McLaren News

[Anna]

Team Info

Base: Woking, UK
Team Principle: Martin Whitmarsh
Chassis: McLaren MP4-26
Engine: Mercedes Benz
1st Driver: #3 Lewis Hamilton
2nd Driver: #4 Jenson Button
3rd Drivers: Pedro De La Rosa & Gary Paffet
Website: www.mclaren.com/formula1
Twitter: TheFifthDriver
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mclaren

Statistics

Year Entered: 1966
1st Grand Prix: 1966 Monaco GP
Races: 698
Wins: 173
Pole Positions: 146
Fastest Laps: 147
Points: 4188.5
Drivers Championships: 12 (1974, 1976, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2008)
Constructors Championships: 8 (1974, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1998)
Current Championship Pos: 2nd (353 Points)

Recent Championship Positions

2010: 2nd (454 Points, 5 Wins)
2009: 3rd (71 Points, 2 Wins)
2008: 2nd (151 Points, 6 Wins)
2007: DSQ (8 Wins)
2006: 3rd (110 Points, 0 Wins)
2005: 2nd (182 Points, 10 Wins)

Driver History

Bruce McLaren (1966-1970)
Denny Hulme (1968-1974)
Derek Bell (1969)
Andrea De Adamich (1970)
Peter Gethin (1970-1971)
Dan Gurney (1970)
Nanni Galli (1970)
Jackie Oliver (1971)
Peter Revson (1972-1973)
Brian Redman (1972)
Jody Scheckter (1972-1973)
Jacky Ickx (1973)
Emerson Fittipaldi (1974-1975)
Mike Hailwood (1974)
David Hobbs (1974)
Jochen Mass (1974-1977)
James Hunt (1976-1978)
Gilles Villeneuve (1977)
Bruno Giacomelli (1978)
Patrick Tambay (1978-1979)
John Watson (1979-1983, 1985)
Alain Prost (1980, 1984-1989)
Stephen South (1980)
Andrea De Cesaris (1981)
Niki Lauda (1982-1985)
Keke Rosberg (1986)
Stefan Johansson (1987)
Ayrton Senna (1988-1993)
Gerhard Berger (1990-1992)
Michael Andretti (1993)
Mika Hakkinen (1993-2001)
Martin Brundle (1994)
Philippe Alliot (1994)
Mark Blundell (1995)
Nigel Mansell (1995)
Jan Magnussen (1995)
David Coulthard (1996-2004)
Kimi Raikkonen (2002-2006)
Juan Pablo Montoya (2005-2006)
Pedro De La Rosa (2005-2006)
Alexander Wurz (2005)
Fernando Alonso (2007)
Lewis Hamilton (2007-Present)
Heikki Kovalainen (2008-2009)
Jenson Button (2010-Present)

Engine History

Cosworth (1966, 1968-1982)
Serenissima (1966)
BRM (1967-1968)
Alfa Romeo (1970)
TAG (1983-1987)
Honda (1988-1992)
Ford (1993)
Peugeot (1994)
Mercedes Benz (1995-Present)

Notable Achievements

1981: 1st carbon fibre chassis in F1

[Anna]

Italy 2011 - GP Preview - McLaren Mercedes


Team quotes

Friday 2 September 2011 - 13h15, by Olivier Ferret
Lewis Hamilton: “Last year, I won at Spa and failed to finish at Monza. For this year, I guess I’m looking to reverse that sequence! I’ve already moved on from my non-finish in Belgium and I’m really looking forward to returning to Italy, a place where I spent a lot of time racing karts: it’s a country I really love.

“I think we go into the weekend feeling pretty optimistic. I’ve never won at Monza and I’d love to get a good result this year. I’m particularly looking forward to qualifying, because I think DRS will make a huge difference to our laptimes, and I really want to get the maximum out of the car in quali – and then look forward to a strong race, of course.

“With unlimited use in quali, and those four long straights, I think qualifying’s going to be pretty intense: we’ll be 20km/h faster at four key points of the circuit, so our quali times are going to be much faster than in the race. That should be pretty exciting.

