2016 McLaren F1 Team - Honda

[ALO_Power]

Thanks a ton Wazari for giving us that info. (just don't give enough that rivals could use hahaha).
I believe, the big question now for all the fans is that, can we believe in Honda and McLaren-Honda ,in general, that will be competitive and title challenger or game has been lost just from that wrong initial move? Do you think Honda will be able to get through pain and make a Mercedes challenger engine or you are trying to compromise from the initial concept? I guess a lot of fans expect big progress in 2016 and a properly competitive car for 2017, especially with the token system being scrapped.

[maguetox]

MP4-31 is pretty much a brick wall in the air at the moment(DF to Drag isn't close to top chassis),Barcelona upgrades hopefully helps that problem.Rear suspension design hurts tire wear.

It´s funny and pretty much obvious that McLaren is having some issues with the aero and chassis department because EB ( a gay that I rate in a similar position to Arai and is not a good position) have been attacking Honda insistently and I said before I read this, that I think he putting a smoke screen in order to distract everybody from the McLaren aero /chassis problems. I think, at least my opinion that the aero guru Peter P. was not as good as everybody though he was (he is having almost 2 years with the team) and still having some of the issues of past race cars, however I could be 100% wrong .

Waiting for Barcelona!!!!

[dren]

I thought Sasha's wordings were somewhat familiar and I wondered if he's ever been the wrong side up in an NSX!!

I asked him about his P1 on here a year or so ago...

[Sonador]

As an insider,I now wished we didn't go and chase Mclaren to put our PU in their chassis. It wasn't worth the money it is costing(Honda is paying most of the bill for the team and 1/2 of the drivers salary) Honda and the negative press.We are now thinking RB/TR or Sauber would of be better deal for Honda. But past history blinded the people in charge at the time(Ito and Arias).

.

Last year could have been handeld a lot better i think.
On both sides to be honest ....
But i do think the Mclaren Honda partnership is going to be a good one, do you say that Honda now have regrets over partnering with Mclaren? Or is it just a feelling among personel?

I also "wished" someone would sack or tell Eric Boullier the truth, over how he is handeling this partnership.
I think he did good stuff with Lotus., but ever since he joined Mclaren it is like he is another person (almost trying to be Ron Dennis copy).

I find it irritating al these "little" jabs towards Honda by EB but also the drivers have a hand of it sometimes.
I realy hope, they just knuckle down, be humble and work hard and contructive towards succes!
negativity is not the way to go forwards (just my opinion).

I am encouraged by the monumental progress there has been made, just wished al the bullshit and negativity stops ...

I am also curious about this article: http://en.f1i.com/news/43852-honda-not- ... laren.html

Now there are insiders claiming that is was indeed Mclaren that pushed (hard) for this concept, but where does this article stemm from? Is it just creative reporting?

*(I am a long time reader, but now a first time poster excuse for the poor English)

[hemichromis]

MP4-31 is pretty much a brick wall in the air at the moment(DF to Drag isn't close to top chassis),Barcelona upgrades hopefully helps that problem.Rear suspension design hurts tire wear.

It´s funny and pretty much obvious that McLaren is having some issues with the aero and chassis department because EB ( a gay that I rate in a similar position to Arai and is not a good position) have been attacking Honda insistently and I said before I read this, that I think he putting a smoke screen in order to distract everybody from the McLaren aero /chassis problems. I think, at least my opinion that the aero guru Peter P. was not as good as everybody though he was (he is having almost 2 years with the team) and still having some of the issues of past race cars, however I could be 100% wrong .

Waiting for Barcelona!!!!

A gay?!

[McG]

Such a long post for everything I already know and just said.

One point I will bring up that you seem to be at a loss to understand how we or other teams or comparitive GPS data can tell if a chassis is good or not. Well it's just short of common knowledge that the McLaren chassis is good. The Honda engine is most likely responsible for bad tyre deg with its unrefined... EVERYTHING.

I find your post quite condescending actually.

This concept of mini-packaging was obviously from McLaren and it is well documented. The layout was obviously Honda’s. This concept was pushed hard to Honda and Honda with their too much pride to say no, said okay. This is a common fault of many Japanese business practices and can set them back, best case scenario or ruin them. That fact that Honda caved and said no problem was definitely Honda’s fault 100%. Then Arai-san told McLaren after the 2015 season that it might possible to rearrange the plumbing to make the bodywork even tighter and at that point McLaren said no, that’s not necessary. Somehow people take that fact out of context and start saying that “size zero” was not McLaren’s agenda. Well whether you believe me or not, “size zero” definitely came from McLaren and it was pushed hard. So it didn’t work thus far, whose fault is it? I think both, but ultimately Honda for moving ahead with such a difficult and IMO a compromised layout.

I agree Wazari. Ofcourse Mclaren had a say in the PU design, otherwise they wouldn't have any qualm about having Mercedes's customer PUs. Honda hasn't delivered like Mclaren hoped it would but some of the blame falls on mclaren's shoulder too.

