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Anyone else find it funny that it seems Ferrari and Mclaren have basically swapped pace this year from last? 
Australian Grand Prix 2013, Melbourne - Race 1/19
- Thread starter Duke
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Anyone else find it funny that it seems Ferrari and Mclaren have basically swapped pace this year from last?
let hope rbr and marc do the same!
Soldato
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I'd point out again that I think this was fairly common last year for Button(though also reversed in a few races). Button complained about grip, couldn't set up the car, couldn't decide which way the car needed to go in setup to get better, made a hash of things and did what a rookie does. No grip = put on a huge wing, Hamilton would find balance, settings and just make the car work, so would Alonso, and Vettel. There were a couple races Hamilton went with a bigger wing and Button thought he'd go with a low drag setup, I can't remember if that ever worked.
AS for talking down the team, few if any drivers haven't talked down their chances. Its EASY to talk down chances then win, you talk up your chances and lose and everyone laughs at you. Its why no one at all has proclaimed they have a truly brilliant car this year, no one wants egg on their face in a few races time.
The stupid thing is for Mclaren in terms of going whole new car, surely there are so many car changes next year that essentially tweaking the car into perfection would have taken less time, less money, left more engineers to play around on the 2014 car, and left them a hell of a lot less hassle with the car this season, it seems like a truly demented move from Mclaren. Merc have done a lot by just fixing what wasn't working and seemingly making everything work together very well.
Lastly, on Hamilton I still don't think he remotely moved for the 2014 car alone, he moved because Mclaren are becoming a joke. If Red Bull, Ferrari, maybe even last years Merc or Lotus had that Mclaren car it would have been either winning the title or massively closer, and much closer in the constructors. He left because Mclaren run an overly tight ship, brought on a smarmy little git who was constantly having digs at Hamilton, while screwing up race after race after Hamilton puts it on pole, keeps a lead then they throw it again on a bad strategy or pit stop.
Merc was just the best seat at anyone that wasn't Mclaren, from what almost everyone says, Mclaren are a very strict, boring invasive and work heavy team to drive for, with more media crap than any other team, yet also paying the least in terms of personal sponsors making it stupid. He's getting paid more to have far more time off throughout the year, less commitments to stupid press events, and potentially a team that won't sabotage him.
Keep in mind that he knew where the Mclaren car for this season was probably going by that point in the year and may not have been remotely happy with it, and been given assurances about the Merc car. Ultimately I don't think performance mattered, potential mattered, and a team that wouldn't squander it if they had it was important, but not being at Mclaren this season was for me, his only really major priority.
Soldato
You should have said..and it's to early for moaning
Small problems for merc but I'm glad they had the now than in the race.
I see McLaren are missing Lewis already.
Yes because Lewis would have got a 1.26 in the MP4-28 today
Soldato
It's disappointing to see Mclaren so far off the pace but I must stress that it is early days. Look at Ferrari last year - didn't they qualify around 10th/9th place? They ended up 2nd and 3rd in Brazil at the end of the year, they turned their car around and proved how long of a game it is.
Got to bear in mind the fact that Formula 1 isn't about turning up to every weekend with the same car - upgrades and updates are the name of the game and namely, the development race. Mclaren have opened themselves it up to this with the biggest room for development so whilst we may start slow we'll gather pace as the season progresses and overtake teams who will be limited to their chassis and restricted to their evolutionary designs.
Very early days yet, and it's still yet to be seen how teams like Mercedes will handle their race pace/ tyre deg.
Got to bear in mind the fact that Formula 1 isn't about turning up to every weekend with the same car - upgrades and updates are the name of the game and namely, the development race. Mclaren have opened themselves it up to this with the biggest room for development so whilst we may start slow we'll gather pace as the season progresses and overtake teams who will be limited to their chassis and restricted to their evolutionary designs.
Very early days yet, and it's still yet to be seen how teams like Mercedes will handle their race pace/ tyre deg.
Soldato
Yes because Lewis would have got a 1.26 in the MP4-28 today
As button said at last years testing "I've done all I can now, it's up to Lewis to get the speed out of the car" and he did.
There is no one at McLaren now to push that car to and beyond it's limits. May as well start on the 2014 car
Soldato
As button said at last years testing "I've done all I can now, it's up to Lewis to get the speed out of the car" and he did.
There is no one at McLaren now to push that car to and beyond it's limits. May as well start on the 2014 car
Love how you've summed up the 2013 season for Mclaren before the first Practice 3 session. Whilst yer 'ere, what are the winning euromillions numbers for tonight?
Soldato
Love how you've summed up the 2013 season for Mclaren before the first Practice 3 session. Whilst yer 'ere, what are the winning euromillions numbers for tonight?
I said the same thing in 2009 and I was right. Yes they will catch up but it will be all over by then.
They had the fastest car at the end of the season and for some reason they went awol.
I still think Lewis could get a top ten place in the race.
Anyone else find it funny that it seems Ferrari and Mclaren have basically swapped pace this year from last?
and remember Ferrari still had a good chance of taking the title at the last race......
That would be some award winning trolling.
Ferrari had Alonso.
Unfortunately for McLaren, they don't have Alonso.
Do bear in mind though, that McLaren's race pace might be faster and we don't truly know (even McLaren don't know), where they can/will finish in qualifying or the race.
After Q3, we will have a good idea about the pace of the various cars.
Don't write off McLaren, yet.
Soldato
Just LOL.
The car looks bloody awful. Watching it in Practice this morning was sad times for me.. It's bouncing all over the place, looks very poorly sprung and setup.
Checo said "it feels like it's doing different things each time through corners" it looks to me like they have a real problem on their hands!
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Do you want to quote any more of the thread?
Just the first post and any which makes my post fit into context.
Also Adrian Newey will win again this year
This is key.
Alonso can drive a bad car. Hamilton can, sort of.
Button on the other hand is dire unless his car is perfect, and Perez is a complete unknown.
I don't think McLaren have a driver who can do for them the sort of thing Alonso did for Ferrari, so they will have to make progress by improving the car. But if that takes them 1/3rd of the season, then it will be too late.
and no one thought JB would be a factor in seeing LH leave McLaren 3 seasons ago either
Im not disputing Alonso had a fantastic season last year, from an awful beginning but its not impossible that factors that turned in his favour last season could turn towards McLaren this season
They may, they may not
And no-one thought Massa would be beatng Alonso fairly and squarely .........
JB is capable of developing a decent car into a winning car - especially if the focus is around him to score the points (BAR for example)
No-one knows how bad the McLaren is yet, yes its definitely off on 1 lap pace - but who knows what its like in race trim
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JB can help develop the car, but what he can't do is out perform it while its still poor. This is where Alonso shone last year, it was the results he was able to get early on.
Alonso helped Ferrari develop the car while picking up podiums in it.
Button will help McLaren develop the car while picking up points finishes in it.
Button cannot out perform an under performing car.
Alonso helped Ferrari develop the car while picking up podiums in it.
Button will help McLaren develop the car while picking up points finishes in it.
Button cannot out perform an under performing car.
and so the f1 threads pick up where they left off last year
It's like a warm blanket – Nothing changes.