2007 Season Preview (McLaren)

[davewilson]

McLaren have failed massively by their standards in recent years, with 2006 being the seventh season in succession without championship success. Now though, with world champion Fernando Alonso at their disposal, can the Woking side turn their fortunes around? Manipe F1 analyses their chances ahead of the coming season.

The Team
The whole McLaren set-up has shown in the past that they can battle for titles. During 2003 and 2005, they were in the running up until the season finale, albeit being outrun at the final hurdle by Ferrari and Renault respectively. On the budget side of things, McLaren's coffers look extremely healthy, with a whole raft of new sponsors after joining them over the winter - Vodafone (Title sponsor), Aigo and Santander to mention only a few. With this bloated cheque book, along with the ever-present hunger in the McLaren camp, there is no logical reason why McLaren will fail during 2007. Whether or not Ron Dennis can mastermind another championship success, however, is another matter entirely.

The Drivers
McLaren surprised all by announcing Lewis Hamilton as their second race driver alongside champion Fernando Alonso. Many expected that tester Pedro de la Rosa would be drafted into the role, with Hamilton having to settle for testing duties. That was not the case however, and during winter testing, Hamilton has preformed reasonably well. For the first time in its history, McLaren is not carrying at least one driver over from last year, instead opting for an all-new line-up, thanks to the departure of Kimi Räikkönen to Ferrari and Juan Pablo Montoya to NASCAR. Whether this will affect the team's focus and continuity unduly, only time will tell.

With Alonso only 25 years of age, and Hamilton 22, McLaren boast the youngest driver line-up of 2007. While experience may count for a lot in Formula One, this could turn out the be one of the best line-ups on the grid. With Fernando clearly setting his sights on a third title in a row, his knowledge and experience will be priceless to Hamilton, as he learns the ropes at the Silver Arrows. Alonso's arrival, too, will give the team renewed vigor, as they finally have a driver who knows how to win championship, and a driver who is proven at developing a car and winning races, consistently. Hamilton though could take a hit from the media if he under-performs, and with so much pressure on his shoulders, things may not go as planned.

The Car
Of the front-runners, the MP4-22 has probably been the car that has been the longest in development. As Ferrari and Renault battled it out for the drivers' and constructors' championships up until the last race of the season in October, as many resources as possible were fixed on the continuous development of their 2006 cars, rather than the 2007 counterparts. The same could not be said for McLaren, who had third place in the constructors' wrapped up well before August. Since then, almost all the factory's attention has been focusing on the MP4-22. Even if not a race-winning car, you can bet your bottom dollar that Alonso will extract the best out of the car.

While 2005 was a disappointing year for McLaren, with reliability problems resulting in them losing out to Renualt in the title race, early signs are positive from the McLaren camp. While they have had a fast car in recent years, development hasn't been as quick coming than other teams, and if that trend continues into 2007, heads will roll.

Luckily for the team, Mercedes seem to have given them a reliable engine for 2007, as the engine freeze comes into effect. With notorious car-breaker Kimi Räikkönen now after leaving the circle, engine blow-ups are likely to be a thing of the past. The power of the FO 108T has not been on par with Ferrari's however, and may prove to be a problem as the season heats up.

Testing Form
In total, the MP4-22 has completed over 13,000 km, second only to Renault's R27, with a total of 19 days on track. Reliability has been positive, with pace also impressive. Throughout the winter, they have been running slightly behind Ferrari, but, crucially, ahead of Renault. Driver-wise, in all the eight sessions they have had together, Alonso has outpaced Lewis in all but one of those, suggesting that the Spaniard will, indeed, have the upper-hand at the beginning of the season.

Overall
All-in-all, McLaren look in good shape. Having the best driver on the current grid helps a lot, and it's likely to spur them on to great things. All Alonso needs is a car that has any chance of winning races, and he will produce the goods. 2007 should be a good year for Hamilton too, as he learns and grows under the experience of Alonso.

In brief
If they can produce a winning car, and keep it that way, Alonso will bring home that much needed title.

The Stig