2025 McLaren F1 Team

[SilviuAgo]

I posted something in the race thread and the more I watch the post quali show the more I think the drivers just didn’t take any risk.

It’s crazy to be disappointed with a 2-3 in quali

Indeed, a huge surprise in Hungaroring and all the Ferrari fans around us, after Ham exit in Q2, remained shocked after Charles got pole. Was a confusion moment, since McLaren times in Q3 were around +0.5 vs Q2.
So yes, the decrease in track temp but mainly the wind change affected the MCL39 and, as you said, they played safe.

Think this image summaries our boys feelings:



And sometimes, we as fans, are more upset than the McLaren drivers are

[michl420]

One of the craziest qualys I ever see. Q1, Q2 and Q3 where like 3 different days. We had temperature change, wind change and even some drizzels. And this cars are not often be driven with this big wings. So this is a (little) excuse for this "bad" qualy result for mclaren.
But for sure, things can be learned from today.

[CjC]

I posted something in the race thread and the more I watch the post quali show the more I think the drivers just didn’t take any risk.

It’s crazy to be disappointed with a 2-3 in quali

Indeed, a huge surprise in Hungaroring and all the Ferrari fans around us, after Ham exit in Q2, remained shocked after Charles got pole. Was a confusion moment, since McLaren times in Q3 were around +0.5 vs Q2.
So yes, the decrease in track temp but mainly the wind change affected the MCL39 and, as you said, they played safe.

Think this image summaries our boys feelings:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GxW0gu5XsAA ... me=900x900

And sometimes, we as fans, are more upset than the McLaren drivers are

Lando also said that they should have better race pace than Leclerc so their confidence is still high but on the flip side of the coin everyone in the paddock including McLaren expected them to be on pole, with a 1-2, with a margin so anything can happen tomorrow.

[MormegilRS]

2-3 is not bad. Will hopefully have faster race pace to get past Leclerc. And for all the people pointing out that the drivers did not do a good enough job, Verstappen was not on pole every race in 2023 when he had the fastest car. Off the top of my head, I remember the USGP where he qualified 6th or 7th because of track limits.

[CjC]

Carried on watching the post quali show…
Lando said his 14.8 in Q2 was a ‘nice, easy lap’ if he was pushing it’d have been a 14.5!!

Both drives are perplexed as to why they both ended up a lot slowed in the different conditions in Q3.

So FittingMechanocs noted Lando did a 15.0 in Q2 on used tyres…. At the same time on new tyres Leclerc did a 15.4!….

Anyway, race day tomorrow. Supposedly it’s going to rain over night so the track will be green at the very least if not slightly wet for the race.

[Slahinki]

In the post quali presser, Lando said it was just the wind, and not the track temperature. So I guessed wrong on that front.

[mwillems]

how do you miss pole in this car?

You are very upset with McLaren, it is evident from your posts. The worst thing is that because of Verstappen's failure, you come here to let off steam. I feel sorry for you.

Don't feed the troll.

[venkyhere]

You are very upset with McLaren, it is evident from your posts. The worst thing is that because of Verstappen's failure, you come here to let off steam. I feel sorry for you.

I'm not upset with Mclaren. I'm just pointing out that the car should be on pole.

If you are honest, you have to admit that it is obvious that McLaren superior pace is a result of being able to tightly connect track temperature with the car. This means that their temperature window is rather small, especially for a one lap run. Looks like they can fine tune their temperatures so highly that changes in temperature affect them much more than other cars.

This car did multiple faster laps than pole in Q2. But then the temperature fell.

Btw Red Bull surely has a better car than Aston Martin. Quite a bottle job by the Red Bull today.

I hope you are joking, otherwise that's the biggest un-truth about the McL39, imho. McLaren is the car with the most robust balance against varying tyre compounds, varying tarmac grain, varying tarmac temps, varying tyre pressures etc. McLarens were looking at 1.14.5xx kind of pole time, just that they messed up their tyre prep as the track temps dropped. There is no way an FP3 with 40+ hot track temps produced 1.14.9 while a Q with track temp in the 20s/30s produced a 1.15.4. It has to be tyre prep. Nothing else.

[Slahinki]

I'm not upset with Mclaren. I'm just pointing out that the car should be on pole.

If you are honest, you have to admit that it is obvious that McLaren superior pace is a result of being able to tightly connect track temperature with the car. This means that their temperature window is rather small, especially for a one lap run. Looks like they can fine tune their temperatures so highly that changes in temperature affect them much more than other cars.

This car did multiple faster laps than pole in Q2. But then the temperature fell.

Btw Red Bull surely has a better car than Aston Martin. Quite a bottle job by the Red Bull today.

I hope you are joking, otherwise that's the biggest un-truth about the McL39, imho. McLaren is the car with the most robust balance against varying tyre compounds, varying tarmac grain, varying tarmac temps, varying tyre pressures etc. McLarens were looking at 1.14.5xx kind of pole time, just that they messed up their tyre prep as the track temps dropped. There is no way an FP3 with 40+ hot track temps produced 1.14.9 while a Q with track temp in the 20s/30s produced a 1.15.4. It has to be tyre prep. Nothing else.

Both Lando and Oscar have said it was entirely the change of wind direction that caught them out. It wasn't related to track temp at all.