“For the race, you’ll also need the downforce, though, because you’ll want to be quick enough out of the second Lesmo and Parabolica to be in with a chance of challenging for position down the following straight.

“I think things are set for another very closely matched race – I’m really looking forward to it.”

Jenson Button: “It’s going to be the usual difficult trade-off between drag and downforce to find the ultimate package for the race. Last year, Lewis and I opted to follow two different paths – Lewis went for the low-downforce configuration and I went for more grip, at the expense of straightline speed. That meant that, although I had the laptime, I didn’t quite have the opportunity to mount an attack for the lead, because I couldn’t get close enough along the straights to have a go into the braking areas.

“But I think things will be a little more mixed-up this year. For the second time this season, we’ll have two distinct DRS zones, with two potential passing opportunities. The first zone’s going to be interesting because it’s always been very tough to challenge for position under braking for Ascari – the track’s pretty narrow and it’s a fast entry – so I’ll be really interested to see how well DRS will work into that corner – we might see some pretty spectacular moves!

“I think the more conventional passing opportunity will come from the second DRS zone, getting as close as possible into Parabolica, holding on through the corner – which won’t be straightforward – and then deploying DRS down the start/finish straight before, hopefully, passing into Turn One.

“The DRS is going to be a pretty major asset for a following car, and it might shape the race in some really interesting ways.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “Perhaps it’s a bit premature to be discussing the return of the epic ‘Monza slipstreamer’, but I think the whole team is going to Italy keen to see if DRS will create the sort of exciting and unpredictable grands prix that we either watched or read about when we were younger.

“At the very least, going to Monza is always a very evocative and historic occasion – perhaps more than any other circuit, you can really feel the sport’s past here, and it’s become the perfect venue to bid farewell to the European season before we head to the final flyaways. I think it’s very important that Formula 1 keeps hold of these ‘classics’ – which also includes circuits such as Spa, Silverstone and Monaco – while also investing in new venues for the future.

“Despite its age, Monza certainly never gets any easier: selecting gear ratios to cope with the demands of DRS through both qualifying and the race will be tricky. At Spa, the DRS ban through Eau Rouge meant that maximum velocity at the top of the hill was pretty much the same through qualifying and the race. For Monza, there are no limitations, so it will be very different, and getting it right will require a lot of thought and experimentation.

“It’s rewarding to know that, even after 61 grands prix at Monza, the circuit is as much of a challenge as ever – that’s a great testament to the enduring appeal of the place, and the restlessly competitive nature of Formula 1.”

[Anna]

McLaren Mercedes


Lewis Hamilton: "We spent today working on wing set-ups - it looked like some teams may have been running lower downforce than us - but once we used DRS we were looking pretty good. It’s interesting to see the different downforce levels - some teams are faster along the straights - but we’re faster through the middle sector. It’s always a compromise, but our long-run pace doesn’t look at all bad.

"We were pretty strong in both sessions and, on heavier fuel, I think we’re slightly stronger than the Ferraris. At the end of P2, the Red Bulls were looking pretty strong, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t on the same fuel load as us, which is encouraging.

"Jenson and I are both running the same wing set-up as each other, and I feel really happy with it. We’ll make some small changes overnight, but I think we can challenge the Red Bulls this weekend. The car is going really well, and we’re continuing to make small improvements, but it’s going to be a hard race."

Jenson Button: "Some of the things we tried on my car throughout the day worked better than others, so we’re not really where I feel we ought to be yet, and we haven’t yet determined what downforce level to run.

"I don’t yet feel totally at one with the car, but we’re working on it. In fact, I think there’s going to be quite a lot of data to look over tonight before we choose a direction for the rest of the weekend.

"Otherwise, there’s a fresh surface on quite a lot of the circuit, so there’s quite a bit of sliding about, which is tough on the tyres, particularly over a long run."

Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal: "Monza is always a very challenging circuit: obviously, you want to be as fast as you possibly can along the straights, but it’s actually a very delicate trade-off between drag and downforce through the corners. You don’t want to damage the tyres too much by running too little wing and allowing the car to slide excessively - but if you run too much, you risk struggling along the straights.

"To make it even harder, we need to further balance the set-up for an end-of-straight speed with and without DRS, and, furthermore, to optimise the car for more extensive use of DRS during qualifying.

"Consequently, today was very much about analysing our downforce levels to ensure that both Lewis and Jenson felt comfortable with the car, and that our engineers were happy with our pace. There’s still some more work to be done, but we’re encouraged by our initial pace today and feel confident that we can make good progress before tomorrow’s sessions.

"Lewis was particularly happy with his car’s balance today, Jenson perhaps a little less so. Nonetheless, we’re comfortable with both drivers’ pace and we’re looking forward to another encouragingly constructive day tomorrow."

[Anna]

McLaren Mercedes


Jenson Button - P2: “It’s nice to have fought my way back through to second – but it’s frustrating to have had a problem at the start with the clutch, because it cost me dearly. I dropped back to sixth, then, at the restart, I had no way of keeping Mark [Webber] back, because his straightline speed was so strong, so I slipped to seventh.

“Obviously, that enabled the leaders to get a long way out in front, and I was delayed by a further four or five seconds when Mark and Felipe [Massa] tangled in front of me at Turn One.

“After that, I was able to get my head down and passed Lewis and Michael [Schumacher] within the space of about five corners, which was really satisfying. After that, I set about closing down Fernando [Alonso], it was great to be able to secure second because we got some good points for the team.

“On the whole, the team’s done a great job this weekend, but it’s the little problems that are frustrating: if you have one of those, then you’re not going to beat Red Bull and Sebastian [Vettel]. Hopefully, we’ll have no problems at the next race because if we can get everything together then we can challenge for a win.”

Lewis Hamilton - P4: “It was a good race: I finished and I got some points, so I can’t really complain.

“At the restart, Michael [Schumacher] was on my outside; I was looking at him in my mirrors, then, all of a sudden, the guys ahead had gone, so I missed an opportunity to slipstream Sebastian [Vettel]. So they caught me napping.

“We were a little bit slow on the straight today, which meant it was hard to get past Michael, who was faster along the straight even when I had my DRS activated. I had to really fight Schumacher, but the fact that I finished ahead of him meant everything was okay. That’s racing.

“The support we’ve had in Italy – the weather, the fans – has all been incredible and I’m really looking forward to coming back here again next year.

“I doubt it’s still possible to beat Sebastian for the title, but we’ll keep pushing. For now, I’m looking ahead to the flyaways – they’re going to be exciting and I’m really focused on getting some more wins for the team.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “Today our cars were the quickest of the lot – Lewis posted fastest lap, while Jenson took second-fastest lap – but unfortunately our drivers didn’t get off to good enough starts. The result was that they spent much of the race stuck behind Michael [Schumacher], whose Mercedes-Benz was remarkably quick in a straight line and extremely ‘wide’ on the approaches to the corners.

“Meanwhile, Seb [Vettel] was able to pull away, which was deeply frustrating for us because we knew we had the pace to take the race to him, had our guys got off to better starts.

“But that’s motor racing: you’ve got to qualify well, start well and race well. Well, this weekend we qualified pretty well, we raced very well, but we didn’t start well enough.

“Even so, we scored 30 world championship points this afternoon, consolidating our second place in the constructors’ world championship and pulling out a margin of 71 points over our closest challenger.

“Now, we embark on a tough run of six fly-away races, starting in Singapore in two weeks’ time and ending in Brazil in late November. There are still a lot of points up for grabs, and we’ll be doing our damnedest to bag as many of them as we possibly can.”

[r1ch91]

Sam Michael joins McLaren as sporting director from the 2012 season
By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, September 13th 2011, 11:04 GMT

McLaren has announced that Williams technical director Sam Michael will join the team as sporting director from 2012.

