McLaren rules out reverting to 2012 F1 car despite early struggles
McLaren has ruled out the idea of reverting to last year's car, despite the difficulties it is facing with its 2013 challenger
Jenson Button could manage no better than ninth in the Australian Grand Prix after a weekend where McLaren admitted it was surprised by how far off the pace it was.
Its problems, allied to the fact that the 2012 car ended the year as the pace-setter, led to talk in Australia that the team could update last year's MP4-27.
However, following analysis by its engineers of where the 2013 car is lacking, McLaren is convinced that sticking to the current model is the best way forward.
Its stance has been sealed by the fact its data suggests the car is not lacking downforce, but its operating window is too 'peaky'.
McLAREN'S BELEAGUERED START TO 2013
McLaren recovery 'will be long process'
Button says McLaren outclassed in dry
Button: points all McLaren can hope for
McLaren admits it faces very tough start
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: "At the moment we have to work hard on this car.
"We know it has got some areas of high potential and we know it has potentially more downforce than last year's car.
"We just need to understand it and make sure it [the performance] is accessible.
"We have all had cars in the past which have been difficult to get performance out of even though some of the [downforce] figures are quite impressive.
"This car seems to be difficult in that regard and we need to work on it, understand it and fix it."
Whitmarsh concedes that there is no quick fix for McLaren's problems, but he has no doubt the MP4-28 can be improved.
When asked if he was confident his engineers had a grip on what was needed to make the car better, Whitmarsh said: "I think coming out of a weekend like this and saying the engineers are confident would probably be a bit strong.
"But we believe in what we can do as a team. I am sure we are going to get there.
"It probably won't get there as quickly as I would like it to, but I will be encouraging them to do so."
Previous article
Lotus plays down title talk despite Raikkonen win in Australia
Next article
Ferrari: pace more important than tyre management
About this article
| Series | Formula 1 |
| Teams | McLaren |
| Author | Jonathan Noble |
Why McLaren doesn’t doubt Ricciardo can escape his ‘dark’ place
Three points finishes from as many starts represents a decent opening innings on paper, but Daniel Ricciardo has endured a tough start to his McLaren career - only magnified his team-mate's excellent form. Yet both he and the team have good reason to expect a turnaround soon
What needs to “change” for Red Bull is ending Verstappen’s errors
OPINION: Going up against the dominant force of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton was always going to demand the best from Red Bull and Max Verstappen. But after making a couple more errors during the Portuguese Grand Prix, the Dutch driver showed there's a small gap he still needs to close in the 2021 Formula 1 title fight
The "subtle" Red Bull upgrades that kept it in the Portugal F1 mix
Red Bull's Portuguese Grand Prix fortunes were decidedly second best to Mercedes', but the result skews the potential that the team had at Portimao. With a new set of updates, the team looks good going forward into the rest of 2021's spicy F1 competition
Portuguese Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The 2021 Portuguese GP will for several drivers go down as a weekend of missed opportunities amid imperfect track conditions that caused struggles with tyre warmup. But the performances of a select few stood out from the crowd
How Hamilton took a “completely different journey” to Portugal victory
Just as he did in 2020, Lewis Hamilton had to come from behind to win the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix. Only this time there were two rivals he had to pass, among the several challenges he had to overcome, on his way to securing a 97th grand prix victory
The ‘big fish’ mentality that kept an Australian legend winning
Frank Gardner was the veteran of just eight grand prix starts. It could have been more, but why waste his talent if the cars weren't up to it? NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls the life of one of racing's great characters
Why Todt’s FIA successor could be cut from the same cloth
Jean Todt has signalled that he will not stand for re-election as FIA president. MARK GALLAGHER analyses the strong credentials of one potential successor…
The data that leaves both Red Bull and Mercedes uncertain of supremacy at Portimao
Lewis Hamilton topped the crucial FP2 session on Friday as F1 returned to Portugal, but his Mercedes team cannot be sure it has the edge on its Red Bull rivals. As cool temperatures and wind combine with the still-slippery surface to present drivers with quandaries over set-up and tyre warmup, there's still everything to play for come qualifying
