Will McLaren ever make their own engines?
- This topic has 29 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 1 month ago by McG.
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- 6th March 2011, 0:03 at 12:03 am #128990SteveMovieVoiceParticipant
This is something I’ve been wondering for some time, will Mclaren ever create their own engine? McLaren are second only to Ferrari in terms of stature and history, yet 1 team does everything ‘in house’ and the other relies on customer engine deals or partnerships. Both were set up to run race teams, but only Ferrari have gone down the car manufacture route, perhaps due to their owners being a car company in Fiat. In recent years, McLaren have shown an increased presence in the car industry, with the McLaren F1, Mercedes SLR Mclaren and the new MP4-12C all being deceloped my McLaren. The MP4-12C has an engined created by McLaren, but will this lead to the team developing an F1 engine in a couple of years? I heard rumours that when BMW closed their F1 programme, McLaren may have stepped in and take over the engine department, only a rumour, but could it be indication that they’re interested in an F1 engine? I hope so….
6th March 2011, 0:11 at 12:11 am #163029HareParticipantI agree. I think McLaren will create their own engine, but it would only make sense in 2013 when the new engine rules come in.
If they can build an F1 engine, it would also make sense to sell it on to customer teams that use and rely on other McLaren technology, such as Force India.
6th March 2011, 2:13 at 2:13 am #163030wasiF1ParticipantI think they will when the new engine will be apply from 2013,remember that their new sports car is Turbo Charged. Though both Mclaren & Mercedes said that they will be partner until 2015 but that can be broken in F1.
6th March 2011, 3:27 at 3:27 am #163031AsanatorParticipantI think they will build their own engine for 2015, after their tie in with Mercedes ends. Mercedes have sold their equity in McLaren and the two parties will part ways for 2015.
6th March 2011, 5:55 at 5:55 am #163032Prisoner MonkeysParticipantI’m pretty sure they’ve talked about it. They bought Mercedes’ stake in the team when Mercedes purchased Brawn, so maybe the current deal will expire in time for 2013 and the new engine regulations.
6th March 2011, 16:05 at 4:05 pm #163033AnonymousInactiveI expect that they’ll become fully McLaren in 2013. Mercedes have their own team now, and I doubt they’ll want their engine in a rival top-flight team for too many years longer. As you say, the 12C has an in-house McLaren engine in the back (unlike the BMW in the F1, and obviously Mercs in the McLaren styled Benz road cars), and I’m certain McLaren will want to extend their new engine expertise to their Formula 1 machines.
6th March 2011, 23:41 at 11:41 pm #163034AndrewTannerParticipantAgreed :) McLaren should get round to it soon. As said previous, Mercedes won’t want to give a big rival such an easy chance of success. McLaren will want to postpone it though, the Mercedes is regarded as the best engine.
7th March 2011, 12:56 at 12:56 pm #163035cyanideParticipantDesigning an engine from the ground up is a very very very difficult task. Designing aero parts is relatively less difficult because the manufacturing is a commonly-known process that most of the engineers would know. Not to say that designing aero is easy, but it’s usually a single guy’s vision pulling the rest of the aero staff in his direction.
Designing something that can make 800 horsepower without exploding/disintegrating and going through 2-3 races while having atleast 50-100 moving parts is not something that can be developed over a period of a year.
There is a reason why Ferrari or Mercedes engines make the amount of power that they do while having the reliability. They’ve been at it for dogs years and their current designs are always a refinement of the designs used in the making of the previous engines which includes decades of experience. There is hardly a revolution in engine-building unless you throw a completely new set of rules at the engine manufacturers. Consider how long Mercedes engines have been the most powerful and you’ll understand what I’m saying.
Secondly, building a bulletproof engine requires more engineers from more faculties than the rest of the car’s staff put together. You need metallurgical engineers, electrical engineers, chemical engineers and who knows how many more.
Sorry for the wall of text, but I build engines and cannot stand people who think that a new engine can be developed over a weekend while sitting on your couch in the living room.
This is not to say that they won’t ever get to it. McLaren have already got their hands into the bucket by building the 12C engine, but compared to the engineering required to build an F1 engine, the 12C’s engine is nothing. They’ll get to it for sure, but don’t expect them to be reliable or powerful if they’re running a McLaren engine inside during the first race in 2013.
7th March 2011, 14:01 at 2:01 pm #163036AndrewTannerParticipantOne step back, two steps forward!
7th March 2011, 14:40 at 2:40 pm #163037AsanatorParticipantExactly, I reckon it is being worked on already with the goal of introducing it in 2015.
7th March 2011, 15:39 at 3:39 pm #163038cyanideParticipantIf they start to get into it seriously, expect to see them hiring a lot of new engineers, whether it is at the HQ or people travelling with the race team. There is a difference in being able to use an engine properly and making one. I’d love to see them building engines, but for a company who has outsourced their work for decades now, it’s going to be an uphill task.
8th March 2011, 7:59 at 7:59 am #163039AndrewTannerParticipantI don’t doubt that! Could it open a more commercial market for McLaren?
8th March 2011, 12:42 at 12:42 pm #163040SteveMovieVoiceParticipantApparently McLaren are looking at doing it….www.planetf1.com/news/3213/6801795/McLaren-to-go-it-alone- I take full responsibility for encouraging them to do it.
10th March 2011, 16:06 at 4:06 pm #163041AnonymousInactiveHow dumb R some people???
It has long been common knowledge that Ron (Dennis) wishes to create the
English Ferrari.
He has the F1 team in place, everything is going to his plan.
In the 90s, do U remember the Mclaren F1 road car that competed with
the Jaguar XJ220 for the fastest car title??
Well Mclaren R in the process of building their own engine.
They have created another road car MP4 something C.
Mclaren F1 team will build their own engine in the immediate future.
Mercedes have been worries recently and repurchased shares in Mclaren.
Though the engine deal expires in a couple of years, something like 2013/15
After which the Mclaren team will use their own engine.
10th March 2011, 19:45 at 7:45 pm #163042AnonymousInactive12… MP4-12C
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