Michael announced earlier this year that he would leave Williams following a dismal season for the Grove-based team, which has scored just five points after having endured its worst start to a season in Formula 1.

He was expected to work for Williams until the Korean Grand Prix before stepping down from his post, but Williams said he will leave after Singapore next week.

McLaren said Michael "will join the senior management team in addition to taking specific responsibility for the development and management of the team's trackside operations."

"I'm extremely excited to be joining Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," said Michael. "Being a racer my whole life, I know that McLaren is one of the all-time greats of Formula 1.

"I already know and respect many of the team's senior technical management figures, and becoming a member of that excellent working unit was one of the prime attractions of this new position.

"Equally, for some time I've closely observed and greatly admired both Lewis and Jenson as grade-one drivers, and therefore regard it as an enormous privilege to be able to work with both of them.

"I've spent 11 seasons with Williams, have many fond memories, and truly wish them all the best. In the near future, however, I will become 100 per cent focused on Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, and will be aiming to ensure that the team's famous rocket-red victory T-shirts will be seen many times over the coming years."

McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh added: "Speaking on behalf of everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I'm very pleased to welcome Sam as an important senior addition to our race team.

"He'll bring a very valuable blend of experience and expertise to our pitwall, and will also enrich the technical management we provide for our drivers.

"I'm certain he'll work extremely well with our senior technical management team, which I firmly believe will now become the strongest in all of Formula 1."

Frank Williams said he was happy for Michael to have found another role to continue in Formula 1.

"I am delighted that Sam has found a new role that will enable him to continue to apply his energy, passion and experience to Formula 1," he said. "On behalf of everyone at Williams I wish him a successful move to his new team.

"I would also like to thank Sam for his help in enabling a swift and smooth transition to our new technical leadership. Mike Coughlan and Jason Somerville are settling in very well and the restructuring will be complete when Mark Gillan joins us as Chief Operations Engineer on 19 September."

[Anna]

I'm so happy that Sam is staying within F1. I was actually quite sad when they announced he was leaving, I'm so much happier he's staying. I'm not even sure why I feel like that either.

[Anna]

Singapore 2011 - GP Preview - McLaren Mercedes


Team quotes

Friday 16 September 2011 - 13h08, by Olivier Ferret
Lewis Hamilton: “I love street circuits and I really enjoy this place – it’s almost two tracks in one: there are quite a few fast corners, which require good set-up and a bit of commitment, but there are also lots of tighter 90-degree bends, which are slower and more technical. You’ve got to keep it precise through these and just be patient, waiting for the tyres to bite before getting on the throttle. If you’re impatient, then you end up losing time because you over-stress the tyres and you over-drive the car.

“Still, I’ll really be pushing for a good result next weekend. I think we had a car capable of winning in both Belgium and Italy, so I really want to make sure we arrive in Singapore with a good set-up, and that we’re able to run with it through practice and qualifying. If it all goes to plan, we should be in good shape on Sunday.

“Even though the title is now almost out of reach I’ll be pushing hard for the best possible result. I will never give up and I’ll be driving to win as always.”

Jenson Button: “This is one of the races I’d most love to win and I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to show the same sort of pace that we showed at Monaco and Hungary, where I had two of my best drives of the year.

“It’s strange to have concluded the European season and still have six more races remaining. Personally, I love this end-of-year series of flyaway races – the circuits we visit are really diverse and, from a drivers’ perspective, they’re some of the best tracks on the calendar.

“I flew out to Singapore via Japan, so I’ve had the chance to spend a few days getting myself ready. Of course, for Singapore, we’ll revert to the slightly unusual European timetable to ensure that we’re as fit, alert and focused for the night race as we would be for any other grand prix.

“Given our current form, I’m positive that Singapore will be another strong race for us. I’ve been really satisfied with the pace of the car and the efforts of the team. Nevertheless, winning is what we’re all about and that’s what we’ll definitely be aiming for this weekend.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “We go to Singapore feeling very encouraged about our performance potential. I also think we’re set to continue the trend we’ve witnessed so far this season, with DRS enlivening races that hitherto would have been somewhat processional.

