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McLaren has "addressed" pre-season testing woes

Published on 19 Mar 2018 16:49
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By: Fergal Walsh

McLaren's executive director Eric Boullier says that the team has sorted the reliability issues that hit them at pre-season testing. The Woking-based team had a series of mishaps throughout the eight days of running, raising eyebrows down the paddock after setting the least amount of laps (619).

McLaren has struggled with reliability for the past three years, having run a Honda engine. However, it has switched to Renault power for the upcoming season with Toro Rosso signing a deal with the Japanese manufacturer. Boullier has shut down suggestions that McLaren is in for a 'same-old-story' season.

"We didn’t have the reliability we had hoped for in winter testing, but all the issues we faced have since been addressed back at the factory," Boullier said. "There’s a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes to ensure we leave no stone unturned in our quest to extract the maximum pace we can from our new package from the first race.

“Melbourne is a venue that the whole team loves going back to, to kick off the new season. It’s a vibrant city, the fans are incredibly enthusiastic and there’s that palpable ‘back-to-school’ feeling of anticipation, where nobody really knows the form book until the lights go out on Sunday.

"We’re not expecting miracles to be worked overnight – far from it – but what we do know is that we’ll give it our all this weekend."

F1 News Renault McLaren Honda

Replies (4)

calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
So we'll see the first hoodless approved F1 car? *Bääähfacetiousbäääh!*

Jokes aside, Im not sure how much I trust McLaren anymore. Maybe they have fixed it, but even then: were those the only issues? If they had so many apparent reasons, what are the less apparent ones, and are those fixed?
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- Mar 19 2018 - 17:51
Major Tom

Posts: 152
I think it's credible. They made the engine decision late and seem have gone for some fairly aggressive or radical design solutions. The troubles they had in testing could well be a reflection of not quite having as much time as they would have liked. I think they basically have a quick car but it may take a few races to fully catch up.
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- Mar 19 2018 - 20:24
- calle.itw
  
  Posts: 8,527
  Fair enough, but aggressive and radical doesnt translate to functional or good, and thats something many seem to have forgotten. Agressive is the snake oil of F1 design spokespeople. Lotus had some really aggressive designs back in their days, and they worked, but just as many times as they worked, they didnt for Lotus and other teams. Williams' walrus nose didnt help them, and neither did Lotus' Twin Tusk design in 2014. Remember how aggressive Williams' 2017 design was? Maybe it was, but it wasnt competitive. McLaren's car might be competitive, but in this season of all seasons, if they dont fix reliability, they will be swallowed whole.
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  Mar 19 2018 - 22:24
- mclarenfan1968
  
  Posts: 1,027
  @CALLE.ITW, these bullshit buzzwords are not given out by the engineers, it's the press making sh!t up. When the engineering teams use the word "aggressive" they mean by numbers in the simulations, not by looks. Judging by looks is the domain of the uninformed from the outside because that's all they have to go on. Plus press needs some nonsense to write so they get clicks, views, ads money and all that. Trying something unconventional != aggressive, at least in the engineering circles. Such words are given with context of some quantifiable data that is not publicly shared.
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  Mar 21 2018 - 12:11