How far behind is McLaren ?

My initial thought too. If they remain at the back, no real surprise, if they're midpack, certainly I'll welcome that.

 

That would mean copying Ferrari! I bet Alonso told them to do so.

 

Funny, but I think the new NSX would be way cooler than the SLS (and it's a hybrid). Also, I wouldn't mind being the SC in my S2000 if they asked me

 

Guess they will be toast on the long back straight in Shanghai due to engine turned down and poor ers.

 

I am sure that you have reason for than Mclaren, it is an company dinamics and developmental

 

Not expecting any real progress from McLaren in China. Wait till they get to Europe...

 

I'd consider the race progress. They did finish after all.

 

I think it's notable that at China they've gained another full second towards the front-runners. So, if they can gain 1s at every GP, they can definitely start being midfield to podium contenders.

AUS: 4.5s behind Merc
MSIA: 3.5s
CHN: 2.5s

As Alonso said, the progress is pretty amazing, but their starting point was way too low and so much more is needed.

 

1s more and they're fighting with Williams, but I think we're going to see them hit the law of diminishing returns at this next race. I predict around .5s improvement, at which point they'll be in the hunt for the final point, so not bad considering the starting point.

 

I agree with bobzdar. The more time you find, the harder it becomes to find even more.

They showed replays a couple of times of the McLarens actually closing in on cars in DRS zones. They must be running more power because I don't think that was even the case in previous races. If they really were running more power and lasting the entire race, that's a rather substantial step forward for them IMO.

The next race is going to be a huge test. That Honda hasn't been a fan of heat.

 

I would reserve judgment of Mclaren until they have that power unit humming at 100%, as to date they still aren't running at full capacity yet they're still dicing with cars running at full capacity. The car does everything else very well, it just needs more power.

 

Motorsport estimates that Honda hasn't cranked the regen past 50%.
Lots of potential if they can keep the thing together.

 

Who would have thought that finishing 12th and 14th would be considered a good result for McLaren AND an improvement?

 

Anyone who watched the first two races.


Everyone loves a redemption. Think of this as Rocky X.

 

I guess you missed the first 2 races AND winter testing...

 

Honda to up power in Bahrain ahead of new spec engine in Spain

Hopefully they can get good results. I hope to see them much stronger soon.

 

At this point I'd rather the Honda over Renault PU.

 

The best thing that could happen for Honda would be for them to get another customer team.
The worst thing that could happen to McLaren would be for Honda to get another customer team.

 

I have to disagree on your first point. Honda has more than enough on their plate this season. A customer team would be a distraction, a drain on resources.

 

I can fully see Red Bull going to Honda, and Renault taking over toro Rosso as their de facto team.

Honda would have to decide who has data priority, red bull or Mclaren. Or would both have an equal share only having the powerr unit delivered with a base engine map with the rest left up to the team as mercedes do.

Honda's power unit may ultimately be the best out there because it seems to offer more flexibility than mercedes, as it's my understanding mercedes require certain components to be in certain areas thus making the design box with fewer options. We'll see how this works out for Honda but I am optimistic for them.

 

I can fully see Red bull pulling out of F1 altogether.

 

Not if the customer team is exactly that, a customer who pays for the engine. That would mean money for development and more data. Of course, the engine would still be designed around the McLaren and the customer should have to live with that.

 

If that were the case, I think McLaren would get priority if they had to pick a team.

 

I noticed they actually have a mechs, drivers and shop/production facilities. Appears to be a serious racing team. Certainly not a sponsor. Rubbish.
It's only a matter of time before any team leaves. Remember BMW, Toyota?