“At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, the reality is that we’re fortunate enough to have two drivers who are never satisfied to merely sit behind another car; but the addition of DRS means that we should expect some truly electrifying racing this weekend. The track is wide enough to support close and exciting wheel-to-wheel racing and I sincerely hope that’s what we see this weekend.

“In just a few years, the Singapore Grand Prix has become a classic Formula 1 event – the circuit and facilities are truly world-class and the setting and atmosphere of the race make it one of the jewels of the calendar.

“If circuits like Spa, Silverstone, Monza and Monaco represent the epitome of classic Formula 1, then a circuit such as Marina Bay has, I think, quickly established itself as one of the sport’s modern wonders and greatest success stories.”

[kelli52]

McLaren insists it is committed to staying with its engine supplier Mercedes during the switch from V8 power units to turbo-charged V6s in 2014, despite its closest rivals having their own factory engine deals.

Red Bull recently announced a five-year extension of its deal with Renault Sport, which team principal Christian Horner described as a "factory" deal, while Ferrari has its own in-house engine department at Maranello and Mercedes has its engine base in Brixworth. The integration between engine and chassis will be important in 2014 as capacity decreases from 2.4 litres to 1.6 litres and extra energy recovery systems are added. Red Bull, for example, has already talked up the significance of its "premium" partnership with Renault Sport and will work closely in the development of the engine over the next two years.

McLaren currently has a contract with Mercedes until 2015 but there has been speculation that it might look elsewhere ahead of 2014 or set up its own department to promote its road car division, which uses an in-house powertrain designed and developed with engine specialists Ricardo. However, managing director Jonathan Neale said the team is completely committed to Mercedes.

"I'm not going to discuss the contractual terms within that, but I can give a cast-iron guarantee that it is our intention to stay with Mercedes-Benz and these engines as we transition between here to the next generation of engines," he told the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in. "They are our engine partner, we very much like working with them and want to do so for many years to come."

He also batted away suggestions that Mercedes' engine department would be inclined to work more closely with its factory team.

"The assumption that we're not working as closely with Mercedes is incorrect," Neale added. "We've had a long relationship with Mercedes-Benz High-Performance Engines at Brixworth, we know the guys up there very well and we're a good team together. I think certainly we expect, and we are, working very closely with them ahead of 2014. Our job, as theirs is, is to make sure Mercedes-Benz has the best engine on the grid and is best prepared and most ready [for 2014]. I don't feel in any way that we are being disadvantaged or held at arm's length.

"I think sometimes when people look at the McLaren Group as a whole and look at the way the road car platform is developing, then I think in that domain of course there are lots of what-ifs and maybes and how its powertrain is going to develop there going forward. But we shouldn't confuse that with what's going on with the engine programme [at the F1 team]. Our focus is very much around our engine partners Mercedes-Benz, who do a first-class job for us and we expect to be an intimate and high-performance partner with them."

Asked if McLaren had been given guarantees that it will receive equal treatment alongside the Mercedes GP team, Neale said: "That's not a concern or an issue for us at all. I think there is one thing that ourselves Mercedes GP and Mercedes-Benz High-Performance Engines want, which is for Mercedes to have the best engine in 2014. The fact that they can draw on technical contributions and know-how from partners such as ourselves and Mercedes should only make them stronger."

[Anna]

Abu Dhabi 2011 - GP Preview - McLaren Mercedes


Team quotes

Friday 4 November 2011 - 16h41, by Olivier Ferret
Lewis Hamilton: “I have some fantastic memories of the Yas Marina Circuit. I started from pole position there in 2009, and I led the race until I was forced to stop because of a brake issue. Last year, I finished second and set the fastest lap, so we head there looking to convert all that potential into a race win.

“I think we’ve got every reason to be confident for Abu Dhabi. This circuit should really suit the characteristics of our car – we should be able to capitalise on the layout to maximise the benefit of DRS and KERS, both of which are very strong on our car.

