McLaren have not won a constructors championship since they built Ron's Bond Villain HQ | FerrariChat
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McLaren have not won a constructors championship since they built Ron's Bond Villain HQ

Discussion in 'F1' started by Anthony_Ferrari, Apr 20, 2023.

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  1. Anthony_Ferrari

    Anthony_Ferrari Formula 3

    Nov 3, 2003
    2,365
    Sheffield, UK
    Full Name:
    Anthony Currie
    #1 Anthony_Ferrari, Apr 20, 2023
    They moved into the McLaren Technology Centre in 2003 and haven't won since, except for Lewis's Driver Championship in 2008. Ferrari won the constructor race that year.
    A friend of mine has worked there and complains about how poorly designed it is. There is machinery in the basement that was state-of-the-art in 2003, but very outdated now. It is still there as there is no way of removing it without having to remove walls and some floor. Apparently a lot of the work is done in industrial estates around the area as those kind of buildings are just more practical.
     
    ingegnere likes this.
  2. trumpet77

    trumpet77 Formula 3

    Jun 13, 2011
    2,181
    Great Neck, NY
    Full Name:
    Robert Nixon
    #2 trumpet77, Apr 20, 2023
    a year or two ago when they sold the building (and now rent it) I thought it was just to raise money to keep racing, but maybe it was also to not get stuck with the building issues or future renovation!
     
    ingegnere and william like this.
  3. william

    william Two Time F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 3, 2006
    27,641
    #3 william, Apr 20, 2023
    McLaren sold its Technology Centre to Global Net Lease in a £170M "sale-lease back" transaction, with a initial 20 years renewable lease period. It sounds like a lot of money, but the new owner got hold of a good piece of real estate at a premium location on the outskirts of Woking that will become priceless when the town expands in future.
    I expect McLaren to leave the site one day and the curious building to be demolished to make room for very expensive accommodations in future.
     
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  4. 67bmer

    67bmer F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 28, 2015
    2,956
    MD
    #4 67bmer, Apr 21, 2023
    McLaren would not be the first company to build their fantastical HQ at their zenith!

    That marked the point when I decided to sell my Apple stock when they moved in! In hindsight - big mistake! They appear to be the one glaring exception that I can think of.
     

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