http://twitpic.com/48573u Jenson looks down in the dumps, where as Martin feels Mclaren have more to show. http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2011/3/11805.html Where do you think Mclaren are sitting ahead of Melbourne's opener? ... Also , wtf is wrong with my heading?
and I see them sitting a comfortable third with the potential to win if things go well. Obviously not favourite though.
I cut the 'http://www.not606.com/newthread.php?do=newthrea' bit out, I assumed you didn't want that part there
It's not looking good for McLaren, the fact that they're talking the way they are before the season has even started speaks volumes. The chink of light that people are clinging to is that McLaren have a good track record with development. Last year they were awful in this department though, certainly behind RBR, Renault and Williams, who all look as if they might be starting from a better base than them this season. Reading between the lines this could be a worse season for them than 2009, I've got a feeling they'll snatch 3rd in the constructors though.
I personally think Lewis and Jenson maybe bluffing. At the moment its a case of who to believe but Lewis and Jenson are the drivers so they have a better understanding of the pace and the degration of the tyres. Its all good and well developing the car throughout the season but if you dont score good points at the start then you are playing catch up. At the moment though I think they still might have the pace on short runs but on long runs they are inconsistent and far behind Rwd Bull and Ferrari. Their reliability looks poor aswell and at the moment I say they are behind Toro Rosso, Renault and Sauber.
Mercedes and McLaren seem to be in trouble, but with the Merc updates, the car seems to be setting respectable lap times on heavy fuel, and Schumacher's lap time today was stunning. In my opinion, McLaren are still in trouble, and Mercedes are not in danger anymore.
Merc seem to have some pace. It's looks as if they're only going to get one dry day of testing the updated car though, which isn't ideal. I suppose with McLaren testing in the wet (from what I've heard they're predicting rain) they're going to be struggling come Melbourne unless it rains.
One of the Mercedes teams have a serious advantage now, I am hoping Mclaren can sort things out. I really think that Mercedes have hit the jackpot after a lot of hard work.
I never know what to make of testing usually so avoid paying much attention till the cars hit the grid for the first GP. I'm not that tecchie minded so don't miss much. Mclaren might be right up there but the impression I get from skimming threads and F1 sites is that the Red Bulls are still out in front pursued by the Ferrari's then the rest. Don't ask me for data to back that up though!
This is an interesting thread with some good observations. There is something I'd like to add. It has already mentioned that McLaren were somewhat tardy last year, showing an inability to catch up with development. I believe this is fundamentally due to their long-wheelbase design philosophy and their dogged, almost obstinate insistence in sticking with it. Furthermore, a long wheelbase usually makes extra demands on a tyre which needs to go around corners! (To illustrate the point, I need to exaggerate and ask that you think of a car 100 meters long, then imagine it trying to corner! Either the fronts 'push' (understeer) or the rears must slide (oversteer); both of which make extra demands upon a tyre. But the biggest problem they face now is that in season development (with the potential to catch up) has been further curtailed by a reduction in the number of tyres and a serious reduction in their durability! This is likely to see teams needing to conserve tyres for the race and therefore loitering in the pits for longer. To put it simply, a reduced number of poorer tyres is an extra restriction on development; a serious set-back for a team which lags behind from the start.
