If Mclaren don't win the drivers/constructors this season they only have themselves to blame. Should have won AT LEAST three of the first races as a team, arguably all five could have had a mclaren on the top step, only have won one Don't think Hamilton will stick around if they **** it up for him again, and there's a free seat at Mercedes/Red Bull
Would say some of the lack of winning was Hamilton's own fault. yes there were pit stop problems, but there have been times he's just been outpaced, thinking Australia here.
They were nowhere near the pace in Bahrain and today I doubt Lewis would have won even from pole, look at the fastest lap times: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/05/13/2012-spanish-grand-prix-fastest-laps/ Hamilton knows that McLaren can consistently deliver a car capable of winning races and titles, Mercedes don't have that pedigree and Red Bull aren't exactly dominating this season, so why move? All teams make mistakes.
I don't know about that. I'd say McLaren might well be the fastest still (coming from a Ferrari fan). Lotus is there or there about. Red Bull, who knows??? Couldn't hope for a more interesting season
Yeah he has so far been flawless and McLaren have messed up for him. Of all his seasons so far which do you think have been the top 3 in terms of how well he has personally performed in the first 5 grand prix?
Hamilton would have taken the win from pole in Spain, his times were slower as he was 2 stopping and managing his tyres brilliantly. The team are having their issues, I'm sure they'll sort themselves out. 5 races in and they are only a handful of points off the lead in both championships.
And he spent most of his time in dirty air so I don't know how some people come to their ridiculous assumptions.
McLaren are having a similair season to RBR in 2010. Tyres though are saving Fernando's and RBR's season at the moment in my opinion as more durable tyres like in the past would of put them far higher in the standings.
Ageed, this season is all going to be about the tyres. The sweet spot of usability and performance is so small that we are seeing results from cars that are not fast put sit in that sweet spot.
It seems Mclaren are having another 2010, where they let down their drivers. Then it was not bringing decent updates at the end of the season when both drivers were still within a shot. Now it's pitstops. They replaced the left-rear gunner, but then the fuel man made the mistake of draining fuel rather than adding it. This is probably going to be Hamilton's best season in terms of his driving. As he said in the post race interview, he answered his critics by being the only one to 2-stop (which is why his overall pace was slower, davidjwest). I think it was DC that said Mclaren would have geared his car shorter because they expected him to still be on pole and not need to use DRS to overtake, which meant he had to overtake at other places, cause he was on the limiter 3/4 of the way down the start/finish straight. I dont know what happened to Jenson. He said his car was perfect in P2, but something changed, and he had that understeer, possible another mistake by his team. Mclaren are going to end up costing their drivers the WDC at this rate
He says this every race/quali. I blame him for it. Agree with the rest of the post though, especially the bit about Hamilton potentially having his best season. He was flawless all weekend, in what i still believe to be the fastest car, but his whole weekend was undone by a stupid error by a mechanic, they also had another issue with the left rear when one of the mechanics dropped the tyre they'd just taken off in front of it as Lewis was pulling away. Whitmarsh said it's a new team. Does anyone know what he means by this? Was it changed this race because of the disasters in Bahrain and China, or have they changed it for this season? If it's the latter why on earth would you make changes to a very well drilled crew?
i think lewis would have won from pole. if you think about those fastest lap times, most will have come directly after the last pit stop when everyone had low fuel and fresh tyres. not to mention if they were traffic free (the front runners). hamilton barely had a lap without traffic the whole race, and his final stint lasted 30 laps on one set of tyres. when he first came out there was too much fuel to go really fast, and he had to save the tyres to make them last 30 laps. i am pretty sure he would have won if he had started on pole. or at least been on the podium.
Feel sorry for Lewis but I dont think he would have won the race - there just dosent appear the natural race pace in the car - Oz excluded - but Lewis admitted he didnt have the pace to stay with Button. The Mclaren seems a very strange car and I am wondering whether they are trying to accomodate both drivers and satisfying neither? Think lewis has been excellent this season, but as a big Button fan I am very worried - Very Worried!
Fastest laps are not important to win the races. It's consistently delivering fast lap times over 10-15 laps during each stint. If drivers decide to go for glory and a fastest lap they take life out of the tyres early on and this will force them to pit early. The only time I would say a very fast lap is important is the out lap and in lap.
With the greatest respect, Drudeboy; the fastest lap time has little do with winning a race, especially when how one uses one's tyres is of vital importance. Having said that, I believe that if Hamilton had started from Pole, he would have been the most likely winner – and probably by the proverbial country mile!
To hopefully clear things up a bit, Scarbs reckons the Mclaren mechanics have a button on their wrists to signal when they're done, you can see them in this pic.
