Q3.  If they can turn their qualifying around, then points and championship positions will turn around as well.  If they're still struggling to get into Q3, then it's going to be more of the same as the previous couple of seasons.

5th or 6th at the start of the season, 4th at the end.

Nothing has showed, during the recent seasons, that McLaren developed their car in a better fashion than the competition over the course of the season.

I expect a much better car from McLaren but IMO It would be a very difficult task to come up with a better livery than what McLaren had in 2018.

This year competition is going to be stronger than ever. 4th place would be good achievement but considering we don't have Alonso this year, 5th place is more realistic target to achieve.

McLaren will be winning world championships in papaya as they did in the past.....

Oh wait

 

 The epitome of the orange McLaren years (which weren't that many) was the Bruce & Denny Show. So yeah, orange McLarens pretty much wiped the floor with everyone else.

It seems McLaren is looking to expand its engineering staff. I haven't seen that many open positions before. I feel we are building a strong team which has strength in depth for 2021.

https://careers.mcla...tDirection=desc

It seems McLaren is looking to expand its engineering staff. I haven't seen that many open positions before. I feel we are building a strong team which has strength in depth for 2021.

https://careers.mcla...tDirection=desc

 

at 46 new work positions, among them some of which seriously aero related profile, I can see that the team is putting huge effort in log term plan.

Edited by kumo7, 22 January 2019 - 23:42.