Mclaren Mercedes 2014

[mclaren_mircea]

Please help with some thoughts about Kevin's car after the crash... Is it possible a gearbox change for Kevin, because of the crash? Where is the gearbox incorporated in the car? After what you saw the crash, was the car hit where the gearbox may be? When he had the crash he hit the car not only at the front but also at the sideways. Thanks.

[Sasha]

What I'm hearing is that Mclaren will only offer Button a one year contract and Button will not sign it.Because the top drivers that Mclaren is looking at will not be available until 2016.So for 2015 there might be a second year and a first year driver at the wheel and if they do good it will be a easier sell to a top driver or maybe those two drivers become the next Hamilton/Vettel.

[F1 addicted]

What I'm hearing is that Mclaren will only offer Button a one year contract and Button will not sign it.Because the top drivers that Mclaren is looking at will not be available until 2016.So for 2015 there might be a second year and a first year driver at the wheel and if they do good it will be a easier sell to a top driver or maybe those two drivers become the next Hamilton/Vettel.

Why won't Button sign it?

Grosjean isn't better than Button nor Magnussen. And he's a worse moaner than Button, Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton.

[acosmichippo]

...and it's not like Button has any better teams lining up to take him.

But I personally like Grosjean. I'd take him over Mag and Button.

[F1 addicted]

...and it's not like Button has any better teams lining up to take him.

But I personally like Grosjean. I'd take him over Mag and Button.

I'm pretty sure everyone except Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull would consider Button if he was avalalible. Maybe Williams not.

[acosmichippo]

yeah, I said "better" teams. I'm sure button wouldn't leave for a team other than the ones you mentioned, especially if it's only because McLaren is only offering a one year deal.

[F1 addicted]

It's like. McLaren wants to get more stupid every race....

[Sasha]

Button to Japan to race SGT and Super Formula.

The way he is talking now,his F1 career is over after this year.

[Pierce89]

Please help with some thoughts about Kevin's car after the crash... Is it possible a gearbox change for Kevin, because of the crash? Where is the gearbox incorporated in the car? After what you saw the crash, was the car hit where the gearbox may be? When he had the crash he hit the car not only at the front but also at the sideways. Thanks.

The gearbox is at the back behind the engine. The rear crash structure mounts to the gearbox.

[mclaren_mircea]

I have a very pertinent question regarding Mclaren team even if it's regarding 2015.
Do you think that still beeing contractually tied with Mercedes, is Mclaren and Honda already exchanging information about the Mercedes engine, and how to be feeded in the Honda engine for next year?

[Sasha]

I hear there might be a Williams driver at Mclaren next year.

[Pierce89]

I hear there might be a Williams driver at Mclaren next year.

Well, Macca sure as hell aren't looking at Massa!

[akshat21]

I have a very pertinent question regarding Mclaren team even if it's regarding 2015.
Do you think that still beeing contractually tied with Mercedes, is Mclaren and Honda already exchanging information about the Mercedes engine, and how to be feeded in the Honda engine for next year?

McLaren will be legally barred from talking about engine design and other Intellectual Property belonging to Mercedes (for eg. engine information given to McLaren by Mercedes for purpose of fitment and to design ECM maps for running the engine).

AFAIK, the engine is handled only by the manufacturer, i.e they take engine to the event and take it back to the factory themselves. McLaren can only connect and disconnect the engine from the chassis at racing and testing events. There will be Mercedes team personnel in the McLaren garage to make sure McLaren adhere to such agreements.

However, this does not mean there is no exchange of information between McLaren and Honda. Honda can ask McLaren to run the Merc engine on a certain map or a certain way to see what the fuel consumption figures are compared to horsepower generated at the target RPM and so on and so forth. They can also know the torque curves and turbo inputs from the telemetry data gathered by McLaren during race weekends and testing done. Honda can ask for information gathered by McLaren as that will fall under McLaren IP and not Merc IP. I know there is a murky line between two but it can done and justified in the court of law as long as the figure aren't exact (for eg, McLaren can say that we would like fuel consumption from the engine at peak rpm to be between x and y while generating anywehere betwwen A and B horsepower). Then honda has a target range to aim for.

They will already know the weight and physical dimension of Merc engine as well from McLaren.

On a seperate note, I do believe that there will a lot of information exchange between Honda and McLaren regarding the PU. That can be one of reasons why Honda is a bit behind schedule to finalize the engine specs (there was an article on it on Omnicourse.it).

[acosmichippo]

AFAIK, the engine is handled only by the manufacturer, i.e they take engine to the event and take it back to the factory themselves. McLaren can only connect and disconnect the engine from the chassis at racing and testing events. There will be Mercedes team personnel in the McLaren garage to make sure McLaren adhere to such agreements.

Are you sure? There don't seem to be enough engine support people there for that to be the case. I thought the teams take apart and rebuild every engine between races, not to mention having to repair issues that crop up during the GP weekend.

[Thunder]

I think someone from Force India said that indeed the customer Teams only have the engines for the Race Weekends / Tests. As soon as the driving is over they take the Engines out of the Cars and Merc takes them to Brixworth.