2021 Mclaren F1 Team

[damager21]

Any ideas where we stand in the pecking order or will we know in the afternoon when Ricciardo takes part and everyone might try Qualification settings?

According to Mark Hughes https://the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hug ... 1-testing/
Mercedes 1m28.3s
Red Bull 1m28.5s
McLaren 1m28.65s
Aston Martin 1m28.7s
AlphaTauri 1m29.1s
Ferrari 1m29.5s
Alpine 1m29.5s
Alfa Romeo 1m30.4s
Williams 1m31.3s
Haas 1m32.45s

But his analysis was based only on the data of the first 2 days. Ferrari might be a bit higher based on this afternoon's running? Sky says McLaren feel they are very close to Mercedes and Red Bull. I think 3rd would be a good estimation. And a great achievement if true. If they are close to Mercedes and Red Bull, (a few tenths off) they could bring the fight to them on a good day. For sure, we won't know until race 1, and probably race 2/3.

I feel McLaren will be the third best team with Merc & Red Bull a bit further ahead fighting for WCC. But no doubt, with Merc engine behind, McLaren should end up with another good season closing the gap to the front

[f1rules]

the times on hard
@The_F1Whisperer

[McL-H]

https://i.imgur.com/ny0N65x.jpg

McLaren seems faster,lando had bad last sector.

Or he slowed down not to reveal true pace, which is common during testing.

He lost a lot of time in turn 13 on that run. He was visibly angry at himself. He did not slow down on purpose. He was a tenth down on Perez after S2.

[mwillems]

There is lots of optimism bouncing around in here..

Early days though. Can't wait for the first Qualy session so we can see where things really stand.

[Darth-Piekus]

Considering morning times should we worry about Leclerc's time and the possibility of Ferrari being also in the mix with Mclaren, Red Bull and Mercedes?

What's the difference between tyres?

In any case first order of business is solidify 3rd place from the start and take the fight to the first two. We might be very close this time.

[Emag]

What the heck is going on with McLaren? Just like yesterday they are barely running these first two hours.

[billamend]

What the heck is going on with McLaren? Just like yesterday they are barely running these first two hours.

I assume they are doing correlation tests.

[mwillems]

Considering morning times should we worry about Leclerc's time and the possibility of Ferrari being also in the mix with Mclaren, Red Bull and Mercedes?

What's the difference between tyres?

In any case first order of business is solidify 3rd place from the start and take the fight to the first two. We might be very close this time.

I would ignore the times and still worry that they are in the mix. They are a capable team.

[Darth-Piekus]

Well I must say that it's good for the competition if Mclaren and Ferrari get in the mix against Mercedes and Red Bull. Mercedes though and Aston Martin seem to be struggling so far and that is the downside of copying someone else's car.You will copy it's flaws also. Both cars don't seem stable aerodynamically.

In any case this season might be like 1997 with Mclaren getting one or two wins before a repeat of 1998.

[Ground Effect]

Sky Sports F1 pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz has been hearing very positive reports out of McLaren, with the Woking team confident that they have narrowed the gap to Mercedes and Red Bull.

McLaren have been one of the standout performers of pre-season testing so far, with Daniel Ricciardo topping two of the three morning sessions.

There has also been some interest generated in their rear diffuser, with the team seemingly coming up with a creative solution to the new regulations introduced over the off-season.

McLaren finished third in the constructors’ championship last season, but were still a way off competing for race wins.

However, the addition of a Mercedes power-unit this season is expected to provide a boost and according to Kravitz, the team are feeling bullish.

“McLaren are sitting very nicely indeed,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“They don’t imagine they’re faster than Red Bull or Mercedes, but they think they’re close – much closer than previous seasons. They’ve got through their programme, everyone is happy, they love their diffuser and the fact everyone thinks its illegal.

“They really are sitting pretty.”

Full article: https://www.grandprix247.com/2021/03/14 ... -mercedes/

[Darth-Piekus]

How close do you think Mclaren is?

[Emag]

How close do you think Mclaren is?

Well based on last year gaps, anything less than a second to the lead team is considered a bigger improvement compared with the 2019 to 2020 improvement.

[Macklaren]

very unusual that we don't seem to be doing long runs despite the new powertrain. Yes, lots of new parts are being trialed but hoping that the short in-out runs doesn't mean that the times are flattering the car's performance or that reliability is untested.

[Darth-Piekus]

Reporters claim that Mclaren is so far bulletproof and a good car so I wouldn't worry.

[PhillipM]

Edit: Btw, if you have contact with anyone from the paddock right now. What's the general consensus with Mercedes? Are they really struggling somewhat, or they are still expected to be top form come race day?

Nobody is writing Merc off at all, the rumour in the paddock appears to be that Merc has a decent upgrade in the line for the car anyway, all around the rear end, which is why they're not stressing too much about the rear end being a bit snappy.
What's cost Merc is the time correlating and testing setups that they've lost from the rear end/gearbox issues taking so much time up, but nobody is in any doubt Merc will get a baseline on a race weekend without any trouble.