Low-speed Canadian GP corners forcing McLaren to make F1 compromise
McLaren racing director Eric Boullier says the team's qualifying strugle in Montreal was due to high downforce levels it has had to run due to low-speed corners

Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne will start 14th and 15th in Canada, with both drivers figuring near the bottom of the speed trap ranking after McLaren tried to find more performance in the track's slower corners.
Boullier compared the outcome with Bahrain, where McLaren also had a poor Saturday.
"The car has a weakness this year which we have already pointed out, a low-speed-corner lack of grip," said Boullier.
"And here you have only low-speed corners, I think the highest [corner] speed is 140km/h [87mph].
"We knew coming here that it would be difficult, a bit like Bahrain characteristics.
"And to compensate for this lack of low-speed grip, we have to carry more wing, which means more drag.
"The best compromise for our speed level is to run more drag, more downforce, and that's hurt us."
Boullier stressed it is important for McLaren to continue to develop the car, despite the obvious temptation to switch development to 2019.
"I think it's worth developing it for a few of reasons," he added.
"The first one is to understand what's wrong, and to not repeat any kind of platform mistakes in the future.

"And there is still time to develop the car, and potentially curing this low speed lack of grip could have a big impact on performance.
"We also need to make sure we don't compromise next year's development, as well as the understanding of the car.
"That's a balance which we are working on.
"We are flat out on trying to cure this car issue, and make sure we understand it for next year's car."
Boullier insisted he still has faith in his technical team: "We have 100% confidence in the group of people we have at McLaren.
"We can blame some issues on the car, definitely the car this year is not the car we were expecting to have.
"It's just a matter of understanding why, and making sure we have the right vision leadership for the future to make sure we can design and manufacture competitive cars.
"But I believe with the people we have in place today there is a great bunch of talent in McLaren."

Previous article
Mercedes regrets small Canadian GP hypersoft F1 tyre allocation
Next article
Force India dismisses fresh energy drinks firm F1 takeover rumour

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Teams | McLaren |
Author | Adam Cooper |
Low-speed Canadian GP corners forcing McLaren to make F1 compromise
Trending
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his team-mate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen’s emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber team-mate’s own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here’s how Nick Heidfeld’s career was chilled by the Iceman