[ 2020 ] Mclaren F1 Team - Renault

[mwillems]

The decline has slowed a little of late and if we are able to pick up the pace a little, there is no reason we can't continue to take the fight forward.
We can fight for 3rd still. In four races anything can happen and we are not so slow that we can't challenge.

It would be a shame to see us drop to 5th, but if it happens, it's not because the team didn't do a good job, it's because they are working to a different upgrade timetable/rules than the other teams. This need to bring the updates now is causing the car to develop in what would otherwise be considered a way not natural to the F1 season. But hey, it's the double edged sword of the cost cutting Mclaren so desperately wanted. One season of pain for putting us in the financial position to compete with front running teams is a small payment, to my mind.

I'm ok with 3-5th. It's all very close.

I'm after the glory I want third!

[Jackles-UK]

Turkey has a lot of low speed turns, as well as Bahrain and Abu Dhabi. I'm afraid Renault and RP will be just as strong there.

They do have a few stand-alone slow speed turns but not really a full section like S3 of Barcelona or Silverstone. They both also have far more high-speed corners where the McLaren has been excellent all season and decent sized straights where the low-drag philosophy should pay dividends. Austria & Monza were both very strong tracks for the team and they share many similar features to Bahrain & Turkey. Bahrain particularly is pretty similar to Austria and the team went well there last year, definitely best of the midfield teams with Norris scoring good points and Sainz challenging the Red Bull of Verstappen until he was dispatched quite unceremoniously!

[diffuser]

I remember it was one of those tracks notoriously hard to pass on.

[_cerber1]

[Dipesh1995]

Interesting article: https://www.racefans.net/2020/11/03/no- ... cl35m-key/

[Ground Effect]

Interesting article: https://www.racefans.net/2020/11/03/no- ... cl35m-key/

I have to say, James Key gives the most interesting interviews, shares a lot, while not giving anything away that he shouldn’t.

[SmallSoldier]

Interesting article: https://www.racefans.net/2020/11/03/no- ... cl35m-key/

Thanks for sharing! That was an interesting reas indeed... It seems that even though they are maximizing the package thanks to the new power unit, there aren’t many drawbacks from the change so far... I also hope that Key is sandbagging a little what they are able to improve due to the change.

As long as the installation goes without hiccups, it will be considered successful, if there are no negatives and the only improvement comes from additional power, even better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[billamend]

Mercedes have been working very hard. They’ve got a few things they’ve found which they’re hopeful will make a difference from this year to next

[Ground Effect]

Interesting article: https://www.racefans.net/2020/11/03/no- ... cl35m-key/

Thanks for sharing! That was an interesting reas indeed... It seems that even though they are maximizing the package thanks to the new power unit, there aren’t many drawbacks from the change so far... I also hope that Key is sandbagging a little what they are able to improve due to the change.

As long as the installation goes without hiccups, it will be considered successful, if there are no negatives and the only improvement comes from additional power, even better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Though it sounds like the packaging won’t be as tight as could have been possible with the Mercedes layout. Still, sounds mostly positive.

[Chicane]

Key is obviously not going to say that they have achieved significant aero advantage because of engine change for obvious reasons cos other teams would cry horse. Having said that a chassis is designed from scratch with an engine in mind so obviously there will have to be compromises made here n there.

McLaren will gain, in addition from engine itself is better weight distribution. There will be aero gains because of compact nature of Mercedes PU but it in my opinion it is more than what Key is admitting publicly but still less than what could have been if the chassis had been designed freshly from scratch.

[Andres125sx]

Ric didnt deserve the 3rd. After he had pitted, he was really slowly. He seemed to hold up the others coming behind.

Then Alonso didn´t deserve the win in 05, Schumi didn´t deserve the win in 06, and no driver has won on merit in Monaco for decades

Holding up cars behind does not imply he doesn´t deserve that position, only that on some tracks where overtaking is so difficult it´s worth slowing down to avoid any mistake as that´s the only real posibility to loose that position. That´s the reason I think Monaco (and Imola, and some others) should not be in the calendar anymore, racing becomes nosense if overtaking is so difficult, but that´s not Ricciardo´s (or any other driver) fault, he did what he had to do to finish as high as possible, and that´s exactly his job, so yes, he deserved the podium, he wasn´t put 3rd after the pitstop randomly, he earned that position

[diffuser]

Key is obviously not going to say that they have achieved significant aero advantage because of engine change for obvious reasons cos other teams would cry horse. Having said that a chassis is designed from scratch with an engine in mind so obviously there will have to be compromises made here n there.

McLaren will gain, in addition from engine itself is better weight distribution. There will be aero gains because of compact nature of Mercedes PU but it in my opinion it is more than what Key is admitting publicly but still less than what could have been if the chassis had been designed freshly from scratch.

So you're expecting McLaren to be on average .5 seconds faster in quali than Renault next year?

[mwillems]

Interesting article: https://www.racefans.net/2020/11/03/no- ... cl35m-key/

Thanks for sharing! That was an interesting reas indeed... It seems that even though they are maximizing the package thanks to the new power unit, there aren’t many drawbacks from the change so far... I also hope that Key is sandbagging a little what they are able to improve due to the change.

As long as the installation goes without hiccups, it will be considered successful, if there are no negatives and the only improvement comes from additional power, even better.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Though it sounds like the packaging won’t be as tight as could have been possible with the Mercedes layout. Still, sounds mostly positive.

Yes but that tight packaging is worth a lot. RP brought their sidepod upgrade a few races ago and the improvement was impressive, so it is a shame we cannot gain that time.

[Chicane]

Key is obviously not going to say that they have achieved significant aero advantage because of engine change for obvious reasons cos other teams would cry horse. Having said that a chassis is designed from scratch with an engine in mind so obviously there will have to be compromises made here n there.

McLaren will gain, in addition from engine itself is better weight distribution. There will be aero gains because of compact nature of Mercedes PU but it in my opinion it is more than what Key is admitting publicly but still less than what could have been if the chassis had been designed freshly from scratch.

So you're expecting McLaren to be on average .5 seconds faster in quali than Renault next year?

I am not privy to, nor in a position to guess the exact gains in terms of lap time. There will be an improvement as Key is suggesting, but how much is something we will find out next seaaon.

[M840TR]

Key is obviously not going to say that they have achieved significant aero advantage because of engine change for obvious reasons cos other teams would cry horse. Having said that a chassis is designed from scratch with an engine in mind so obviously there will have to be compromises made here n there.

McLaren will gain, in addition from engine itself is better weight distribution. There will be aero gains because of compact nature of Mercedes PU but it in my opinion it is more than what Key is admitting publicly but still less than what could have been if the chassis had been designed freshly from scratch.

So you're expecting McLaren to be on average .5 seconds faster in quali than Renault next year?

There isn’t much of a difference between the Renault and Mercedes engine anymore in terms of power. Certainly not half a second.