[FW17]

As an insider,I now wished we didn't go and chase Mclaren to put our PU in their chassis. It wasn't worth the money it is costing(Honda is paying most of the bill for the team and 1/2 of the drivers salary) Honda and the negative press.We are now thinking RB/TR or Sauber would of be better deal for Honda. But past history blinded the people in charge at the time(Ito and Arias).

For the record, Sasha is definitely “an insider”, not a Honda fanboy (actually far from it) and does not drive a Civic. Actually his daily driver is a F458 and ironically has a McLaren in his garage.

Quiet a revelation on the frustration at Honda higher management at Mclaren.

No wonder............

You will never get an engine from Honda. Rather, I would sue the FIA over the new rule.

[Manoah2u]

It seems i owe my apologies to Sascha. My apologies on being too brute and having prejudice. I'm the fool, pardon my uncalled for replies.

[Sayeman]

Such a long post for everything I already know and just said.

One point I will bring up that you seem to be at a loss to understand how we or other teams or comparitive GPS data can tell if a chassis is good or not. Well it's just short of common knowledge that the McLaren chassis is good. The Honda engine is most likely responsible for bad tyre deg with its unrefined... EVERYTHING.

I find your post quite condescending actually.

[PlatinumZealot]

MP4-31 is pretty much a brick wall in the air at the moment(DF to Drag isn't close to top chassis),Barcelona upgrades hopefully helps that problem.Rear suspension design hurts tire wear.

It´s funny and pretty much obvious that McLaren is having some issues with the aero and chassis department because EB ( a gay that I rate in a similar position to Arai and is not a good position) have been attacking Honda insistently and I said before I read this, that I think he putting a smoke screen in order to distract everybody from the McLaren aero /chassis problems. I think, at least my opinion that the aero guru Peter P. was not as good as everybody though he was (he is having almost 2 years with the team) and still having some of the issues of past race cars, however I could be 100% wrong .

Waiting for Barcelona!!!!

Oh come on now... Not because he is French...

[DiogoBrand]

I should've become a chassis designer in F1: my designs would be awful, but just by having a small engine cover and running a lot of rake no one would realize that.

Come on guys, McLaren's chassis looks pretty, but it's not much more than that. Performance-wise it's pretty much as crippled as Honda's PU.

Edit: Let's not forget that the team where Prodromou used to work was very much lost at sea last season when Newey didn't have such a high influence on the car design. So that probably gives a good idea of the competence of "Newey's apprentices".

[Manoah2u]

I could imagine that since Mclaren has such a tight package, the area where the heat exits the bodywork might cause a rather big disturbance of air, causing the flow to be influenced in ways perhaps was not expected?

[GoranF1]

I should've become a chassis designer in F1: my designs would be awful, but just by having a small engine cover and running a lot of rake no one would realize that.

Come on guys, McLaren's chassis looks pretty, but it's not much more than that. Performance-wise it's pretty much as crippled as Honda's PU.

Edit: Let's not forget that the team where Prodromou used to work was very much lost at sea last season when Newey didn't have such a high influence on the car design. So that probably gives a good idea of the competence of "Newey's apprentices".

Are you saying Nico Hulkenberg is a liar?

[dr_cooke]

Honda is not (yet) a good enough PU, that's quite clear. With that PU, on a power track, Alonso was capable of 5th fastest lap time on not-so-fresh tyres and made another couple of fast laps as well. Chassis and aero can't be THAT bad...

[diffuser]

Such a long post for everything I already know and just said.

One point I will bring up that you seem to be at a loss to understand how we or other teams or comparitive GPS data can tell if a chassis is good or not. Well it's just short of common knowledge that the McLaren chassis is good. The Honda engine is most likely responsible for bad tyre deg with its unrefined... EVERYTHING.

I find your post quite condescending actually.

This concept of mini-packaging was obviously from McLaren and it is well documented. The layout was obviously Honda’s. This concept was pushed hard to Honda and Honda with their too much pride to say no, said okay. This is a common fault of many Japanese business practices and can set them back, best case scenario or ruin them. That fact that Honda caved and said no problem was definitely Honda’s fault 100%. Then Arai-san told McLaren after the 2015 season that it might possible to rearrange the plumbing to make the bodywork even tighter and at that point McLaren said no, that’s not necessary. Somehow people take that fact out of context and start saying that “size zero” was not McLaren’s agenda. Well whether you believe me or not, “size zero” definitely came from McLaren and it was pushed hard. So it didn’t work thus far, whose fault is it? I think both, but ultimately Honda for moving ahead with such a difficult and IMO a compromised layout.

I agree Wazari. Ofcourse Mclaren had a say in the PU design, otherwise they wouldn't have any qualm about having Mercedes's customer PUs. Honda hasn't delivered like Mclaren hoped it would but some of the blame falls on mclaren's shoulder too.

Once again Ippon to Wazari! Sorry to have doubted you!.