[dialtone]

If you are honest, you have to admit that it is obvious that McLaren superior pace is a result of being able to tightly connect track temperature with the car. This means that their temperature window is rather small, especially for a one lap run. Looks like they can fine tune their temperatures so highly that changes in temperature affect them much more than other cars.

This car did multiple faster laps than pole in Q2. But then the temperature fell.

Btw Red Bull surely has a better car than Aston Martin. Quite a bottle job by the Red Bull today.

I hope you are joking, otherwise that's the biggest un-truth about the McL39, imho. McLaren is the car with the most robust balance against varying tyre compounds, varying tarmac grain, varying tarmac temps, varying tyre pressures etc. McLarens were looking at 1.14.5xx kind of pole time, just that they messed up their tyre prep as the track temps dropped. There is no way an FP3 with 40+ hot track temps produced 1.14.9 while a Q with track temp in the 20s/30s produced a 1.15.4. It has to be tyre prep. Nothing else.

Both Lando and Oscar have said it was entirely the change of wind direction that caught them out. It wasn't related to track temp at all.

That’s sort of the point. The wind changed for everyone, not just for them. Leclerc commentating his lap talked about how T2 was bad for him due to wind that he wasn’t expecting, but turned out to be good enough. Wind was there for all. The car remains a supercar, easily favored for tomorrow.

[erikejw]

Yes they did.
And that confirms that its track temp related.

It's also super obvious if you look at their lap data, delta compared to q2.

If you are honest, you have to admit that it is obvious that McLaren superior pace is a result of being able to tightly connect track temperature with the car. This means that their temperature window is rather small, especially for a one lap run. Looks like they can fine tune their temperatures so highly that changes in temperature affect them much more than other cars.

This car did multiple faster laps than pole in Q2. But then the temperature fell.

Btw Red Bull surely has a better car than Aston Martin. Quite a bottle job by the Red Bull today.

I hope you are joking, otherwise that's the biggest un-truth about the McL39, imho. McLaren is the car with the most robust balance against varying tyre compounds, varying tarmac grain, varying tarmac temps, varying tyre pressures etc. McLarens were looking at 1.14.5xx kind of pole time, just that they messed up their tyre prep as the track temps dropped. There is no way an FP3 with 40+ hot track temps produced 1.14.9 while a Q with track temp in the 20s/30s produced a 1.15.4. It has to be tyre prep. Nothing else.

Both Lando and Oscar have said it was entirely the change of wind direction that caught them out. It wasn't related to track temp at all.

[mwillems]

I hope you are joking, otherwise that's the biggest un-truth about the McL39, imho. McLaren is the car with the most robust balance against varying tyre compounds, varying tarmac grain, varying tarmac temps, varying tyre pressures etc. McLarens were looking at 1.14.5xx kind of pole time, just that they messed up their tyre prep as the track temps dropped. There is no way an FP3 with 40+ hot track temps produced 1.14.9 while a Q with track temp in the 20s/30s produced a 1.15.4. It has to be tyre prep. Nothing else.

Both Lando and Oscar have said it was entirely the change of wind direction that caught them out. It wasn't related to track temp at all.

That’s sort of the point. The wind changed for everyone, not just for them. Leclerc commentating his lap talked about how T2 was bad for him due to wind that he wasn’t expecting, but turned out to be good enough. Wind was there for all. The car remains a supercar, easily favored for tomorrow.

They should have done better but its no big deal, but appreciate it is to you.

Very happy with the drivers overall, no disappointment here.

"Without disclosing too much of IP, let me say that when we look at the wind direction in some corners, then we can recognise that in some of the corners where we lose the most compared to ourself in Q2, we see a certain wind pattern" – Andrea Stella


I trust Stella. I like his approach and the culture. As much as other fans seem to want to affect this. As per the quote above he suggests there is a particular sensitivity to a wind direction that will affect us more.

Ive no interest in criticising the drivers unless they clearly deserve it.

[CjC]

https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mark ... n-gp-pole/

Mark Hughes suggests that the fact Mclaren are so fast and look after their rears the best, the car isn’t set up with as much understeer to protect the rears for the race. This then caused instability for the McLaren drivers compared to Leclerc who reverted back to the understeer balance he had on Friday which gave him a more settled car for Q3.

We can only hope that McLaren ‘cure’ the wind sensitivity operationally because I doubt they can cure it if it’s an inherent weakness

[Waz]

how do you miss pole in this car?

You are very upset with McLaren, it is evident from your posts. The worst thing is that because of Verstappen's failure, you come here to let off steam. I feel sorry for you.

Don't feed the troll.

It's a strange narrative, and I see it other places, that because the McLaren drivers are not 1st and 2nd in every session of every race weekend, they are wasting the car and Verstappen would be utterly perfect.

And then people will turn around and say they never want 2023 again.

[Balalu]

People push the narrative that Max, and some of the other known drivers, can push a turd of a car to the front (outdrive the car, which I say is just not possible), yet look were he qualified.

What is certain now, Lando and Oscar, especially Lando, are now the drivers that a section of F1 fans love to hate most.

While bashing them, people remark how Clarles (and I like Charles) would do a better job then both because they make mistakes, conveniently forgetting Charles' many mistakes.

When Max spins on his own..... 'nothing to see here'.