In the round-up: Jenson Button says no witch-hunt is needed at McLaren over their poor start to the season.
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Jenson Button says disappointing McLaren should not play blame game (The Guardian)
“It’s not one person’s problem. No one within the team deserves to get fired over what has happened this year. I think we have made a mistake as a team, and it is not good enough. Of course not. But as long as we learn from this mistake and it makes us a better team, you will see a much stronger McLaren next season.”
Brawn: Future wasn’t discussed
“The board have been very supportive in this matter. For them it was also very important that the issue of good faith was established and they’ve been very supportive and been aware of all the facts behind what has happened. I couldn’t have asked for more support from them.”
F1 drive ‘like 12 rounds with Carl Froch’ (BBC)
“Mike Bushell was taken for a spin in a special two-seater F1 car by Williams Team test and development driver Susie Wolff.”
Comment of the day
We had lots of great entries for the Predictions Championship, among the best of which were those from JackySteeg, BogRacer, Dan_The_McLaren_Fan, AlonsoFan, Electrolite and Lucamus.
But my favourite was this one from @Bwal87:
Further proof that you should be careful what you wish for, as Mercedes take Lewis Hamilton’s request to simplify his steering wheel a bit too far.
From the forum
- Lucas Foresti emerged unscathed from a nasty crash in yesterday’s Formula Renault 3.5 race in Moscow
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On this day in F1
Jim Clark obliterated his rivals in the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort 50 years ago today.
Starting from pole position in his Lotus 25 he led every lap, set the fastest lap and won, lapping every other driver on the way. Dan Gurney was second for Brabham followed by John Surtees in a Ferrari.
Here’s some footage of the race:
Image © McLaren/Hoch Zwei
OmarR-Pepper (@)
23rd June 2013, 0:04
Button justifying why he must stay… just a joke, he has a long contract with the team. But the biggest mistake “as a team” was to start with this years’ car from the scratch. Of course that temerary move, if it had worked, would have been the most praised thing
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
23rd June 2013, 0:12
So, if the problem is with the car – as you say, the mistake was the decision to start over – then why does Button need to justify his place in the team, since he has the least responsibility?
Traverse (@)
23rd June 2013, 11:25
Maybe because he hasn’t given any solid “No 1” driver performances thus far and (possibly) hasn’t contributed to the development of the car to the satisfaction of McLaren…
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
23rd June 2013, 11:52
Given the struggles the team has had with such a poor car, you don’t think that his fifth place in China – whilst Perez finished outside the points – counts as a “solid number one driver performance”?
Deej92 (@deej92)
23rd June 2013, 22:47
Also in Malaysia where he was having a solid run to at least 5th before a pit-stop blunder.
James (@jamesf1)
23rd June 2013, 0:45
It’s been widely suggested that their 2012 spec car was at the end of its development curve, and that there would have been very few gains left to find from it. So, for 2013 they had to innovate and try different things. So far, those things haven’t worked…
Mach1 (@mach1)
23rd June 2013, 2:13
I also read somewhere that many of the changes were made with 2014 car in mind (which doesn’t bode well) and was the possibly being used to “get used to”/test certain concepts and ideas etc. such as the pull rod front suspension.
I have read this a few times, but have never seen a proper source to confirm this is the case, but it would make sense. So if this is true, and the 2012 car had reached the end of its development cycle, the risk may have seemed worth it. They just haven’t pulled it off, which is a shame. Hopefully it has given them some good development info to avoid this next year!
verstappen (@verstappen)
23rd June 2013, 15:00
I even read that this whole season is one big test for McLaren – I guess nobody’s told Jenson.
Nick (@npf1)
23rd June 2013, 16:24
I think that’s the kind of ‘Ferrari treated Massa like a test driver in early 2012’ talk, though.
HiPn0tIc (@hipn0tic)
23rd June 2013, 9:30
I think he’s half right. It’s a team problem, but there has to be responsabilities, and who choose to go this way, has one of two options, or turn the situation around or just leave the team.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
23rd June 2013, 0:23
I know its far too early to tell but it seems McLaren could possibly heading for a Williams-esque downfall. The cracks are obviously showing, Button can’t lead the team and Whitmarsh seems to lack a backbone. I think it calls for the return of Ron.
As a Ferrari fan I do enjoy mocking my McLaren supporting friends on their teams current troubles. However, I’m all seriousness, I think it would be awful for another big team to fall down the order into eventual obliviousness.
