McLaren explore Mercedes engine option
Discussion
lee_fr200 said:
aeropilot said:
lee_fr200 said:
They would never win another wdc and wcc while there's a merc works team!
They are never going to win another WDC/WCC with Honda either.I think they now realise the situation they are in and are probably hugely regretting coming back.
rubystone said:
Under Ron second was never good enough. Under Mansour/Bahrainis, perhaps it is? Or perhaps even SuperZac needs results to attract the right partners (will they now drop that moniker too, I wonder?)
Or perhaps the hints that have been dropped about the divestment of the F1 team are true and they need results to build up the value of the team?
What is clear is that nothing will change this year. Others have said that it's a harmonic issue that's stopping Honda running the engines at full power. I'm guessing that for PR purposes they will indeed turn down the engines in Melbourne.
If divestment is an option, why did the shareholders turn down Ron's offer to buy?Or perhaps the hints that have been dropped about the divestment of the F1 team are true and they need results to build up the value of the team?
What is clear is that nothing will change this year. Others have said that it's a harmonic issue that's stopping Honda running the engines at full power. I'm guessing that for PR purposes they will indeed turn down the engines in Melbourne.
I gues they will go for a Williams model for a few seasons while trying to get BMW/Audi etc to enter with them once next engine reg is announced.
A Mclaren-Mercedes, keep Alonso (struggling to see where he goes?) is something at least superzac can sell and get a new title sponsor.
also would help boost price money with good results.
I would bet this is a very much a rocket up the arse to Honda as i would wager Woking isnt happy with the response.
James Allen suggested a disconnect between engineers in Japan/reality and what the bosses at Honda/honda are telling Mclaren is happening, if that is true this is only going one way.
A Mclaren-Mercedes, keep Alonso (struggling to see where he goes?) is something at least superzac can sell and get a new title sponsor.
also would help boost price money with good results.
I would bet this is a very much a rocket up the arse to Honda as i would wager Woking isnt happy with the response.
James Allen suggested a disconnect between engineers in Japan/reality and what the bosses at Honda/honda are telling Mclaren is happening, if that is true this is only going one way.
skwdenyer said:
rubystone said:
Under Ron second was never good enough. Under Mansour/Bahrainis, perhaps it is? Or perhaps even SuperZac needs results to attract the right partners (will they now drop that moniker too, I wonder?)
Or perhaps the hints that have been dropped about the divestment of the F1 team are true and they need results to build up the value of the team?
What is clear is that nothing will change this year. Others have said that it's a harmonic issue that's stopping Honda running the engines at full power. I'm guessing that for PR purposes they will indeed turn down the engines in Melbourne.
If divestment is an option, why did the shareholders turn down Ron's offer to buy?Or perhaps the hints that have been dropped about the divestment of the F1 team are true and they need results to build up the value of the team?
What is clear is that nothing will change this year. Others have said that it's a harmonic issue that's stopping Honda running the engines at full power. I'm guessing that for PR purposes they will indeed turn down the engines in Melbourne.
1-Egos. An 'anyone but Ron no matter what the cost' attitude, made worse by the fact that the way Ron went about it amounted to a hostile takeover dressed up with a smile
2-It was felt that Ron's offer was below potential net market value of the F1 team if results were to improve this year and next and it was spun off through divestment once sponsors were back on board
3-Sponsors were never going to come back on board with Ron conducting negotiations thus preventing any chance of the value of the team increasing
4-People were just sick and tired of the situation, demoralised and stopping turning up for work day in day out as a result of the above and no end in sight for the Honda engine situation. Even at the end of last year.
2, 3 and 4 are from the mouth of a Mclaren employee and whilst he made sure to point out it was kitchen talk and not straight from the board room, it isn't idle gossip either given his day to day position in the race team.
skwdenyer said:
If divestment is an option, why did the shareholders turn down Ron's offer to buy?
Because it was a deeply personal affair that, I'm told, goes back to the failure of his marriage on one side and on the other side his views on holding F1 races in Bahrain after the human rights issues there. My understanding too is that the deal he came up with arrived after the deadline date; ergo they were under no compulsion to accept it. The die, as they say, was cast.
Note that his offer was for the entire group, not just the F1 team though. Not quite what the shareholders were expecting but typical of his business nous.
lee_fr200 said:
They would never win another wdc and wcc while there's a merc works team!
Total speculation on my part, but maybe there some consideration for long term planning? Brawn's recent comments about changes to the Formula (I'm sure there was comments about standardising engines?) means that Mercedes maybe better placed as an engine supplier rather than a works team?Either way, it would be incredibly daft for McLaren to not be looking for alternatives.
lee_fr200 said:
Honda will come good, the last 2 yrs they blamed the token system this year they can go balls out now so it will be sorted I reckon! Look at how redbull slagged Renault off then looked daft when they couldn't go elsewhere!
Now they're back with Renault and last year after the upgrade the car was competitive come Monaco!
Honda will get there
The Token system didn't stop them researching, designing and building anything. All the Token system did was stop them introducing a major change during the season in a race.Now they're back with Renault and last year after the upgrade the car was competitive come Monaco!
Honda will get there
Yusuke Hasegawa of Honda said:
Of course the situation we find ourselves in is not what we hoped for when we returned to Formula 1, but we are still 100 percent committed to our future in the sport and our relationship with McLaren.
More from https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/honda-remains-1...bigbarryfatbaps said:
Blimey.Something drastic happening regarding power units seems inevitable at this point.
bigbarryfatbaps said:
Blinkin eck. Is that real?! rubystone said:
what am I missing? It's an article from MClaren about the evolution of cars over the years isn't it? or is there more?
That's either and incredibly appalling PR department or the start of the end.You don't release images like that today as you know that's going to be incendiary to Honda, if they wanted to reference the return to F1 of old they shouldn't use a narrow track Mercedes powered section of the car either, it would be more relevant to use a wide track McLaren Honda.
I'm sure Pirelli are delighted too.
Vocal Minority said:
what was it?
and I presume you are sure it was their genuine feed?
Definitely genuine McL twitter account. Smarter cookies than me will be able to get it (or have probably already grabbed the screenshot).and I presume you are sure it was their genuine feed?
Basically they spliced images together of McLaren F1 cars in profile through the generations to make one image of a car, they had the current front of the car in orange but the engine section was a couple of years old from the Mercedes era with Merc logos/branding etc. Titled the article something like 'the best of all worlds' or similar. Massive faux-pas
Got it:
Whoops!
Actually it linked to an article on their site which is still there at the moment
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/inside-the-mtc/fou...
Not sure how long for though!!
http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/inside-the-mtc/fou...
Not sure how long for though!!
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