McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[funkyfreddy]

Anyone think Mclaren have messed things up in a hurry ?

2009 all over again ? Oh boy...

Edit: On another note, there isn't a complete aero ovehaul this year (as was the case 2 years ago) so they can't mess up that badly, no ? Fingers crossed...

I think its worse than 2009. More like the MP4-18 all over again.

So far this car isnt quick, isnt reliable, and seems to not be consistent enough to make a decision on directions to go with it either.

I'm a little surprised people on here are attacking Merc on here but not McLaren. Is it purely because the McLaren at least looks technically interesting?

[copperkipper1]

Oh dear god no not the mp4-18 word

mp4-18
Designed to be 'radical'
had problems with cooling due to small sidepods

mp4-26
Designed to be 'radical'
Has strange shaped radical sidepods


I'm no pessimist though...so CMON McLaren WDC 2011!

[Tamburello]

I think its worse than 2009. More like the MP4-18 all over again.

So far this car isnt quick, isnt reliable, and seems to not be consistent enough to make a decision on directions to go with it either.

I'm a little surprised people on here are attacking Merc on here but not McLaren. Is it purely because the McLaren at least looks technically interesting?

If this is the case, why did Hamilton and Button claim this car was a step up from last year? Toeing the company line?

[segedunum]

I think its worse than 2009. More like the MP4-18 all over again.

It's worse than the MP4-18. At least the 18 looked fast when it tested and might have been worth some unreliability in getting it right. McLaren just got cold feet with the cooling problems and aerodynamic instability. They did at least use a lot of the ideas from the 18 to put into the second version of the 19 that won at Spa in 2004.

However, this car doesn't look fast anywhere and at least in 2009 McLaren got some running in testing. This year they've skipped the first test in Valencia, wasted precious track time and I'm on record as to being puzzled that they've wasted more by changing exhaust configurations at a cost of two hours at a time.

Whatever way you cut it, it doesn't look good. If the car looked fast you could forgive a lot, but it simply doesn't. Every driver says the new car is a step up from last year but that doesn't make it fast enough.

[JB2011]

Well today the McLaren has been fast without the trick exhaust system, so I hope they can make a decision on what they're going to run and carry on banging the laps in to finally give this car a proper test.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

It's worse than the MP4-18.

Quite a bold comment to make based on next to no evidence. It is currently FAR to early in the day to make such a judgement. The MP4-18 didn't even race. Somehow I feel the MP4-26 will fare slightly better in as much as it will be on the grid in 2011. The pace it has shown so far would suggest it might lie behind Red Bull and Ferrari - which is no change from last year. I fail to see how that can be as catastrophic as the stillborn MP4-18.

Furthermore, it is still relatively early in testing, I'm not saying they are going to be fine and dandy - their apparent lack of pace up until this point suggests testing is going rather slow and this is not going to prepare them well for the forthcoming season. However we mustn't forget they did miss the first test, so they are already down a few days running.

However it is plausible that they will find some pace before the start of the season, as it is Hamilton currently tops the timesheets for todays test. (Not sure how that stacks up against previous days times though).

We've still got another day in Catalunya then another four day test at Bahrain (or elsewhere given the current political situation). If by day 2 of the next test Mclaren show no pace, then it's probably time to worry as there is no real time from that point to fix what may have been learnt from the tests.

[Giblet]

Quite a bold comment to make based on next to no evidence.

You can basically ignore what he says in this thread, everyone else is. Considering how many cars are not on the pace, this is the second year in a row where he is nay saying the Mclaren with obvious bias. He has no more information than anyone else, but somehow knows things nobody else does. See his made up rumor earlier in the thread for confirmation.

[thestig84]

Unfortunately seg is no longer the only one on saying such things on this thread. New users seem to be descending on the thread at an alarming rate to offer useless posts like..

For sure McLaren has problems with the MP4-26!

Sorry not trying to be personal but that chat is more suited to the shocking Autosport forums MP4-26 thread.

[RedTzar]

Hamiltons looking good today in the -26 though, times slightly off Vettel from yesterday but I believe the weather was better yesterday too? I agree with the post above, the MP4-26 is a couple of days behind in terms of testing time on the other cars so I'm not too concerned but if in the next test we dont start to see some competitive times then there could be a problem.

With the new design route which the McLaren has gone down it is likely that there is more space for development, ie sidepod and cooling arrangements mainly over the red Bull tight rear design, perhaps if the McLaren starts a bit behind they will be able to find the time to catch up quicker.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

To be fair though, I think they are having some minor problems getting to grips with the car in terms of finding a setup. Jenson has even said that they've stuggled to find an aero balance as they are testing so many parameters at once, and their lack of running has not helped this.

I rekon they'll come good though.

I'm not gonna say that they will be the fastest, just that they'll come good. Even that dog of a car, the MP4-24, ended up being one of the quicker cars come season's end.

[Lurk]

Hamiltons looking good today in the -26 though, times slightly off Vettel from yesterday but I believe the weather was better yesterday too?

Nope. 5°C less.

[segedunum]

Quite a bold comment to make based on next to no evidence.

The MP4-18 was fast when it tested and looked fast from the off. It had a list of problems McLaren got cold feet about. The 26 doesn't look fast from the off at all. I said all this above.

Somehow I feel the MP4-26 will fare slightly better in as much as it will be on the grid in 2011.

Somehow? Based on what? The Renault certainly looks ahead from what we've seen over three tests, and we're looking at them being at the head of the midfield at best.

I think they are having some minor problems getting to grips with the car in terms of finding a setup.

They're having problems finding a definitive exhaust layout, nevermind a set up. Set up takes track time and having a working car - which they haven't had and haven't got.

Seriously, does no one read around this place? Oh, my mistake. It's a car thread. Of course they dont.

[segedunum]

See his made up rumor earlier in the thread for confirmation.

What was this? I'm genuinely curious...............

[Hangaku]

The problem is, you post so much biased nonsense, you forget what you post and invariably contradict yourself.

[copperkipper1]

"Watching Hamilton through the final sector & he's fighting the back end continuously, whereas Webber is smooth & serene in comparison" - Alex Snell

...

Yet Hamilton still faster than webber