2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[MCLvamos]

I hope it was just a big setup issue, as the pace in clear air and with no cars just behind was alright. Ideally we can return to our recent form (with the aid of some new upgrades apparently) after the summer break!

[Darth-Piekus]

Its a pity Oscar was taken out by Sainz. He could have driven a good race.

[MCLvamos]

jeeze - there was no mistake. Teams these days dont have unlimited resources. They chose to dedicate the resources to the general upgrade package with has been brining good results since Austria. It even brought good results here over the sprint and race - both increased advantage over Alpine.

I agree, but hope this race was just an issue of not having the optimal setup. Hopefully it's not an overall picture of our performance, just a track we couldn't optimise for in time.

[Slahinki]

Car came alive whith a more spread out field after the first rounds of pit stops. Pretty decent with a P7 considering the straight line deficit, once they get a low DF package sorted the car should be a pretty strong all-rounder.

[Darth-Piekus]

Car came alive whith a more spread out field after the first rounds of pit stops. Pretty decent with a P7 considering the straight line deficit, once they get a lof DF package sorted the car should be a pretty strong all-rounder.

Hopefully apart from a low downforce set up the upgrade will fix the tyre deg, low speed corner and drag decifit.

[SmallSoldier]

That 7th position is partially thanks to the Strategy Team, pitting him for Softs, ensure that they got some space to use the DF of the car… Of course, Lando’s driving is what brought it home, but a “normal” strategy wouldn’t have yield that result.

7th, on a very tough weekend… Ahead of both Alpine’s and one of the Aston’s, not the worst outcome

Yeah, good job by the strategy team. Early switch to Hard didn't pan out as couple other cars pitted at the same time so Lando did not have clear air but the second switch to soft in mixed conditions was a great call. Lando deserves all the credit as well, others pitted for softs as well but couldn't match his pace.

If only there was more mixed conditions. The car was clearly only good in those times or clear air.

Yeah… They also had a couple of slow stops, which I’m guessing didn’t help the plan… But getting him out of that train was the smart move… This is one of those weekends were you can get it very right or very wrong… This same setup gave us a P2 in the Sprint Shootout (and some calling it a mistake where praising it yesterday, lol)… If today we have had more rain or mixed conditions, the team would have been called a genius.

But P7 in a track that was going to be hard for the team, it’s a great outcome… I believe I posted last week that this is the race that worried me the most and it was as difficult as I expected, but that performance in S2 is to be praised… Performance will vary race by race, but if the bad weekends will mean finishing in the top 10, that’s good

[SmallSoldier]

I hope it was just a big setup issue, as the pace in clear air and with no cars just behind was alright. Ideally we can return to our recent form (with the aid of some new upgrades apparently) after the summer break!

We also need to consider that there was almost no setup time… FP1 (the only session to work on setup) was essentially null, therefore there was no chance to optimize the car.

Without a chance to really work on the setup, the logical decision is to go with whatever setup you know the car works in most situations and not chance it, unluckily that sweet spot or known setup is one that is loaded… I much rather them do what they did, than chance it with a lower DF setup and have issues with balance, tire degradation, etc.

[Seerix]

Nice job getting p7 today. Pit stop timing and rain intensity were exactly right for Lando to be able to bring it back to points somehow. I never would have thought those softs will last that long. Tyre deg is s where the downforce helped a bit, so there's that at least.
Oscar I think was a bit to aggressive into turn 1. I recall same contact happening there in recent years. Very hard to fit that many cars into that corner when you make a late move like Oscar did.
Hopefully this race will be a good reminder to everyone, that sometimes chasing lap time (in middle sector in this case) does not make a good race result.

[McL-H]

Team did a good job turning around a race that was lost. Probs to Lando for doing enough to keep the Alpine behind. Had it had DRS it would had been over.

[Macklaren]

Do we know much about Lando's steering issue? How much did they cost him in the first half of the race?

[LionsHeart]

Well, a lot of pressure was played at the key moment when it started to rain lightly. At the beginning of the race I had a very hard time. To see how Sainz came to Oscar, how the rivals drove past Lando. It was nice how Lando was called in time for fresh soft tires and he drove as it should and went around corners.

I will not retell the race. It's easier to say about the conclusions: the team has to do a lot of homework in order to perform at a high level in Monza. We need a package for low downforce, I'm sure the team is working on it. I'm also sure that suspension upgrades will appear in Zandvoort, there are all types of corners, which will be a good testing ground, the opportunity to try out different settings.

McLaren took 10 points in the sprint, 6 more in the main race. 16 points is also good points, given the circumstances. We don't leave with a bagel in our pocket. Seeing how fast the car was in mixed conditions, I now realized that the team was betting on a rainy weekend, including a wet race.

[runningmanz]

Frustrating for Oscar getting chopped by Sainz. Too much drag for dry conditions costs us in the race but well done to Lando to keep the tyres alive for so long. Oh well onto the next.

[willmesquita]

Hopefully they will learn from that mistake and never repeat that again. Ill take 7th.

Wasn't a mistake, just the best option without as much time for fine tunning (sprint weekend) and lack of low df parts.

Great weekend, we increased the gap to Alpine and take out more points from Aston.

Great drive by Lando.

[organic]

Great recovery from the team and Lando after a crap start of the race. Bad luck Oscar - did nothing wrong

[LionsHeart]

I listened to the comments of drivers Williams and Haas. They noted high tire wear. Well, as expected, there is no downforce, catch increased wear, and besides, on a green track. For some reason, I'm sure that the setting for increased downforce allowed Lando to keep the tires in working condition, controlling the pace and wear.

We're going on a 4 week break. The team will have to make the results of the first half of the season. To highlight weak and strong performances, to prepare novelties, I think in the second half of the season McLaren will perform at a more stable level within 2-3 cars in terms of strength. I think it's possible. Zandvoort should fit, it needs medium-high or high downforce. And in Monza, the package will have to be checked for low downforce. The Temple of Speed ​​does not provide a compromise in settings. All will be at extremely low downforce.