[ 2020 ] Mclaren F1 Team - Renault

[diffuser]

Ocon got close, if not more than 40 laps on the Mediums. His pace was very good at the end of that session.

Ummmmmm...Ocon on brand new tires couldn't get close to SAI on 20 lap old tires so not sure what pace you are talking about

Talking abou the pace Ocon had on tires with 40 laps (compard to his early pace on mediums and then again on fresh tires) as a reference for what Norris's pace would have been at the end of race if he would have switched to those instead of hards.


BTW Norris's first pit stop took 34.807 and sainz's 27.299. The nose took 7 seconds.



After looking at Norris's laptimes after he pitted they don't look that bad.

ap Drv# GAP    LapTime  Drv# GAP    LapTime 
 16    4 27.463 1:23.693   10 23.649 1:23.212
 17    4 29.304 1:23.450   10 25.468 1:23.428
 18    4      PIT 1:38.849     8 45.216 1:23.767
 19    4 67.930 1:54.715    7 58.178 1:23.130
 20    4 70.475 1:24.002   23 66.094 1:47.112
 21    4 72.120 1:23.664   23 67.614 1:23.539
 22    4 73.590 1:22.844   23 68.175 1:21.935
 23    4 74.850 1:22.513   23 68.753 1:21.831
 24    4 76.495 1:22.668   23 70.086 1:22.356

I was just expecting he to stick with Albon if he was on Mediums.

[CjC]

SAI in after race interview is talking about mid corner understeer that’s inherent in the car currently leading to fast graining. I guess that’s why GAS could keep that soft going a bit better.

I see encouraging signs from the car. That low to medium speed understeer in longer radius corners is costing this car quite a bit of time both in keeping tires in good condition and in terms of ultimate lap time. It has got very good in traction of corners.

But if we really want to move forward then yes the cars are one thing but the pit stops need to go to the next level. Compared to other teams we are very very average. Probably quite poor is a fairer assessment.

NOR homework for next year is 1st lap prowess. He doesn’t necessarily need to gain places but he’s often very kind to others who are more aggressive. A bit more “smart” aggression wouldn’t go amiss.

P6 is probably a fair result all in all.
Let’s take it boys. Encouraging signs. Let’s move forward

Wonder if that’s air and track temperature related?

[M840TR]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

[nzjrs]

Great start, shame about the race. I wonder if they took too much out of the tires fighting with Mercedes at the start?

[godlameroso]

McLaren will be very strong in Imola, the track really suits them well. If they can control the understeer after the second chicane, they will have good pace.

[Darth-Piekus]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

Frozen Engines, Tokens, Q2 Tyre Rules, Lenient Stewards against Mercedes, Copy Cars, Forbidden Mid Season Tests, Forbidden Refueling During Races, Only one Tyre Manufacturer, Complicated Engines that prohibit new manufacturers to join. I have a feeling that the FIA along with Mercedes have set up the rules in order for them to make that 7 year domination by removing all opposition. It's no wonder every Mercedes or Mercedes B Teams are having leniency in terms of rules to the point of looking at the other side while they are very strict to other teams even removing innovations that they would discover in record time.

Mercedes has conquered these 7 championships without any opposition in the worst period of F1.

[diffuser]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

I don't like the rule any more than I do but I don't understand the reference in this case. All the cars that finished ahead of Sainz were in Q3 as well and with the exception of LeClerc, started on Softs.

[CjC]

McLaren will be very strong in Imola, the track really suits them well. If they can control the understeer after the second chicane, they will have good pace.

Do we think Imola will be a high df set up like we’ve just had a Portimao and the likes of Barcelona?

[_cerber1]

It looks like yes, mid-speed and fast corners separated by chicanes.

[bauc]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

Frozen Engines, Tokens, Q2 Tyre Rules, Lenient Stewards against Mercedes, Copy Cars, Forbidden Mid Season Tests, Forbidden Refueling During Races, Only one Tyre Manufacturer, Complicated Engines that prohibit new manufacturers to join. I have a feeling that the FIA along with Mercedes have set up the rules in order for them to make that 7 year domination by removing all opposition. It's no wonder every Mercedes or Mercedes B Teams are having leniency in terms of rules to the point of looking at the other side while they are very strict to other teams even removing innovations that they would discover in record time.

