After a dismal season last year for McLaren, which saw the boys from Woking lament in fifth place with not a pole or podium to their name, the early signs indicate that the team are ready to turn the whole thing around and place themselves high on the running order for this year’s Formula One World Championship.
Team:
With the reshuffle of staff in the upper echelons of McLaren HQ, where Ron Dennis, the former mastermind who managed the likes of Ayrton Senna and nurtured Lewis Hamilton into the sport, ousted McLaren group and team principal, Martin Whitmarsh, in January, there is a teensy bit of trepidation that could filter down to the drivers.
But Ron Dennis has never been one to mince his words, stating at a news conference:
“The company was a little unfit, it needs to get fit and there is pain to getting fit.
“If everyone matches my passion, commitment and focus, we will most definitely win.”
Furthermore, Eric Boullier, former team principal of Lotus F1, has been recruited as Race Director. He made significant headway with the team, and managing “the Iceman” Kimi Raikkonen, to put it mildly, must have been a real challenge. The Lotus team was fairly strapped for cash, so with the filled coffers and large investors of McLaren, we could see the Frenchman really come into his element.
Drivers:
The team’s first driver, Jenson Button, has always proved to be a steady pair of hands when it comes to finishing in the points. Even after a poor start, we can expect him to be right up there in the mix by the end of the race, just so long as the car is fast enough to get him there. It could be fair to say that the extremely distressing passing of his father two months ago could have some affect on the Brit; John Button was present at most of his races and was always there to offer comfort at the end of a bad race, or another hug at the victory of a good one. Needless to say it’s a personality we will all dearly miss from the paddock, and we wish Button good luck in Australia: his first race without his father.
The new McLaren hopeful and second driver, Kevin Magnussen, has got some work to do to prove he’s good enough for F1. The 21 year-old from Denmark was picked to replace Sergio Perez after impressing at his Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi last year. But it’s another risky move from McLaren in hiring a complete rookie driver, though the times from testing may suggest the chance has paid off as Kevin put in blazing times at both Jerez and Bahrain and got a solid number of laps in the process.
Car:
The flared nostril solution at the front of the MP4-29 looks a great deal more dignified than a lot of the other chargers, and quite a nifty looking front wing to go with it. Cosmetics aside, the Mercedes power plant has proven to be a reliable little engine during testing. Not only did it cover the most amount of laps, it has also been said to have a good bit of ‘oompf’ to it as well.
With the team moving to Honda power next year there may be a little trailing off at the end of the season to begin design work early. Despite Ron Dennis’ insistence, this year could very well be a transitional year where all the components are being put in place to really hammer the championship in 2015.
That isn’t to say the team are unlikely to win a race this year as many of the teams have been looking at the McLaren car during testing to analyse the funky rear suspension design. Though, like the great rear diffuser in 2009, if the design is too good and too innovative, there’s going to be an uproar from the other teams.
My predictions:
Best finish for Jenson Button: 1st
Best finish for Kevin Magnusson: 3rd
Driver’s Championship: 5th & 8th
Constructor’s Championship: 3rd
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