“Red Bull and Sebastian [Vettel] may have clinched both championships, but I’m still determined to end the season on a winning high. I’ve won two grands prix this year, and I’d love to double that by the end of the year! It would also be a great reward for everybody at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes.”

Jenson Button: “Abu Dhabi has special memories for me because it was my first race after I’d won the world championship in 2009, so it made racing that weekend a really fun and enjoyable experience – I remember I had a fantastic battle with Mark [Webber] and finished third.

“The Yas Marina circuit looks and feels spectacular and futuristic: it’s a unique place – the way the circuit changes from dusk to darkness is incredible, and must be an amazing experience for the spectators. The way it’s built, the grandstands are almost on top the action so everyone gets a great view.

“It’s usually been quite difficult to overtake here, especially last year, but I think that DRS will change all that. The back straight is one of the longest in Formula 1 so I expect to see a lot of action there. It would be great to see the new rules turn this circuit into a place where overtaking is more common and more exciting.

“Our car should suit this circuit so I’m very optimistic. We saw at the last grand prix that even though we didn’t have the ultimate speed to catch and pass Sebastian, we made him work hard for the win. Tactically, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes ran a first-class race: I got all the right calls from the pit wall and the pit crew did a fantastic job. The championship may not be at stake any more but we’re still aiming to win races and put on a tremendous show.”

Martin Whitmarsh, Team principal: “The Indian Grand Prix two weeks ago was a unique achievement for Formula 1, and next weekend’s race in Abu Dhabi will be another pinnacle for the sport at probably the most futuristic and impressive circuit on the calendar.

“Jenson was quick and incredibly consistent in India, putting us in a position where we could be a little bit adventurous with the tyre strategy and put the leader under greater pressure. I know Lewis was disappointed with the outcome of his own race but that will not affect his preparations for the next challenge. He has an extremely impressive track record in Abu Dhabi, starting from pole position in 2009 and setting the fastest lap on his way to the podium in 2010, so I’m very confident that he’ll shine this weekend.

“At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes we approach every grand prix with one aim: to win it. So while we can never be entirely happy with finishing second, as we did in India, we can be satisfied that we maximised the technical package we had and look at ways to go one better for the next race.

“Even though we’ve secured second place in the constructors’ championship, and Jenson has a very healthy margin in second place in the drivers’ championship, the season isn’t over for us by any means. We’re continuing to bring new developments to our car and we’ll be fighting every bit as hard as we did at the first race in Australia back in March.”

[r1ch91]

McLaren gaining confidence that it can beat Red Bull in 2012
By Jonathan Noble Monday, November 28th 2011, 11:32 GMT

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has urged his outfit to go on the attack this winter to build a Red Bull beater, amid growing confidence over early progress with its 2012 challenger.

Although Red Bull Racing dominated 2011, securing both championships before the end of the campaign, Whitmarsh sees no reason why his team cannot overhaul its rival to stop RBR claiming a third consecutive crown.

"They have done a very good job in terms of performance and reliability, but it can change," said Whitmarsh. "We have been there. We have had back-to-back world championships and then lost form, so we have to attack and go for it."

McLaren secured back-to-back world titles with Mika Hakkinen in 1998 and 1999, but the following year Ferrari triumphed as it began an era of dominance.

Following the lessons learned this year, when McLaren endured a troubled pre-season testing campaign, the team has openly admitted it needs to ensure it starts 2012 at the front of the field if it is to launch a title campaign.

Whitmarsh said that early feedback from the engineers was that the team was making some good progress with the design of next year's car, but he conceded that through the winter period it is always difficult to gauge how successful a new car will be.

"I sat in the project review meeting last week and we had made some really good progress, so I came out of it really feeling good," he explained.

"What happens in the review is that week by week, you make a load of performance or you have had a quiet week of making performance and you start to worry.

"During the season, every fortnight, you see the competitors, you see what they have done and you see that reference point. But during the winter it goes off the radar screen and you are flying blind.

