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F1 News & Discussions => General F1 Discussion => Topic started by: rmassart on July 06, 2018, 05:50:27 AM

Title: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: rmassart on July 06, 2018, 05:50:27 AM
Zak Brown reckons between 2 and 10 years to turn the team around:

https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula-one/44725602

Well they haven't won a race in almost 6 years or the constructors in almost 20 (I had to double check this, their last constructors title was 1998). So I can understand they are not in a hurry...

I would go with the upper limit of that prediction, if they don't go bust beforehand. I mean how much longer can they continue to run on their history alone. Their performance has ranged from decidedly average to utter rubbish... they've only finished one race on the podium since Hamilton left them in 2012.

It's sad to see these names become irrelevant to F1. Williams haven't been relevant for over 20 years. They'll both go the way Lotus I suspect, unless the rules can changed to support non-works teams some how.

I wonder how much longer Red Bull can remain competitive, especially if their hook-up with Honda turns bad. That sounds like an outrageous question right now, but for me they are placing all eggs in the Honda basket. Which I can understand since it makes them the de-facto Honda works team and a team can't win without being a works team anymore...

Apologies for my random ramblings, getting too excited by the British GP!!!
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Scott on July 06, 2018, 11:00:01 AM
I posted this as a reply in the thread about Boullier getting the boot.  Don’t you think it was employment suicide to suggest a timeframe like that?  I think Zak will be gone shortly.  F1 teams have turned things around in a season or two.  If Mclaren can’t have the confidence to do it, they shouldn’t be on the sport.
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Dare on July 06, 2018, 12:29:55 PM
I don't think Alonso will hang around another 10
years waiting for a win. My money is on he's gone
after this season
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Jericoke on July 06, 2018, 03:15:33 PM
I agree it's frustrating to see a team like McLaren put out a 10 year plan, but honestly, they really have to look at it like starting from scratch.  If it was possible for McLaren to turn it around and win next year, then it's possible for ANY team to do so.  We're happy with the progress Haas has made, but they're already into year three, and no one expects them to get podiums, much less win championships.

McLaren needs to start from scratch to rebuild their winning culture.  I have no idea what that takes in F1, and I'm pretty sure McLaren doesn't either, nor do they have the ability to simply hire someone who does.  McLaren has the same advantage that Williams does though: it is a fairly large company that relies on F1 being the marquee name that drives the business through name recognition.  They can afford to linger in F1 without being competitive on track, although presumably there is some sort of limit on that.
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Scott on July 06, 2018, 04:02:07 PM
Personell changes do not take a decade to implement.  McLaren has world class facilities, perhaps second only to Ferrari.  There is no way they should even THINK about it taking 10 years.  If McLaren are starting from scratch, I would like to see some other teams get to scratch.

I don’t know what shopping in Indycar for new senior management will bring.  I doubt very much.
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Calman on July 06, 2018, 04:39:43 PM
It's simple, Zak has no concept on realistic timelines to raise an F1 team's competitiveness and his comments will hurt a lot of people (inside and outside the team).  It's quite the opposite to the "we can give Fernado a competitive car bla bla bla" and "we expect improvements by bla bla".  So, my personal feeling is that we can confidently say Bye Bye Zak .. and Bye Bye Fernado by the end of 2018.  I would be stunned otherwise.  I have a lot of love for both Williams and McLaren, but right now, I would prefer to see Williams get back on their feet (in less than 10 years Zak!!)

Best Regards,
Cal :)
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Alianora La Canta on July 10, 2018, 12:06:16 AM
I can believe 10 years, if McLaren doesn't manage to catch the updraft that regulation changes sometimes make (hence why "2 years" was given as the earlier figure).
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: Andy B on July 11, 2018, 05:40:18 AM
LH bailed out of McLaren in 2012 with his first season with Mercedes was wining races, McLaren had Mercedes power which was deemed the unit to have but could not win races, could not win with Honda and are now failing with Renault theres only one common denominator here so the problem has been going on for a long time already.
Title: Re: Another decade before McLaren are competitive again???
Post by: John S on July 11, 2018, 11:42:26 AM
Both McLaren and Williams started with much younger and hungry men at the helm, they took chances and pushed the envelope beyond the limits and took no prisoners to get to the top.

They can put younger more energetic people in charge but with more and more tightly drawn rules there's no longer the same chance to experiment with novel development concepts. I think rules relaxation is a better subject than fairer money shares to drive lower teams forward.

However I suggest the real problem stems from the fact McLaren & Williams are now such large players in other fields and have such marvellous technical workshops and factories that the shareholders will be reluctant to let a new untried young breed loose taking risks with hundreds of millions in budgets.   
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