haza wrote: ↑21 Mar 2023, 16:25
Straight after testing I made some (bold) predictions for the season an what I think is going to be the outcome I’m posting it here as this is what (after day 3 of testing) I feel McLaren can do for this season, I was in the ball mark with season start after the last couple races Let’s hope I stay right
2023 pecking order
Round 1 (season start)
1.Redbull
2.Aston Martin
3.Ferrari
4.Mercedes
5.Alpine
6.Haas
7.McLaren
8.Williams
9.Alfa Romeo
10.alpha tauri
Round 12 (mid season)
1.Red bull
2.Mercedes
3.Aston Martin
4.McLaren
5.Ferrari
6.Alpine
7. Haas
8.Williams
9.Alfa Romeo
10.Alpha tauri
Round 23 (end of season)
1.Mercedes
2.McLaren
3.Redbull
4.Aston Martin
5.Ferrari
6.Alpine
7.Williams
8.Haas
9.Alfa Romeo
10.alpha tauri
Constructors:
1:Redbull
2:Mercedes
3:McLaren
4:Aston Martin
5:Ferrari
6:Alpine
7:Williams
8:Haas
9:Alfa Romeo
10:Alpha tauri
Predictions
1: Mercedes and McLaren to end the season as the top 2 fastest teams
2: red bull to dominate until mid season an will be caught up by McLaren Mercedes and Aston
3:McLaren to struggle for points in the early races with gradual updates giving them the pace to compete for wins from mid season onwards but lack of points in the first few races races costs them P2 in the constructors
4:Red bull wins the constructors due to early season domination
5: Norris, Hamilton, Russel, Alonso, Piastri, Perez, verstappen, leclerc to all win a race during the season
6: 70 points separate the top 3 teams in the constructors (redbull, Mercedes, McLaren)
8: drivers championship to go down to the last race with 5 drivers in contention
9: Mercedes struggle to get on the podium in the first 5 races with Miami seeing a whole new Concept brought by the team by round 7 they are near enough caught up to redbull
10: Aston Martin to be second fastest team until race 7 with Mercedes and McLaren jumping ahead in the races following round 7 and alonso to win at least 1 race
11:chaotic wet race sees a Williams driver on the podium
12: final races of the season see Mercedes McLaren redbull Aston Martin within 0.250 seconds of each other
Bold predictions but anything can happen in F1 an usually it does
Whilst I share your enthusiasm and I really do, believe me, there’s nothing more I’d like better than to be back at the top by the end of the season, however, It would mean that we would have failed again. I’m not going out of my way to be negative, but we have to face the facts.
To do this, (get in the top 3-4 teams) it means we have to develop too far into this season which will basically put us at too much of a disadvantage for next season.
Why do McLaren always finish the season strongly?
Because, this is what always happens.
Until McLaren break this cycle it will always be the way.
After the Baku upgrade, McLaren should concentrate all their efforts into next year. Then we might stand a chance of really competing again.
And this is what we all want surely…….