WorldMags.net
G A RY A N D E R S O N ' S
TEAM BY TEAM
S BLOXHAM/LAT
McLaren
“There is a genuine risk McLaren will start
the season battling with the smaller teams
in the scrap for the minor points positions”
McLaren-Honda MP4-30
FERNANDO ALONSO
M
60 AUTOSPORT.COM MARCH 5 2015
14
33
Age:
Starts:
234
First GP:
Australia 2001
Wins:
32
Poles:
22
Fastest laps:
21
2014 position:
6th
JENSON BUTTON
22
Age:
35
Starts:
266
First GP:
Australia 2000
Wins:
15
Poles:
8
Fastest laps:
8
2014 position:
8th
You know exactly what you are going
to get with Alonso. He will drive the
car to its maximum on race day and is
still among the very best drivers out
there. He seems happy enough on his
return to McLaren, although the fact
that he was kept in hospital for several
days after his Barcelona crash and
missed the final test is a concern.
Button is one of those drivers who
needs to have the car the way he
likes it, with a stable rear end so he
can carry the speed into the corner.
If the McLaren isn’t well suited to him,
I can see him really struggling against
Alonso. But as he showed when he
was up against Lewis Hamilton, you
can’t underestimate Jenson.
MP4-30 has yet to give
meaningful feedback
WorldMags.net
TEE/LAT
cLaren goes into the season off the
back of a very disappointing time in
pre-season testing, with too many
problems and not enough laps. I’m
very disappointed to see how poorly
things have gone and, while Honda
has had plenty of difficulties,
McLaren is its works partner so
also has to shoulder some of the blame.
These problems mean that we haven’t really
seen what the car is capable of. There is a
genuine risk that it will start the season battling
with the smaller teams in the scrap for the minor
points positions rather than where a team of
McLaren’s standing should be.
We always talk about McLaren as one of the
top teams, but you have to question its record in
recent years. There has only been one title in the
21st century, which is not good enough for all
that money spent and it suggests that there are
still wider problems there technically. And most
worryingly, there always seems to be an excuse.
Yes, McLaren and Honda are still in the
early days and yes, there is plenty of room for
improvement but, given all the recent talk about
aggressive cars and the engine being able to take
on Mercedes, there are no excuses.
The most surprising thing was a pre-season
comment made about the team’s new head of
aerodynamics, Peter Prodromou, who apparently
pointed out McLaren had been focusing on
‘peaky’ downforce rather than aero consistency
in recent years. That the problem has been
recognised is positive, but you don’t have to be
Adrian Newey to know that downforce isn’t
worth anything if it’s not there consistently.
McLaren has a lot to prove; the pressure is on.
XPB IMAGES
SEASON
60
PREVIEW
Starts: 761
First GP: Monaco 1966
Wins: 182
Poles: 155
Fastest laps: 152
2014 championship position: 5th
Drivers Button (pictured) and
Alonso have done little mileage
Alonso chats with
Peter Prodromou