[Team] McLaren - can they compete?

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

McLaren sells F1 factory in ?170 million leaseback.


https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/m...-back/6365400/

I am not an expert in these things, but I "think" I have heard of business preferring to do this. But to me, this is seems like good short term, bad long term. You get an immediate input of cash, but over the long haul you are just leasing what was previously yours. And the longer this goes, the less it makes sense. I guess it gives you flexibility of moving later on. Do they plan to eventually move? I would have thought they might do this with their auto manufacturing buildings (which I think is part of the larger complex), but it surprises me that they sold the main building.

Richard

[wolfhound]

Lando Norris was mugged leaving Wembley on Sunday after the European cup final and his watch was stolen


https://www.rte.ie/sport/euro-2020/2...ro-2020-final/

[chillibowl]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Lando Norris was mugged leaving Wembley on Sunday after the European cup final and his watch was stolen


https://www.rte.ie/sport/euro-2020/2...ro-2020-final/

i read this as well...i am assuming that like at most stadiums/arenas, players and VIPs etc park in a secured section of the lot?

serious security questions overall for this event!

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

Lando Norris was mugged leaving Wembley on Sunday after the European cup final and his watch was stolen


https://www.rte.ie/sport/euro-2020/2...ro-2020-final/

I saw this yesterday. Thankfully he didn't get a black eye like Bernie did! Seriously, I am glad he didn't get hurt.

Richard

[Aysedasi]

I suspect he enjoyed his run at the FOS in Senna's McLaren on Sunday rather more......

[chunterer]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

I suspect he enjoyed his run at the FOS in Senna's McLaren on Sunday rather more......

Yes!! Didn't he say he was already pestering Zak about gettin it out for a trackday at some point soon?

[S griffin]

That's nice to know he wants to take it for a spin round the track, shows he has the enthusiasm for the sport. We'll see if Zak will let him

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

I saw this yesterday. Thankfully he didn't get a black eye like Bernie did! Seriously, I am glad he didn't get hurt.

Richard

No doubt Bernie " got them sorted " though .....!

[S griffin]

I think Bernie was too scared to do anything

[billy bleach]

So McLaren hosted Prince Edward today as part of their support of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Is this the same McLaren that laid off all of its apprentices at the first whiff of trouble last year?…

[Greem]

Maybe, but the DofE award scheme is nothing to do with apprenticeships.

[Adam43]

I seem to recall there were lots of worries about McLaren at the beginning of the pandemic. I found the thread. https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155166

Although on apprentices and not a McLaren thing specifically the cost cap might limit this. I think I read somewhere there were calls for this to be outside the cap recently?

[S griffin]

McLaren seem to have got their finances sorted for their moment. I wouldn’t say they have quite the unlimited budget, but certainly better than last year when things were looking less certain

I would say apprenticeships haven’t been the top priority for McLaren of late and who can blame them with them needing to secure their future first

[crmalcolm]

Originally Posted by Adam43

I seem to recall there were lots of worries about McLaren at the beginning of the pandemic. I found the thread. https://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155166

Yes - and that story is still ongoing. However, in the context of this thread, it appears that being able to compete has been secured for the foreseeable future.

In Dec 2020:
'McLaren seeks up to £500m in possible blank-cheque merger'
'After laying off a quarter of its staff during the pandemic and raising emergency funding in the summer, the company is seeking ways to cut its debt pile before refinancing bonds that mature in 2022, Mike Flewitt, McLaren Automotive chief executive, told the Financial Times.
“We need to restructure the total business,” he said. “We went into this year having two very successful years in automotive, but the total business did not have the liquidity to survive this kind of crisis.”'

Three days ago:
'McLaren gets finance boost from Saudi Arabian wealth fund'
'The McLaren Group announced a 550 million pound ($758 million) equity investment, with much of it coming from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and global investment firm Ares Management.
PIF and Ares were providing 400 million of new capital, in the form of preference shares and equity warrants, McLaren said on Friday.
The rest will come from existing shareholders as convertible preference shares, allowing for repayment of a loan received in June last year from the National Bank of Bahrain.'

So financially they are looking stronger. On the track they are performing well. The future looks good for them, having been through the tough challenge of a global pandemic and having to make difficult decisions to survive.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Greem

Maybe, but the DofE award scheme is nothing to do with apprenticeships.

I fully realise that however to portray themselves as supporters of young people is a little disingenuous

[Adam43]

It does seem that the internet’s hobby is to desperately find the bad in people.

They let some apprentices go so they aren’t allowed to do anything nice for young people ever again. It’s not like it really gets them any publicity, first I heard about it was when it was pointed out how bad this was.

I don’t know the details of the apprentices or the DofE visit, but I don’t have a problem with he morals of this team over this.

[wnut]

Has McLaren tried to swop chassis between Ricciardo and Norris?
Ricciardo's sudden lack of pace at McLaren has to have some cause, he has been spectacularly quick right off the bat everywhere else, including holding his own against Verstappen at RBR.

[Aysedasi]

It's a lack of pace compared to Lando though isn't it? Should we be surprised about that?

[crmalcolm]

To answer the thread title - yes.

[Aysedasi]

It seems that way..... Let's just hope for more. Now that Daniel is starting to fire on all cylinders, he and Lando could well be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season.

[Adam43]

Decent car and two top drivers. Looking good.

Car worked particularly well at Monza. Is closer to the pack at others, but they must be a solid 3rd in the championship now.

Actually, just looked it up, Ferrari closer than I thought they would be.

[Teretonga]

Originally Posted by Adam43

Decent car and two top drivers. Looking good.

Car worked particularly well at Monza. Is closer to the pack at others, but they must be a solid 3rd in the championship now.

Actually, just looked it up, Ferrari closer than I thought they would be.

McLaren scored a total of 45 points this weekend. 27 for Daniel, 18 for Lando.
Ferrari had a 10.5 point advantage after Zandvoort and still got 20 points out of Monza which is why its closer than you thought. I thought it would be more too, but it is what it is.

[S griffin]

So nice to see McLaren back on top after so long, 9 years would you believe? It's interesting that since 2012 they had two more years with Merc, before switching to Honda, then Renault and now this year they are back with Merc again and they're winning again

Anyway this win is great news for the sport

[bathurst77]

Welp, might as well close this thread.
Answered.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by Aysedasi

It seems that way..... Let's just hope for more. Now that Daniel is starting to fire on all cylinders, he and Lando could well be a force to be reckoned with for the rest of the season.

Absolute class from Norris - asked the team if he should push and accepted the negative answer without sulking or make a point - save for a big go on the last lap which is his specially anyway! Good on him