"It ebbs and flows, you set targets and if you are meeting those targets you start to get punchy and believe you can do it. There have been years when you come out of that process and you are only half confident, and it all comes good. And there are years when you hit your targets and you go out and you find that someone has moved the target somewhere else when you weren't looking.

"At the moment we had a good week so I feel quite chipper about it right now. We have to keep that momentum now. I think the team is working well, and I am sure we are going to have both drivers in good shape next year."

Whitmarsh is hopeful that his staff have learned lessons from last year's troublesome pre-season testing build up, where work on a radical exhaust system proved a disaster and McLaren had to redesign its concept before the first race.

"I think we had a shocking winter, probably one of the worst winters we have had," he explained. "We were nowhere near competitive and had not done a race distance before we finished the Australian GP.

"That is not how you should start a season. I think we have taken some decisions based on what happened, and hopefully taken some learning from that.

"We were taking some non-productive risks last year, and although it is easy for me to step back, I got reasonably involved at the end of it.

"But we have some really clever creative people. If I go around and say 'don't take risks', I would be stifling to people who are much cleverer than me and more inventive."


So there's 3 teams with their we'll be good in 2012 stories, 9 to go

[Anna]

Its only the start Rich! By the end of the week/month HRT will be ready to battle the top teams (then they'll roll out of the garages for the first race of the season with 3 wheels and no engine )

[Anna]

2011 end of term report – McLaren Mercedes


497 points, 2nd in the constructors’ championship

Wednesday 28 December 2011 - 12h21, by Sandrine Bouchard
Runner-up to Red Bull Renault for the second consecutive year, the Woking-based team still has not found a way to beat the Austrian outfit. However, considering McLaren’s form during the pre-season, it had an excellent campaign in 2011.

Season review

McLaren unveiled the MP4-26 in early February, at Berlin. The new car bore high expectations and featured some highly innovative concepts. However, this audacious approach backfired on the team in winter testing. They struggled with the set-up of the car and couldn’t optimize the innovative exhaust system. As a result, the car was nowhere near as competitive as its rivals.

The team management made an important decision before flying to Melbourne. A traditional exhaust system was fitted into the car and tested for the very first time in free practice. The risk paid off and the McLaren was quick and reliable.

Although slower than the Red Bull RB7, the MP4-26 was faster than the Ferrari F150° Italia. McLaren emerged as the main challenger to Red Bull and Vettel. In Australia, Hamilton qualified 0.8s behind Vettel and crossed the finish line 22 secondes behind the German. The huge gap was a big disappointment for McLaren.

The team led by Martin Whitmarsh then upped the pace and managed to close the gap on Red Bull. Hamilton took the team’s first win of the season in China. The Briton also won in Germany and Abu Dhabi, while his teammate Button scored victories in Canada, Hungary and Japan. Despite McLaren’s efforts, Red Bull kept the upper hand until the end of the season.

Conclusion

McLaren finished the year 153 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship. Nonetheless, the balance is more than satisfying for the British team which was the only one capable of challenging Red Bull. It scored 6 wins and 1 pole position.

On the driver-side, Jenson Button created the surprise. He had a strong season and took the runner-up spot, while his teammate had a ragged time.

Expectations

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button will still spearhead McLaren’s assault for the World Championship in 2012. The latter appears more and more as the team leader but might face some strong opposition from a resurgent Hamilton.

Williams’ former technical director Sam Michael joined the team at the end of the season and will be expected to reduce the strategic mistakes.

Highs
6 wins, 1 pole position
Massive improvement between the pre-season testing and the opening Grand Prix
Best driver line-up

Lows
Disastrous winter testing
Big gap to Red Bull
Lacked consistency, made some strategy mistakes

Nextgen-Auto.com marks :
Olivier Ferret : 16/20
D.Thys : 17/20
Sandrine Bouchard : 17/20
Jean-Michel Setbon : 16/20
Average mark on the forum Nextgen-Auto.com : 16/20
Total : 82/100