Calum (@calum)
23rd June 2013, 1:30
I would be surprised if Mclaren fell to Williams level within the V6-era, but past glories mean they shouldn’t rest on their laurels and assume they will get back on top, I am sure they won’t regardless.
They are a well-diversified business with a solid income, hugely rich backers with their middle eastern part-owners, and Carlos Slim hanging around too. And a pre-agreed factory backed engine deal with a major car manufacturer.
Sure they are in a rough patch but they have capable people to deal with the slump.
@HoHum (@hohum)
23rd June 2013, 2:00
It is not McLarens 1st. slump by any measure, the longer any team exists in F1 the more slumps they will have had, as a look at Ferarris’ results from the beginning will show.
Colossal Squid (@colossal-squid)
23rd June 2013, 2:14
I think it’s premature to say that McLaren could become the next Williams. Williams fell from glory in 1998, and bar a few wins in the subsequent seasons have never come close to recapturing the success they once had.
I think that in the modern era the largest F1 teams are simply too big to fail. By this I mean that after a period of rapid technological development and economic expansion of the sport that was present from the late 80’s till the early 2000’s, the largest F1 teams have through their own success and financial stability have come to a point where any season that isn’t met with some success will be seen as nothing more in the long term than a blip on the radar. Both Ferrari and McLaren have come back from relatively barren seasons with successful seasons (at least with wins). Red Bull with their robust funding are probably now in the same boat. They may have bad times, but the teams I’ve mentioned are so big and so rich I think it unlikely that they’ll fall apart so quickly. There are very few problems a huge amount of money can’t solve!
@HoHum (@hohum)
23rd June 2013, 5:16
Very true, another reason is that today, thinking outside the box and coming up with a radical design wont get you success but disqualified.
our_nige (@our_nige)
23rd June 2013, 11:43
People seem to have very short memories. Mclaren had a winless streak between adelaide 93 and melbourne 97. They have endured tougher times in the not so distant past.
Patrickl (@patrickl)
23rd June 2013, 16:02
That was also after they lost their top driver.
@HoHum (@hohum)
23rd June 2013, 1:54
I note another anniversary of Jim Clark nursing his tyres all through a race, if only we could have seen him driving flat out.
celeste (@celeste)
23rd June 2013, 3:47
It was an amazing race, everyone save the tyres in a great way… wish drivers now a days were able to do the same…
DD42
23rd June 2013, 8:44
Not a single delamination in that race and an incredibly measured sunday drive by Clark. Drivers these days need to take note. Slow and steady wins the race!
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
23rd June 2013, 3:07
Are you absolutely sure it isn’t the Caption Competition?
Funkyf1 (@funkyf1)
23rd June 2013, 3:39
Let’s face it, McLaren have been in a world of hurt since Ron Dennis left.
Todfod (@todfod)
23rd June 2013, 11:18
Agree. That world of hurt just doubled when they lost, arguably, the best driver on the grid. Having Jenson Button as a team leader is definitely hurting them as well.
Salcrich
23rd June 2013, 21:09
Opinion or informed fact ??
Alex Russell (@kimihakkinen)
23rd June 2013, 5:04
Anyone else stay up all night watching Le Mans? :)
I love the Pope
23rd June 2013, 5:07
Yup!
Traverse (@)
23rd June 2013, 11:13
No, I need my beauty sleep.
Max Jacobson (@vettel1)
23rd June 2013, 21:04
I would’ve, unfortunately I was stuck in a tent somewhere in the Scottish highlands far away from a tv :(
JimmyTheIllustratedBlindSolidSilverBeachStackapopolis III
24th June 2013, 0:12
had to go all the way out into the country side to cry your eye’s out about mercedes?
Boomerang
24th June 2013, 5:32
Scottish highlands? Mate, You should be happy.
Eddie (@wackyracer)
23rd June 2013, 8:44
The caption about the joke with the earings is better :-D
Jimmy Hearn (@alebelly74)
23rd June 2013, 11:26
I got one name for you Jensen – Paddy Lowe, lol
BasCB (@bascb)
23rd June 2013, 13:01
Thanks @kimihakkinen!
Alex Russell (@kimihakkinen)
23rd June 2013, 13:23
What for? :)
Thomas Shelley (@tomshelley)
23rd June 2013, 14:35
Gutted my caption using the same idea didn’t get the win! :(
It is amazing to think how it looked when Lewis signed for Merc. I would never have predicted the current form of these teams and I think that if Lewis was still at McLaren, his frustrations would be very clear to see (rightfully so!).