Sure RD said similar things 93.94,95 when McLaren was quite poor (by their standards) even 92 when best of rest (albeit with Senna in car). NOT sandbagging, but don't count them out just yet, Ferrari have made some poor starts to a season and clawed it back, and no, I'm not sure the in-season testing-ban would prevent them from doing just that, it might just take longer.. but of course they may find it difficult to claw back the points deficit they might suffer in the early races.
In any event, looking forward to seeing Hamilton prove his credentials in a lower performing car : most of the recent greats had to do it at some point, and it will be fascinating to see if his skill is actually really up there, and whether he has learned some lessons on patient racecraft vs gun-ho youthful excuberance.
We say this most years (often in hope) but F1 2009 has the potential to be the best for a very long time.
2.5 seconds can't be real. They can't be truly that bad. Can they? I can't remember went another team was that much behind.
Dave H. - 17 years ago
No, McLaren have problems.
I remembered something i read that was said at the car's launch that they wanted to make a car that was both aerodynamically efficient and asthetically pleasing. If the car's fast it's pretty, they shouldn't even have had how the car might look in mind when designing it.
Surely they wouldn't be sandbagging to the extent that they are running last!?! Them's big sandbags.
Dudley - 17 years ago
Not sandbagging, but neither is it an indication they will still be this wobbly come Australia.
Cyril - 17 years ago
You know what? I'm tired of all this this-is-just-testing-we-don't-know-anything stuff. McLaren always was at the top in previous winters when they were strong. This winter they are bottoming all the time! This doesn't mean they are slowest, but for me it means that they are not as strong as usual at the moment. Howgh.
You really can't read anything in to testing. Some teams like to show off to their sponsors by topping the timesheets (or testing in a race configuration) whereas others will be testing areas other than pure speed.
We won't really know the relative performances until after Melbourne - and even then, some teams may or may not be running KERS.
Cyril - 17 years ago
Geez where are you guys come from? (@Ron_De...) The y have troubles it's nearly sure. Changing rear wing 3 times in 18 laps? It's not ordinary.
Glen D - 17 years ago
I dont think they are sandbagging but doing their own hing and not being to concerned with the other teams. Maybe they are slightly down on speed with the other teams but we will only really find out when we have qualifiying in Oz
I don't think McL are sandbagging just getting valuable data for their simulators in a methodical way for when testing is banned during the season. This extra data they get now will be invaluable for further developing the car in the computer more accurately. I think these tests have been all about calibration of the simulator to the real-world.
From the images of the diffuser it looks like they have it blanked so don't have full rear end grip. It appears they were using the 2008 rear wing to set up/calibrate the front of their car while keeping their new diffuser under wraps.
The in-season test ban is a huge change to the rules so why wouldn't one expect teams to be changing the way they use the precious pre-season testing differently? If I am right then McL look like they may have taken a lead already.
Maybe, but it does seem strange that given the amount they've spent that they would suddenly be slower than Force India and Torro Rosso.
On the plus side, Brawn GP are looking really impressive. As long as there's one British team doing well I'll be happy.
Matt - 17 years ago
This is a tricky one. It seems clear that McLaren have had a bit of a problem, and recently they have been testing a number of rear wings. They may currently just be looking for solutions to their problems without looking for ultimate performance and setup. Nevertheless, with the ban on most in-season testing these seem be worrying times for Mclaren.
Voted 'yes', but it's more of an 'I really hope so'. Could they have some aero development that they don't want the other teams to see and have time to copy?
Sure RD said similar things 93.94,95 when McLaren was quite poor (by their standards) even 92 when best of rest (albeit with Senna in car). NOT sandbagging, but don't count them out just yet, Ferrari have made some poor starts to a season and clawed it back, and no, I'm not sure the in-season testing-ban would prevent them from doing just that, it might just take longer.. but of course they may find it difficult to claw back the points deficit they might suffer in the early races.
In any event, looking forward to seeing Hamilton prove his credentials in a lower performing car : most of the recent greats had to do it at some point, and it will be fascinating to see if his skill is actually really up there, and whether he has learned some lessons on patient racecraft vs gun-ho youthful excuberance.
We say this most years (often in hope) but F1 2009 has the potential to be the best for a very long time.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7941572.stm
Macca have admitted they have a slow car.
2.5 seconds can't be real. They can't be truly that bad. Can they? I can't remember went another team was that much behind.
No, McLaren have problems.
I remembered something i read that was said at the car's launch that they wanted to make a car that was both aerodynamically efficient and asthetically pleasing. If the car's fast it's pretty, they shouldn't even have had how the car might look in mind when designing it.
Surely they wouldn't be sandbagging to the extent that they are running last!?! Them's big sandbags.
Not sandbagging, but neither is it an indication they will still be this wobbly come Australia.
You know what? I'm tired of all this this-is-just-testing-we-don't-know-anything stuff. McLaren always was at the top in previous winters when they were strong. This winter they are bottoming all the time! This doesn't mean they are slowest, but for me it means that they are not as strong as usual at the moment. Howgh.
You really can't read anything in to testing. Some teams like to show off to their sponsors by topping the timesheets (or testing in a race configuration) whereas others will be testing areas other than pure speed.
We won't really know the relative performances until after Melbourne - and even then, some teams may or may not be running KERS.
Geez where are you guys come from? (@Ron_De...) The y have troubles it's nearly sure. Changing rear wing 3 times in 18 laps? It's not ordinary.
I dont think they are sandbagging but doing their own hing and not being to concerned with the other teams. Maybe they are slightly down on speed with the other teams but we will only really find out when we have qualifiying in Oz
McLaren MUST DIE!!!!! Hurry up, bitches!! ))
I don't think McL are sandbagging just getting valuable data for their simulators in a methodical way for when testing is banned during the season. This extra data they get now will be invaluable for further developing the car in the computer more accurately. I think these tests have been all about calibration of the simulator to the real-world.
From the images of the diffuser it looks like they have it blanked so don't have full rear end grip. It appears they were using the 2008 rear wing to set up/calibrate the front of their car while keeping their new diffuser under wraps.
The in-season test ban is a huge change to the rules so why wouldn't one expect teams to be changing the way they use the precious pre-season testing differently? If I am right then McL look like they may have taken a lead already.
Expect a Macca one two in Oz.
Maybe, but it does seem strange that given the amount they've spent that they would suddenly be slower than Force India and Torro Rosso.
On the plus side, Brawn GP are looking really impressive. As long as there's one British team doing well I'll be happy.
This is a tricky one. It seems clear that McLaren have had a bit of a problem, and recently they have been testing a number of rear wings. They may currently just be looking for solutions to their problems without looking for ultimate performance and setup. Nevertheless, with the ban on most in-season testing these seem be worrying times for Mclaren.
No, they are really struggling.
Voted 'yes', but it's more of an 'I really hope so'. Could they have some aero development that they don't want the other teams to see and have time to copy?
I think Ron Dennis's don't panic statements underline the realism of their performance problems.