Mclaren Honda 2015

[Jolle]

that's 2 or 3 versus 1 Honda engine.

Renault were running 6 engines, so they had a failure rate of 33% compared to Honda's 50%.

Renault runs 4 engines (RBR and STR), so it's a perfect 50/50

[Richard]

Of course, my brain was in 2014 mode!

[Andres125sx]

Mercedes and Ferrari seem to be the only ones this year that are both strong and reliable.

What caused Grosjean retirement? Fair question, don´t know what was the problem, but if it was engine related that would be a Mercedes engine failing

[lebesset]

am i the only one that thinks that honda shouldn't be bothered about how many PU's they use ?
ok ,to turn the engine up in melbourne knowing it would blow would have been stupid , they desperately need mileage , but as the season progresses if they can get the engine to last one race at full bore that will be enough ...they were not expecting to win either championship this season and the extra cost will just be part of the development budget
so finish one race , blow it up in second practise , new engine that evening ; that should accelerate the development !
might even win a race at the end of the season ..honda have the resources and are not paying someone else for the PU's they get them at in house cost !

[Per]

The point is they're not even at the stage yet where they can try to test the longer term lifecycle of the PU (where wear and fatigue come into play). They don't want to overheat the MGU-K which seems like a 'static' loadcase if you will. In normal operation they're already exceeding what the system can handle as a single event.

They choose to stay under this limit as they try to find a solution. I don't rule out that JB will manage another two full weekends with this PU if they carry on like this. That doesn't mean they have good reliability though, because like I said, it looks to me as if they're not even testing the actual lifetime of the system in full circumstances.

It would be stupid to burn components and incur grid penalties if the limiting factor is a component which you know you need to redesign, but has a relatively long lead time.

I hope the failure on KMag's car doesn't get them into trouble with the token usage strategy. Because using tokens will mean both cars need to go to the next of the 4 components.

[FoxHound]

Nice post Per.

Are there no interim fixes that can allow a better use of the MGU-K?

[Vasconia]

Alonso has only 3 engines left for the season,the Melbourne one can not be repaired.

3 engines my godness....this season is going to be a nightmare for Alonso.

There will be many burned engines this season by Alonso and Button! It is the price they need to pay to evolve !

I understand that they will try to keep the first engine alive at least 3 races until the season break after Barcelona. Where they expect to make a great improvement and start using the engine between the 90/100%. I am sure that they will use more than 4 engines this season, but its normal if they want to be ready to be WC contenders next season. This is what they must do.

[WaikeCU]

If they have the speed, they will go through the field like a knife on butter.

[FW17]

Is the MGU-K overheating by design or installation?

[Andres125sx]

Mclaren people has stated several times since they can unlock engine power they neither can unlock car potential......


May someone explain this? I don´t get what´s the problem that prevents the car from being fast if the engine is not competitive..... Or it´s just that they don´t want to unlock car´s potential to avoid competitors to copy their solutions while they are not competitive due to the engine?

[Richard]

I suspect it is something lost in translation. They are saying that the car chassis and mech have a lot of potential, but that's of no benefit if the engine is slow. Also they will be less aggressive with aero to compensate for the engine (eg less downforce so they can reduce the drag).

[GoranF1]

Mclaren must be very confident about this car....today yet again after all the trouble they had so far,Jenson and Eric in their interviews say they will be able to chalenge Mercs this year.
What do you guys think empty talk or what?
http://www.onestopstrategy.com/dailyf1n ... llier.html
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/118117

[Richard]

Button said "This could be great in the future ... This is what we need in the sport, someone that is going to challenge those Mercedes that are out in front. I really do think that this is the team that can do that."

He's taking about long term potential of linking Honda and Mclaren as a team, not this particular car.

[zeph]

Yes, but then he goes on to say:

"There are areas we need to work on of course, but the basic car is good and hopefully we can keep adding downforce and performance to this car."

[Vasconia]

Yes, but then he goes on to say:

"There are areas we need to work on of course, but the basic car is good and hopefully we can keep adding downforce and performance to this car."

Which means "we can improve this car and be lapped only once". I also think that this car has a lot of potential but only if the engine is good, which we still dont know. But compete with Mercedes? this is too much, at least this 2015, but who knows....