Mercedes has conquered these 7 championships without any opposition in the worst period of F1.

We are going out of topic here but all of this was accepted by Bernie when Mercedes threaten to leave the sport in 2012/2013 so afterwards he accepted the blueprint given by Mercedes as a standard for the new engine formula and the rest is history. Now, I think they (Bernie, FIA and all others) were aware that Mercedes will have a lead start but no one believed it will go this far, however Mercedes had a different plan....

[mclaren111]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

Frozen Engines, Tokens, Q2 Tyre Rules, Lenient Stewards against Mercedes, Copy Cars, Forbidden Mid Season Tests, Forbidden Refueling During Races, Only one Tyre Manufacturer, Complicated Engines that prohibit new manufacturers to join. I have a feeling that the FIA along with Mercedes have set up the rules in order for them to make that 7 year domination by removing all opposition. It's no wonder every Mercedes or Mercedes B Teams are having leniency in terms of rules to the point of looking at the other side while they are very strict to other teams even removing innovations that they would discover in record time.

Mercedes has conquered these 7 championships without any opposition in the worst period of F1.

Agree 110%....

[Andres125sx]

Awesome start by Sainz passing 6 cars including the Mercedes!

Then scoring more points than RP and Renault was also great, the fight for p3 will be tough, and fun!

Disagree with those complaints about Mercedes and the worst period of F1, I've watched races from the golden days were even the third was lapped. This is F1, domination by some team who invested more than any other or simply made a better job has been a norm in F1 since 1950, nothing new

[M840TR]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

I don't like the rule any more than I do but I don't understand the reference in this case. All the cars that finished ahead of Sainz were in Q3 as well and with the exception of LeClerc, started on Softs.

The medium tyre was by far the ideal race tire. With the exception of Gasly, who Sainz would've overtaken if it weren't for Bottas's untimely blue flag, everyone else was bested by Mclaren on similar strategy.

However, my comment relates more to the broader impact the rule has. We know the top 2 are a second ahead of the top midfield team but the strategy they're relegated to stands contrary to the FOM's claim of bunching up the field spread. As HAM-BOT-VER scurry into the distance, the rest are left nursing their tyres. This regulation might've served better in the v8 era but the margins are nowhere close to what they were then in order for it to justify its place in the book.

I don't really think Leclerc was faster than the Mclarens, he was running in free air for a majority of the race on the ideal tyre. So not only were other midfield teams precluded from punching upwards, they were also denied from potentially capitalising on Verstappen's ill-conceived initial strategy.

[michl420]

They pace in the car come back for this race and hopefully more in the next one,but everything else this weekend was holding it together. The only tire that was more or less working on our car was the medium, and we spend too less time on him (because of Q2 rule, norris crash, pit stop windows). Hopefully next weekends we are more in the comfort zone.

[diffuser]

Another race where the detriments of the Q2 tyre rule to the midfield teams really showed. I don’t understand why they don’t scrap it if they’re so eager to narrow field spread.
The team could’ve easily fought for p4 and maybe even p3.

I don't like the rule any more than I do but I don't understand the reference in this case. All the cars that finished ahead of Sainz were in Q3 as well and with the exception of LeClerc, started on Softs.

The medium tyre was by far the ideal race tire. With the exception of Gasly, who Sainz would've overtaken if it weren't for Bottas's untimely blue flag, everyone else was bested by Mclaren on similar strategy.

However, my comment relates more to the broader impact the rule has. We know the top 2 are a second ahead of the top midfield team but the strategy they're relegated to stands contrary to the FOM's claim of bunching up the field spread. As HAM-BOT-VER scurry into the distance, the rest are left nursing their tyres. This regulation might've served better in the v8 era but the margins are nowhere close to what they were then in order for it to justify its place in the book.

I don't really think Leclerc was faster than the Mclarens, he was running in free air for a majority of the race on the ideal tyre. So not only were other midfield teams precluded from punching upwards, they were also denied from potentially capitalising on Verstappen's ill-conceived initial strategy.

I've spoken about this before. With regards to the gap to Mercs being so large, the rule will fix itself with the CAP in 2021. The gap will not disappear right away. How the rule plays with the bottom half of the top 10 will probably get worse as the gaps will converge. So I agree, they should remove the rule ASAP.