2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[mwillems]

Don't what?

Don’t say positive things to build expectations. I’d rather like to just go into a new season thinking McLaren will be in the midfield

LOL, he just said he anticipates a stronger start than in 2023, remember where we started in 2023? Almost dead last! So yeah, I would too expect a better start in 2024, is that not the point, to be better? Why the overreaction to every single word?

I think all in all it just suggests they are finding the time they want and it is a decent winter programme so far, but there's nothing in there to get excited about, but enough to suggest we don't need to be worried.

Of course there is the usual caveat in there of it being a highly competitive grid behind Max and that he doesn't know what other teams might produce. But the takeaway is that they are happy with development and given the rate at which they were finding time last year, it is a reasonably strong positive statement.

[-wkst-]

if you think factory teams are cheating on the spending cap despite the FIA's audits, well, cant help there...

They don't cheat officially, when they work in other areas. Otherwise they would have sacked a lot more people.

Or do you really think the FIA can control the whole Mercedes or Ferrari organisation?

Like Schmidt from AMuS said the whole time, who thinks that the big teams are spending less money is naive. You simply can't stop knowledge transfer.

[Darth-Piekus]

if you think factory teams are cheating on the spending cap despite the FIA's audits, well, cant help there...

They don't cheat officially, when they work in other areas. Otherwise they would have sacked a lot more people.

Or do you really think the FIA can control the whole Mercedes or Ferrari organisation?

Like Schmidt from AMuS said the whole time, who thinks that the big teams are spending less money is naive. You simply can't stop knowledge transfer.

Do you think its the reason why Mclaren is chasing all the time the past 15 years instead of setting the bar? If that is the case what stops us from getting a B Team inside F1?

[De Wet]

And nonetheless only work teams or de facto work teams are winning championships for years.

They have years of advantage of better human resources, years of better infrastructure, years of huge financial advantages.

Regulations changes 2022: first Q result: Ferrari/RB/Ferrari/RB/Mercedes - BOT best of the rest car 1 sec behind.

For sure 2024 and 2025 will be better for customers, but only wait for 2026...

And to think that the big teams aren't spending a lot of money outside the budget cap for "other projects than F1" (which will benefit F1 in some ways nonetheless) is naive.

I agree... Still think works team are preferable & advantages...

[-wkst-]

When were McLarens good days? When they had the works partnership with Mercedes (and BIG CASH!).

It could have been a good thing with Honda, but both partners were not prepared, false hopes led to big disappointments. Imagine a continued partnership with Honda, they would be a force nowadays, after years of construction work (and big investments).

Where should be the money to buy a B team?

[bauc]

if you think factory teams are cheating on the spending cap despite the FIA's audits, well, cant help there...

They don't cheat officially, when they work in other areas. Otherwise they would have sacked a lot more people.

Or do you really think the FIA can control the whole Mercedes or Ferrari organisation?

Like Schmidt from AMuS said the whole time, who thinks that the big teams are spending less money is naive. You simply can't stop knowledge transfer.

Do you think its the reason why Mclaren is chasing all the time the past 15 years instead of setting the bar? If that is the case what stops us from getting a B Team inside F1?

200-250 Million USD + operational costs (initial Invesment to take over the least ''valued'' team in F1)

[Darth-Piekus]

On one hand I cant wait to see the new car taking the fight to Red Bull and beating them many times on merit. On the other hand there is a part of me who is scared of being dissapointed seeing the team chasing the opposition one more year instead of setting the bar.

[BMMR61]

With the start of hostilities only eight weeks away can we send Mika down to the MTC to see how Rob Marshall and David Sanchez are settling in and report back with his predictions for the 2024 season?

It's good to see most of the British based F1 media are looking to Mercedes and Ferrari to be the likely challengers to Red Bull dominance in 2024, with McLaren just an afterthought - it takes the pressure off a little though I don't doubt there's real ambition at Woking. With what McLaren produced across 2023 I think they look like the smart bet with Ferrari to challenge based on two things - 1. MCL60's correlation 2. The steady progress the updates made.
Actually both these things go hand in hand. You could also add the high potential "ceiling" both drivers bring to the equation with Oscar expected to make quite decent strides in his understanding of tyre optimisation in races. And don't underestimate Lando from raising his already high bar.

Will the new simulation tools (wind tunnel and simulator) integrate well or will they cause correlation issues? I expect that will go quite smoothly. Quite a few settling in issues exist but the trajectory looks so good. I think Mercedes have a big task on their hands with coming up with a new concept, while McLaren will be performing what I expect will be in part, evolution of the MCL60 on a more sound platform to deal with the corner entry conundrum and other weaknesses. I couldn't be more excited about a new season as a McLaren fan though I won't be all over the release car event, they are really little more than a publicity sham to keep the opposition guessing.

[Emag]

There's barely any rumors coming out from McLaren's development progress though. We got crazy numbers coming out from Mercedes, Ferrari and even Aston Martin to some degree.
Dead silence from McLaren though. Just some "wishes" from Zak on how they would want to start the new year. No tangible number leaks though.

I don't really believe all these rumors, because one said the W15 is going to be 2.5 seconds faster than the W14 ... And that seems a bit of a fairytale. But you know, it's offseason, it would be nice to hear something.

[organic]

I don't really believe all these rumors, because one said the W15 is going to be 2.5 seconds faster than the W14 ... And that seems a bit of a fairytale. But you know, it's offseason, it would be nice to hear something.

The 2.5s thing was debunked. Just Toto having fun with Pedro de la Rosa

[haza]

I don’t think we’ll really hear anything till launch McLaren has remained quite conservative with expectations for the last couple years I think there just quietly going about there business teams like Ferrari and merc claiming they’ve found x amount of time in the simulators are going to look silly if they don’t where as McLaren an even redbull are just quietly getting on with it not building expectations

[Darth-Piekus]

I don’t think we’ll really hear anything till launch McLaren has remained quite conservative with expectations for the last couple years I think there just quietly going about there business teams like Ferrari and merc claiming they’ve found x amount of time in the simulators are going to look silly if they don’t where as McLaren an even redbull are just quietly getting on with it not building expectations

Errr. Red Bull wasn't quiet at all. All the time they gave warnings about this and that about their car. So far only Mclaren was totally quiet about their car. All the rest were blabbering all the time.

[_cerber1]

I think that the premature death of Gil de Ferran does not allow them to make any statements yet, they want to take a break. Probably, fragments of the photo and the official date of the presentation will appear next week.

[FittingMechanics]

Why talk? It won't change a thing.

I hope the team has a good test with no teething issues. I'm excited to see how good is a car developed in a new tunnel. We've talked about it for so long I have high expectations.

[Darth-Piekus]

Out of curiosity. Are Wind Tunnels gonna be banned from 2026 and onwards? Is it a mistake for Red Bull to start building theirs since they aren't gonna use it at all?