The Official 2017 Brazilian Prix Thread **Spoilers**
Discussion
Anyone else think that Mclaren using Renault power units next year wont be a step forward? Theyre currently one the least reliable power units on the grid and not particularly fast on the speed traps. Honda are s
te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next season
te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next seasonHustleRussell said:
One thing I enjoyed far too much about FP1 was having a ‘Russell’ on track, If I listen to the commentary and dream hard enough I can imagine it’s me carving a line out of the Senna esses…
He did very well for his first session only 0.6s off Ocon. First George in F1 since George Follmer in 1973.HedgeyGedgey said:
Anyone else think that Mclaren using Renault power units next year wont be a step forward? Theyre currently one the least reliable power units on the grid and not particularly fast on the speed traps. Honda are ste too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next season
I think their biggest issue is going to be that if they are not, at the very least, competitive with Red Bull (with the same engine) they can no longer claim to have an excellent chassis. I'm pretty confident that the Red Bull chassis is currently the best on the grid and with a merc engine they would be in a class of their own.te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next seasonsandman77 said:
I think their biggest issue is going to be that if they are not, at the very least, competitive with Red Bull (with the same engine) they can no longer claim to have an excellent chassis. I'm pretty confident that the Red Bull chassis is currently the best on the grid and with a merc engine they would be in a class of their own.
This x a million. It’s make or break for Mclaren next season 2fast748 said:
What was Crofty banging on about in P2 commentary? Something about discovering something illegal on a car late in the season?
Just they don’t award the winners trophy until the end of the season as teams can launch appeals on the legality of the car right up to the end of the season. If a car was found to be illegal they could have points deducted or kicked out of the championship. It was just air time filler rather than anything serious.
Though it does sound like Redbull have done something or other with their suspension to turn around their car, so will be interesting to see if anything develops there.
sandman77 said:
HedgeyGedgey said:
Anyone else think that Mclaren using Renault power units next year wont be a step forward? Theyre currently one the least reliable power units on the grid and not particularly fast on the speed traps. Honda are ste too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next season
I think their biggest issue is going to be that if they are not, at the very least, competitive with Red Bull (with the same engine) they can no longer claim to have an excellent chassis. I'm pretty confident that the Red Bull chassis is currently the best on the grid and with a merc engine they would be in a class of their own.te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next seasonHustleRussell said:
One thing I enjoyed far too much about FP1 was having a ‘Russell’ on track, If I listen to the commentary and dream hard enough I can imagine it’s me carving a line out of the Senna esses…
When Webber was racing my friend's son asked me if it was me that he'd been watching on tv :-)From Sigmax to F1 eh. Let's suggest it to Mercedes!
Jez
HedgeyGedgey said:
Anyone else think that Mclaren using Renault power units next year wont be a step forward? Theyre currently one the least reliable power units on the grid and not particularly fast on the speed traps. Honda are ste too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next season
There's a lot of blind optimism among McLaren fans based, I think, on the fact that a Renault power unit must be better because it isn't Honda. Admittedly, the chassis and aero seem to have vastly improved since pre-season testing, and there was room for improvement, but changing the least powerful and least reliable engine for the second worst may be a step forward, but it's not much.te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next seasonMcLaren don't have Adrian Newey, although they do have his former right-hand man Peter Prodromou, but next year they'll have to design a different car from the front wing backwards, due to the different packaging requirements of the Renault. So the aero will have to change fundamentally, whereas most of their opposition can evolve this year's cars.
McLaren challenging Red Bull? They're starting from a long way back.
Dermot O'Logical said:
HedgeyGedgey said:
Anyone else think that Mclaren using Renault power units next year wont be a step forward? Theyre currently one the least reliable power units on the grid and not particularly fast on the speed traps. Honda are ste too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next season
There's a lot of blind optimism among McLaren fans based, I think, on the fact that a Renault power unit must be better because it isn't Honda. Admittedly, the chassis and aero seem to have vastly improved since pre-season testing, and there was room for improvement, but changing the least powerful and least reliable engine for the second worst may be a step forward, but it's not much.te too but doesn't seem as though they'll be moving up the grid next seasonMcLaren don't have Adrian Newey, although they do have his former right-hand man Peter Prodromou, but next year they'll have to design a different car from the front wing backwards, due to the different packaging requirements of the Renault. So the aero will have to change fundamentally, whereas most of their opposition can evolve this year's cars.
McLaren challenging Red Bull? They're starting from a long way back.
The aero design seems to be aimed at maximum downforce and the other teams, with designs more of a balance between the competing demands of all circuits, are bound to suffer in comparison at those circuits the RB excels at.
I thought that Newey was part-timing, with interests in other sports beginning to take the lion's share of his genius. If so, RB might well struggle next season and other teams move on.
As for McLaren doing well next season, well I hope they do, but as a McL fan, I have my doubts. The Renault engine is not class of the field. It seems to be a bit of a lottery. It seems likely that it will be an improvement over the Honda, but in all honesty, that's not saying much.
I can never work out McLaren. There's always some reason for them snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
They had a reasonably good car towards the end of 2012 as I recall. With the 2014 shakeup happening, most teams took an evolution of their 2012 car into 2013 as it was dead tech, but McLaren decided to make an all new 2013 car, at great expense, that would dominate the field. Instead it was a total pup.
Also, don't forget that they even when they had the best engine in the field - the AMG MB unit - they still couldn't pull it out of the hat.
I'm sure that next year Honda will suddenly come good, the Renault will be awful, and McLaren's woes will continue.
They had a reasonably good car towards the end of 2012 as I recall. With the 2014 shakeup happening, most teams took an evolution of their 2012 car into 2013 as it was dead tech, but McLaren decided to make an all new 2013 car, at great expense, that would dominate the field. Instead it was a total pup.
Also, don't forget that they even when they had the best engine in the field - the AMG MB unit - they still couldn't pull it out of the hat.
I'm sure that next year Honda will suddenly come good, the Renault will be awful, and McLaren's woes will continue.
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