[Tom_ec1]

Despite a torrid start, McLaren are fortunate that the five midfield teams have split the lower-tier points evenly between them (while the big three has monopolised the top four places at every race).

4. Red Bull 23pts
5. Sauber 19pts
6. Lotus 12pts
7. Toro Rosso 12pts
8. Force India 11pts
9. McLaren 0pts

Normally failing to score in the first four races would be a huge setback, but this year could be a different story. If McLaren can bring a decent car to Barcelona or even by Montreal, then I imagine they could quite quickly get up to 7th in the championship. And maybe 4th/5th by the end of the season. What do you think?

[PorscheF1]

Call me a pessimist but I don’t know where people keep expecting them to find pace. I think ninth is where they will stay and will be by the end of the season.

[Tom_ec1]

@PorscheF1 I think the key is the drivers, give Alonso and Button a semi-decent car and they will score points most weekends. Plus the law of diminishing returns – Honda should be able to find bigger gains.

[Tom_ec1]

Also, gap from McLaren to Merc this year so far:

Australia: 5.9%
Sepang: 2.4%
Shanghai: 3.7%
Bahrain: 2.7%
(based on fastest lap each weekend)

Ignore individual differences and overall trend is moving in right direction…

[PorscheF1]

I’m not saying they won’t make progress but I highly doubt they can do enough to get into the points consistently.

[Anonymous]

With Alonso and Button achieving an 11th place each after 4 races, you can assume they will manage a few finishes at the tail end of the top 10 with a wet race and/or high attrition somewhere. Despite this, I can’t see them scoring more than 12 points in total. By which point, the other midfield teams will have pulled together a few more point scores between them.

So yes, I think 9th is where they’ll end up. But I’d so love it if Manor sneaks a 10th at the last race of the year – ultimate embarrassment for Ron Dennis!

[Tom_ec1]

Remember 2009 – the car was terrible for the first-half of the season – then getting pole positions and race wins by the end of the year.

[Iestyn Davies]

@xtwl Alonso was only 3.9 seconds off the points in Bahrain – a track that needs engine power. Also, at Melbourne, Button was only 2.3 seconds off the leading pace at the end when they turned up the engine (race pace).

Looking at the Bahrain lap chart.. around Williams is a huge gap. With Renault and Honda in the Merc/Ferrari ballpark, that would put Red Bull as 3rd best team, Williams 4th, McLaren 5th, Toro Rosso battling Lotus, Sauber battling Force India, Manor getting closer. Lotus really might rue Maldonado dropping points at the end of the season.

[Asanator]

9th

@Tom_ec1 Yes they started of poorly in 2009 however it was because the hadn’t realised the performance that could be gained from developing front wing end plates, the chassis and engine was pretty good already. Once they saw what the other constructors had done it was relatively easy to claw that performance back. They didn’t really ‘develop’ that much other than that, they do like to perpetuate their ‘in season development’ myth though!

[PorscheF1]

It is always a lot easier to find performance mid-season when the aero is terrible. You can’t really do much about a bad engine mid-season bar some tokens.

[Daniel]

9th, sadly.

Mercedes, Ferrari and Williams would take up 1-6 (theoretically) in the final race standings on any given weekend. Which leaves Red Bull, Force India, Lotus, Sauber, Torro Rooso, McLaren/Honda and Manor fighting for the last 4 point places. McLaren/Honda need to make up 11 points somewhere (at least) to move up into 8th, I just don’t see it logically happening.

I will say this though, they are certainly moving in the right direction. Almost making it to Q3 this weekend was a good sign.

[Craig Woollard]

Eighth, ahead of Force India. Red Bull could well end up sixth or seventh.

[George]

I think they will probably get 5th. The engine does seem very promising, it’s just a case of getting it working.

[Anonymous]

Have they been side-tracked by replacing their boring colour scheme with a different boring colour scheme?! Come on McLaren, get your priorities in order!

[Author]

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