McLaren SANDBAGGING

[F1Pete]

While Kimi Raikkonen was emptying his sandbags, I guess sand got into the intakes causing a severe engine failure.

Seriously though, I am absolutely disgusted with the team. Apparently, the team is fragmented and working on different programs. A portion of the team is working on the 20, another portion on the composite transmission, and another on the existing piece of garbage. Truly a state of disarray.

It was absolutely brutal to see a BAR passing a McLaren. Something I am having a hard time getting accustomed with.

Bring back the 17D.

[Kicking-back]

Originally posted by F1Pete
Apparently, the team is fragmented and working on different programs. A portion of the team is working on the 20, another portion on the composite transmission, and another on the existing piece of garbage. Truly a state of disarray.

All teams do that!

McLaren's problems lie mostly with the Mercedes engine.

Apart from the Cosworth in the Minardi it must be the least powerful on the grid - and it certainly has the worst reliability.

[DavidStHubbins]

I say it again, Montoya must be spitting blood seeing what he has let himself in for. This is not just a blip, this team has being going downhill for some time now.

Does anyone else get the impression Newey is being held prisoner in a dungeon in Woking and is deliberately designing turkeys because he wants to make boats but Big Ron won't let him?!

The real problem lies with that dog engine though. What a turnaround from what was once the best engine in F1 in the late '90's...

[Kicking-back]

It was a good engine in the late 90s but even then reliability was suspect.

If you put a Toyota engine in an MP4/19 it would be much closer the front.

[Gt_R]

It's amazing isn't it? Even engines which have a reputation for terrible reliability like Honda and Cosworths are now lasting far longer than a Mercedes!

And it's not a simple failure...the engine just BLEW. Strangely, only Kimi's engine failed in 3 races...DC managed to keep his so far.. Mclaren is now in shambles.

[DavidStHubbins]

Mika Hakkinen would have had twice the victories and maybe another title(or two) if that Merc had not been so unreliable. But then again it was one of the reasons he won his titles in the first place.

Makes you realise how amazing the Ferrari is that it has so much power and is so drivable yet it has bullet-proof reliability.

[Sodemo]

What happened to all those people who before the season started were saying that McLaren were sandbagging and that they would walk over everyone?

[freud]

yeah quite many on this forum were declaring Kimi as the 2004 f1 champ (probably based on the results of winter testing times?).. funny, eh?

[SetikX]

The Monster, pfft get over it. EVERYONE (except one person, who I forget who it was, but they said 'Testing means nothing, when the season begins I will tell you what the new Mclaren is like) was under the general consensus that the new Mac was a very clean, very proficient, and speedie lil car. It wasnt. We have accepted it. Move on.

You can rub it in all you want that the Mclaren wasnt all it was cracked up to be, but seriously, so what? Who cares if we cant tell the future, I for won LOVED the three - four weeks leading up to the Aussie GP and although it ticked me off in Aussie and Sepang that Mclaren's performed so poorly - I now consider it a blessing they are at the back of the grid - they provide a more equaled entertainment. Watching Kimi jump the field, and watching webbie and DC have fun in position 8/9 (i think?) was wonderful. Klein and Kimi was a great battle.

Moreover, can I note, the weakness in the mp419 is NOT the car, rather the engine. When Mercedes get their acts together, and supply macs with a good engine, then u will see some proper racing.

Btw I didnt post during off season, I came in for some updates but that was it, but i believed they were Sandbagging out of pure wishful thinking. Id rather live my life being positive, then sitting on my self-glorification hill top all alone huddled behind a rock.

[Sodemo]

OK, thankyou for that insight, I am now over it.

[Hugh Jarce]

I find it hard to believe how bad they have been.

It makes you wonder if Kimi was offered another drive right now whether he would walk as he has done in each GP so far.

[Knowlesy]

If I were Frank Williams, I would be enquiring into Kimis contractual situation. Now would be a good time to poach him I reckon, to get one over on Ron.

[Kicking-back]

Kimi will stay at McLaren.

History shows they always come back from a bad spell - and usually stronger than before.

[jetsetter]

The worrying aspect for the McLarens is that so far they haven't found either speed or reliability three races in the new year.

[Mouser]

Surely Mclaren/Mercedes is working round the clock to improve the situation.They are proven winners,and they will
win again.It's frustrating watching Kimi's engine turn
into a 900hp barbecue,but they will rebound.

[Jordi]

If the cars had a dual livery, it would be BAR 1999 all over again. Surely the worst start for McLaren since what... 1995?

[SetikX]

Just publically can I apologise to The Monster for taking my anger out on him, I appreciate he probably isnt the main person who does it, but alot of forums, and alot of people try and run the Sandbaggign joke race after race - gets tiring. Sorry again.

[stubert]

Kimi said before the first race he didn't think he would finish. I guess he knew something.

[Pitstop]

knowlesy, Good point.

A little early for the silly season, but we have just had April 1st and Ronnie needs a wake up call.!

[EERO]

Can we keep the personal attacks off the Forum please. If some one on the is Forum is critical of a Team or a driver, it isn't a personal attack on you.

Thinkgs are looking grim for McLaren right now, and I think that Kimi's WDC hopes are prettty futile right now, but it can take several years to get a concept right. I expect that mcLaren will come back, but the natural ebb and flow of things suggests that every team will have a down period.

[f1truestory]

down period? they just came back from down period last year! and now back down again

[senna12]

Well, the McLaren was the first car out in testing this season, thousands of kilometers later, they should be better. We can blame the engine, sure, but it is acknowledged to be a "very tight installation", we can see this is the case, and you can be sure it would be somewhat related to lack of heat dissapation. I'm sure that's not the only reason, but it can't help.

[Snrub]

Why be disgusted by a team's success. They're in an extremely competitive and high stakes game. I'm not much of an F1 historian, I think what people fail to realize is that F1 today has the highest level of competition in atleast quiet some time. McLaren is the 5th or 6th team (based on pace) instead of 3rd because there are some very serious and well financed manufacturers that are in the mix. Even two years ago a Sauber running a car that is probably as fast as the previous year's WCC Ferrari would have been a lock on 4th and a serious threat on 3rd.

It's interesting that even a few years ago the pure manufacturer teams were jokes. They've caught up shockingly quickly. If this trend continues, quazi-privateers with manufacturers closely linked with them may not be strong enough. This is the classic "big three". Their sponsors are not able to pony up the kind of money the likes of Honda, Ford and Renault could theoretically summon.

[f1manoz]

Certainly is worrying that McLaren are this unreliable, their car just doesn't seem to be performing while Mercedes have clearly been caught (and overtaken) by Honda and Renault are not far behind.

Even the Jaguar was looking good against the new McLaren.

[Kicking-back]

The McLaren was better than the Jaguar on pace - the Kimi/Klien battle was down to Raikkonen being fat with fuel.

But the McLaren must have a decent chassis - because an average car with the current Merc engine would qualify 17th and 18th at every race.

Every engine except the old Cosworths in the Minardi is more powerful than the Merc.