2025 McLaren F1 Team

[mwillems]

Admit what, exactly?

Mclaren advantage is 3 tenths minimum, even more when it's hot.

I am brushing Australia away because of the conditions. Max had one tremendous race and has certainly been better than Lando, but I don't think Max or George are getting the absolute maximum out of the car either but you are fixated only on Lando's performance.

This is Formula 1. Water on the track is not an excuse.

This car is nothing like the dominant Mercs or Red Bulls, the gap nowhere near as big.

Because the drivers make it look bad almost every weekend...

Let's come back to this one in the future. I have no doubt that time will tell and the general narrative when looking back was that the car had dominance in some very specific but not that common scenarios. And yes, Lando is not the man to lead Mclaren. Of that I haven't had any doubt a few years.

There isn't a reason to come back to this in the future because in the future the playing table will have changed. Mclaren is dominant now and the drivers have largely just under delivered. I'm not making any promises for the future after updates in Imola and the TD in Spain.

Ahhh I see. That's fine, I'm not going to agree with you, I don't think your opinion is balanced or realistic and I'm sure you feel the same, that's cool.

[BMMR61]

Admit what, exactly?

Mclaren advantage is 3 tenths minimum, even more when it's hot.

I am brushing Australia away because of the conditions. Max had one tremendous race and has certainly been better than Lando, but I don't think Max or George are getting the absolute maximum out of the car either but you are fixated only on Lando's performance.

This is Formula 1. Water on the track is not an excuse.

This car is nothing like the dominant Mercs or Red Bulls, the gap nowhere near as big.

Because the drivers make it look bad almost every weekend...

Let's come back to this one in the future. I have no doubt that time will tell and the general narrative when looking back was that the car had dominance in some very specific but not that common scenarios. And yes, Lando is not the man to lead Mclaren. Of that I haven't had any doubt a few years.

There isn't a reason to come back to this in the future because in the future the playing table will have changed. Mclaren is dominant now and the drivers have largely just under delivered. I'm not making any promises for the future after updates in Imola and the TD in Spain.

You have made some insightful comments at times but here I think you just are making F1 sound too easy. "The drivers make it look bad almost every weekend". Would you like to walk that one back?

"Water on the track is not an excuse". Max also made a mistake that allowed Oscar through and more than half the field had issues. Max is a generational champion and even he can look poor at times - he and the team struggled to get the car in the groove at Bahrain. George is driving with tremendous determination and skill and the Merc is very compliant if sometimes short of a little outright pace. I really think there's need to not be too linear and be more "granular" in jumping to judgements.

[Ben1980]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

[Xyz22]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

The main mistake in these narratives is how they rate the Red Bull which is a close second fastest in some tracks.

[f1isgood]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

I think the margins are quite high, the drivers and the team have just not had the chance to show it. In Bahrain didn't oscar pull 10+ seconds in 20 laps? That's half a second. Australia was also absolutely dominant before the caution stages leveled the team back. The car would have probably easily been 15 seconds ahead in Suzuka as well -- they just keep failing to maximize the chances and as a consequence it was impossible to overtake.

[f1isgood]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

The main mistake in these narratives is how they rate the Red Bull which is a close second fastest in some tracks.

I do wonder which races that are because, at Australia it's unclear if it's Max or Red Bull being clearly better, at China, clearly Red Bull was third fastest behind Merc and McL and in the sprint behind Ferrari and McL. In Japan, Merc were in contention till George's Q3 and Bahrain Red Bull was unable to pass a Haas for a long time and fighting with an Alpine. I'd argue that at Jeddah, Red Bull are second quickest but the margins are as thin as they get.

It's off topic, so I should probably stop the discussion here.

[CjC]

Any news about thee gearbox?

[Ben1980]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

I think the margins are quite high, the drivers and the team have just not had the chance to show it. In Bahrain didn't oscar pull 10+ seconds in 20 laps? That's half a second. Australia was also absolutely dominant before the caution stages leveled the team back. The car would have probably easily been 15 seconds ahead in Suzuka as well -- they just keep failing to maximize the chances and as a consequence it was impossible to overtake.

If they haven't had a chance to show it, no obe really knows, that's the point.

In Bahrain, he was ahead of Russell in a dying car with the wrong tyres. Not sure Piastri pulled a big big gap initially.

[mwillems]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

The main mistake in these narratives is how they rate the Red Bull which is a close second fastest in some tracks.

I know it's nuts this year. Ever since the cr*p that George, Max and RB laid on based on Bahrain testing, which wasn't representative of most races so far, perception has just overtaken reality in even some of our most intelligent posters. I've no doubt that interested parties in the paddock cottoned on that the narrative was being pushed and so they put their weight behind it further.

I think I've spent three weeks intermittently posting

RB and Merc are fast, Mclaren run faster in FPs
RB and Merc are fast, Mclaren run faster in FPs
RB and Merc are fast, Mclaren run faster in FPs
RB and Merc are fast, Mclaren run faster in FPs

it's like a Simpsons episode.

And then we get to a new weekend, FP2 goes by... Oh wow, Mclaren are dominant again.
F*ck my life...

Yes we are faster. Yes we are beatable. No we aren't perfect, but nor are the other drivers. Just accept it.

p.s. Yes Lando is even less perfect this year.

[Darth-Piekus]

Its simple. The narrative from 2015 likes to overhype Max as the god that he is. Make no mistake, he is a generational talent but this year they created a new narrative of how dominant Mclaren is and how our drivers underperform without a credible source which I find ridiculous, tiring at this point and its becoming sad seeing fans of Mclaren jumping to that overhype bandwagon. That's my harsh but honest opinion.

[Mcl_G10]

It just seems people are making up numbers for how dominant the Mclaren is. In twitter, I have had people saying it's 0.8 or 0.5 now is 0.3. Just making up numbers.

Then it's based on hot conditions, yet in 5 races we haven't had hot conditions.

The proof is on the track, over a one lap its tight. Over a race, it depends on who gets Pole, pretty much.

But, last year the narrative was the Mclaren was the best, it wasn't. It was probably the most consistent though.

This year, the narrative is set again, and people are believing it over what they can see.

This, exactly.

[CjC]

So his gearbox must be fine then

[CjC]

Norris ont hard

[Mcl_G10]

Let's go mclaren

[Mcl_G10]

Tut tut max

Lovely for lando