Alonso to remain in hospital?

I don't see any podiums for Macca this season but it will be interesting to watch their progress (or lack of same).

 

I expected them to be in the top 5 teams at least.

I cannot understand a team that had at their disposal a 2014 Mercedes PU making such a complete @rse of their 2015 PU ... heck they would have been better off if the 3D printed the 2014 Merc unit! After all 95% of the design is laid out for you in the FIA rules! Bore, stroke, bore centres, valve size, etc.
Pete

 

The Honda PU is probably fine in terms of power and torque. Reliability of some of the smaller details seems like the issue along with the usual learning period of getting things to talk to each other so they are not getting the most from the engine.

 

rather the (lack of some)..

 

That's why we watch.

 

technically they're almost in the top 5 ;-)

Merc
Ferrari
Williams
Red Bull
Toro Rossa
Lotus/McLaren

 

I understand what you're saying, but come on!..... This is the mighty Honda & Mclaren we're talking about, not Manor with a bunch of empty hard drives!

Further, while Renault had miserable testing last winter, they were at least able to run most races without blowing up after a few laps. They (& Ferrari) were a little down on power, but they weren't completely embarrassed either.

Given their resources, it's looking like a total disaster right now. I suspect they'll get there, but given they first ran the thing in a car after Abu Dhabi last year they don't seem to have made much progress at all.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch!

Cheers,
Ian

 

From Motoring in Qz:

MOTORSPORT: Nissan's 'Ambrose approach' to Le Mans - motoring.com.au


Alonso's back on the job
Fernando Alonso has been back at work this week, in the simulator at McLaren's Woking headquarters in Britain, and seems intent on racing at the Malaysian GP.

Alonso missed the season-opener in Melbourne after being concussed in a crash in testing – the cause of which is still not clear.

Like Australia's Daniel Ricciardo, Alonso may be down to three of his allowed four engines for the season, depending whether Honda can salvage that which Alonso's replacement Kevin Magnussen blew up on last Sunday's formation lap.

Ricciardo needed a Renault engine change in his Red Bull car even before qualifying.

Alonso will need a medical clearance to take his seat as Jenson Button's teammate in Malaysia.

The BBC's chief F1 writer, Andrew Benson, has done an excellent analysis of what is wrong at McLaren-Honda and what Alonso will face on his return – including a power unit that could be 200 horsepower down on the benchmark Mercedes.

Red Bull has already estimated its Renault unit is 100hp below the Mercedes, rather than the 60 last year, while Ferrari has made up ground with its hybrid unit, but is still not in the same league as Mercedes.

 

Potentially 200hp down ... unbelieveable ...

Did Honda use the wrong rules and thought they were designing an engine for the medic's car or something?
Pete

 

200hp and 100hp are the largest guesstimates I have come across as yet. With both it seems they have yet to reach a stage where they feel confident to unleash what the engine can provide. Honda had so many reliability problems, they probably run systems pretty much in the safest settings they have.

 

I don't believe they will always run it in the safest settings. Surely in qualifying they will turn it up to max...and it's max still goes out in q3 lol

 

Do you even understand Quali? What do you think Q3 is?

 

Some are speculating that the Honda's VTEC solenoid is not communicating with the ECU and not activating....

 

฿ᴂӹԈӺ ?

 

+1

FWIW, I don't believe they're that far back either. 25% behind the Merc? It'd look like F1 versus GP2. (Possibly even a poor GP2 car )

I'm going with 20-40hp down, 50 max......

Indeed.

Trouble is, till they can turn up the wick, they're not really learning what will break at the limit..... Seems the things are falling apart, blowing up, leaking fluids and so on.....in 'safe mode'! Let alone when 'stressed'.

Cheers,
Ian

 

Personally, I think McHonda haven't quite turned up the revs on the PU, even then, I would guess they were down ~50 hp if not more. Definitely not 200 hp though.

 

Maybe.... Even 50 is a lot though..... I'm guessing it's not so much the ICE that's their problem, but rather their ER systems.

Damn!......

Forgot to mention, if some reports are to be believed, a diligent attempt at electrocuting its driver too!



Get well soon Fred
Cheers,
Ian

 

Too me their ICE sounds like it's misfiring, so it may be a combination of that, and the ER not sorted out yet.

 

50 horsepower down does not account for a 4 second per lap deficit

 

Has anyone looked into the possibility that, having found out how awful the McLaren is by driving it, Alonso deliberately drove into the wall in the hope of being out of F1 for the whole season?


(nsxrebel: Please feel free to put Me on ignore - You're really not going to enjoy anything thing that I post as it's obvious that you simply don't get My sense of humour! )

 

You do realise that their "Max" setting stands for "Max Chilton performance level" and not "Maximum performance level"?

 

No that would be stupid, but I have considered that while Alonso was in hospital he is not keen to leave because the McHonda is so pathetic so orders more tests ...
Pete

 

When has honda been any good at f1 30 years . I said from day one this would be a epic fail and now with limited engine rules it will take for every for them to catch up . Impo honda will pull the the plug in year and half from now .