It isn't necessarily, but his record for Williams is far from great. Their spiral began when he took over (yes there were other reason too). It seems that is a different role at McLaren though. Sporting director instead of Technical.
Sam Michael will essentially oversee trackside operations; and although this is not the limit of his role, it is by far the most important aspect of it. For some time, McLaren have been lacking a dedicated race coordinator, with dynamic racing decisions currently being the result of rather un-dynamic corporate decisions, between Whitmarsh and each driver's race engineer - and driver of course. But the problem is that such a process is vulnerable to quick thinking competitors who have a more direct approach, since it usually involves some form of consultation; or at the very least, the potential to be diffuse, slow and even indecisive when the heat is on. For this reason we tend to see McLaren's plans set in stone (or at least ponderous and rather clumsy) whilst others with a more lightweight structure to this aspect of management, have the flexibility to keep thinking on their feet… Coordinating the strategies of two drivers during the heat of the moment is a very difficult thing to get just right and requires quick, incisive intelligence. Consequently, there will be pressure upon Sam Michael to conjure up an improvement for his new team. That said, I think he's at least on a par with Mike Coughlan and therefore should bring an immediate benefit to McLaren; not least by taking some of the pressure off Whitmarsh. In my opinion, trackside strategic decisions should ultimately be made by one person, since consultation not only slows decision making but also provides unhealthy ground for potential disagreement and confusion. I'm sure an analogy can be drawn in computing, where a dedicated video card can update graphics far more efficiently than a huge Hard Drive (or so I'm told!). For this reason, Sam Michael's appointment is not only a good thing for McLaren; it is long-overdue.
Cosicave - 'a dedicated video card can update graphics far more efficiently than a huge Hard Drive (or so I'm told!).' Not a great analogy. I'd suggest comparing having a team manager at halftime to consulting all the players on what to do in the second half.
As the only Aussie on this forum, I think I speak for everyone in my country when I say we really couldn't care less, not one bit. But that's just one country's view.
Hahaha, its actually the opposite; everyone here makes a much bigger deal about him than necessary, even though he's not particularly good. Nationality may or may not have everything to do with my dislike of him
Thanks cosi - an excellent reply and explanation, especially regarding the reasons behind McLaren's inability to respond to other teams' activities this season.
You have a point Bergy and indeed your 'half-time' analogy is apt; but what I was getting at is that since 2009, McLaren have been lacking a dedicated method of dealing with dynamic situations. Thanks G!
