How far behind is McLaren ?

Its just plain silly IMHO to try and gauge whether the gap has been closed based on free practice times. In qualifying, where it mmatters, they are three seconds slower than MB. I was one of the guys pulling for them to do well but after three weeks off they haven't made any real progress as far as qualifying speeds go.

 

3 seconds off the pole time is not much improvement. Just for giggles what was their best time last year with Merc power?

 

+1. 3 seconds delta is hopeless. The upgrades have not delivered. McLaren inquest needs to get going ASAP. Not impressed.

 

You guys act like McLaren are still qualifying 19th and 20th. I guess if they're not fighting for pole position, they are not improving. smfh

 

Actually no. I am comparing Bahrain to Spain. The net impact of the massive
McLaren upgrade has been a loss of 0.5 seconds in pace vs Merc. Which ever way you cut it, they have lost time. How can that be deemed progress? It isn't, it's a disgrace.

 

First year back...I say Mulligan is due.

 

I too am quite disappointed with McLarens performance as I thought the first race in Europe would have seen better results for them. lets see how they do in the race

 

If it's a 0.5 second loss to Merc, what does that tell you about the other teams McLaren have passed in performance? They are now ahead of Sauber, Force India, and Marussia(Manor?)

McLaren wasn't the only team that came with upgrades. Mercedes and the rest of the teams all brought upgrades.

 

Those tail end Charlie's aren't the teams that McLaren benchmarks against, but if it makes it easier for you to take the pain then I see your point of view.

 

Alonso done!

 

Maybe the size zero package referred to zero points?

 

God that was a depressing race for McLaren....Button was quoted as saying he does not even expect McLaren to score A championship point this year

 

McLaren can't blame engine development for brake failure ...

 

It was the energy recovery unit that failed not the wheel brakes. The energy recovery unit also brakes the car.
Pete

 

Just ask Mercedes.
Macca wasn't the only team with brake issues today.

 

Something is wrong with that technology, if a driver cannot even stop his car in its allocated spot in the pit lane.
I am sure he would have no problem doing that in an "ordinary" car.
I am baffled by so much reliance on seemingly unproven systems, and blame the ridiculous ban on testing for delaying their operational efficiency.

I am glad the FIA isn't in charge of certifying new aircraft !

 

Finishing ahead of Marussia is nothing to be proud of. "Hey! At least we aren't dead last! Those guys really suck!"

 

Realistically, I consider all the 2015 GPs as test sessions for McLaren.

That's what these silly rules have achieved.

 

Agreed. Instead of dumping on McLaren and Honda we should be thankful that they even bother with F1.

 

Uh... no. For a year we heard how Mac and Honda were going to crush everyone with the engineering of McLaren and the power of Honda. You can say the new regs make it difficult but McLaren screwed it's testing program time in the off season with horrible unreliability.

The Mac's were mid pack cars last year with Merc power -- the worst of the Merc powerplant cars. Everyone blamed the season on the effort they were putting into the new car so it could run with the best right out of the box.

Sorry, I find it ironic that instead of moving forward, they moved backwards. But that's what too much hype will do for you. Sometimes you just can't live up to the level of "the legend".

 

You can't succeed if you don't try. What's the point of being mid pack with the same setup as last year. Who cares about the 2nd best. Swing for the fences. Sometimes you hit a home run, sometimes you just beat Marussia.

 

Heard from whom? Macca and Honda consistently said that results wouldn't be immediate.

Honda came to the track with a PU in half the time the other teams had. I wonder what the MB, Ferrari or Renault unit was like at a similar stage of development.

Two steps foward one step back. Progress is rarely linear.

 

The point is, everyone got extremely over excited with the partnership of Mclaren and Honda again. Too soon that everyone has forgotten that when they were in F1 in the 2000s, embarrassingly, they just has one GP win to their name (Hungary 2006).

So, i never understood, not just here, but multiple forums when people started speculating how advanced and far Mclaren Honda are going to go. They are still stuck in the late 1980s success. That's the fact.

Realistically, Honda's venture in F1 (1999-2008) can be deemed as a failure, and people have overlooked it.

As someone posted above, Mclaren have moved back, not forward with Honda.

 

You heard, but NOT from McLaren or Honda. I had my doubts that McHonda would be at the tip of the spear this year, certainly after winter testing. Yes, a lot of people jumped the gun predicting dominance just like in the 80's. Those of us with a more realistic outlook knew better. Yes, it's been rough start, but there has been progress, albeit slow, but progress nonetheless. Reliability seems to be the biggest problem for McHonda at the moment. Alonso was running as high as 7th today before he had brake/ERS problems. Just getting into the final points is possible with their pace if they can sort the reliability issues.