Obviously conditions play there part, but even without the poor pitstops, lewis would have been 45 seconds behind the race winner........... thats a drastic amount approx eight tenths a lap. Both Sepang and China were variable waether conditions so it was difficult to get a true perspective on relative pace and Oz was a street track which normally throws the form book out of the window, especially as it was the first race of the year. I am more inclined to think that the Mclaren drivers have out performed the car and the overall package was not the dominant one we thought it was. I suppose time will tell when we get back into the european leg of the season, but as a Mclaren fan I am worried.
I don't get why people have got the idea that Mclaren have the best car. There have been four races and four different winners in four different cars. I think people just assume that Mclaren have the fastest car because they just happened to of won the first of those four races. In my opinion there is not 'fastest car' at the moment because the pecking order has been so changeable due to conditions. Mclaren, Red Bull, Mercedes, Lotus, Sauber and Ferrari have all had fast cars at some point over the first four races with none of them being consistent throughout. Therefore I think the pecking order is much more of a fluid things, which really is a very good thing because it makes everything so utterly unpredictable.
McLaren: 2 poles, 2 1-2 drivers after qualifying, total cars at the front row 6 (if you include China) 1 win, 5 podiums between both drivers. Red Bull: 1 Pole, zero 1-2 qualifying, total cars at the front row 1, 1 win, 2 podiums. Lotus: Zero poles, zero 1-2 qualifying, total cars at the front row 0, 0 wins, 2 podiums. Mercedes: 1 pole, zero 1-2 qualifying (not including Lewis' penalty), total cars at the front row 1 (not including Lewis' penalty) 1 win, 1 podium. Ferrari: Zero poles, zero 1-2 qualifying, total cars at the front row 0, 1 win, 1 podium.
They were quickest in Aus and Malaysia, but the malay weather robbed them. In china Mercedes were faster and today it was worse. 3/4th fastest. Over the 4 races i agree with you, but they're already slipping.
I do not think there has been an overlying best car over the first 4 races, that was my point. It has only really been Australia where Mclaren have had the fastest race pace and even then it was not by much, so you can't really say they have had the best car over the past 4 races. Red Bull have had very strong race pace in every race so far but it has only really been in Bahrain where they have had the fastest race pace and even then it was very close to the Lotus' whose race pace has also been right up there throughout the season. Mercedes has the fastest race pace in China, and Ferrari and Sauber were very strong in the rain of Malaysia. So in my opinion there has not been one 'best car' so far this season.
B'Jebus McLaren, talk about screwing Hamilton over today. Glad Hamilton stayed restrained in post race interviews but he must have been furious. and you've ruined his run of 3rd's
I think they haven't had the best car for the past three races because Hamilton mostly went backwards from his grid slot and Button struggled in either qualifying or the race for two events. You can blame team performance for so much but the car just didn't have the pace when it mattered. I'd go as far as to say not only that Red Bull had the best package in Bahrain but that this will continue into the European races. They're running the RB8 with almost as much rake as they ran the RB7 last season and this means they're generating sufficient downforce underneath the rear of the car to give Vettel that high-speed corner entry he needs to attack. They might not be far ahead and, without the EBD, they probably won't get very far ahead but they've brilliantly converted their design philosophy into a non-EBD environment (or brilliantly applied other teams' solutions to their car). I expect the pecking order of last year to be restored over the next few races, albeit with much tighter margins and therefore providing a much better spectacle in which the circuits and conditions will play a part in determining race results. McLaren came out of the box with the most finished product and this was their advantage in Australia. They were probably marginally ahead in Malaysia but race conditions showed up the car's weaknesses. The stability in conditions in China enabled them to find a setup that enabled their drivers to make the difference but Mercedes were way ahead and for the same reasons. In Bahrain they were outclassed by Red Bull and Vettel but, misfortune notwithstanding, not light years behind. If you want to quote numbers just do what Christian Horner did when asked how he would assess the pecking order of the teams.
I agree with you there's no real clear fastest car, so statistics can be the only decider to a degree with the account of including errors, possibly mixing the results. Statiscaly McLaren have had the better car over the past 3-4 races, that might be the reason why people considered McLaren to have the best car. Ok the WDC and WCC don't reflect that but we all have our valid reasons to think differently.
McLaren certainly started strongly but worryingly have gone off. They were probably behind both Red Bull and Lotus on pace alone yesterday, ignoring the blunders in the pit stops. I think on average McLaren have been the best so far, but only once the best at a race... if that makes sense.
Interesting that he wants/needs to drive in the upcoming test, highlighted by his comments that they lack the race pace needed. Also (common sence) he has stated that he needs to test new parts rather than someone who hasnt driven the car! So, is this the committed Lewis (hope so) trying to show value to the team he plans to commit his future with? Time will tell!
No way do Mclaren have the best car! They have been convincingly outpaced in 2 of 4 races. A good car yes but fastest, nope. Their race pace has been all over the place. I don't think any team has a dominant car. The field is very close. People saying Mclaren have the fastest car are just anti Lewis posters trying to make out Lewis is faltering with the best car. Truth is, Mclaren have buggered Lewis in every race this season and yet he is still 2nd in the WDC. Good showing so far.
Do you think this is Mclaren trying to justify that their errord will play no part in Lewis's decession, or do they honestly believe that he will continue to put up with it? http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1/news/12433/7758795/McLaren-Errors-won-t-sway-Lewis Mclarens only saving grace is that there isnt a major seat out there to tempt him, however having seen the progress of Lotus, Williams, Sauber etc, who's to say one of these teams couldnt give him the shot at the WDC?
I think a fresh start is what Hamilton needs. I sometimes think McLaren is too corporate for him sometimes and he needs some flexibility in his personal life. Red Bull, Ferrari or Lotus would be fun carear moves.
His run of bad luck must end soon, the pitstop errors are farcial, but each time it seems to have been a different mistake, just at the same point of the car. He's handled it very maturely and is one of the 2 drivers, along with Alonso, who I've turned back into liking a lot. I hope he stays at McLaren becaue I think it suits F1 well to have top drivers in different teams
