McLaren F1: Fallen champions?

Jenson Button of McLaren drives during the final practice session for the Bahrain F1 GP at the Bahrain International Circuit on April 20, 2013 in Sakhir, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

McLaren F1 is a name synonymous with flawless engineering, beautiful cars, feisty drivers and tactical brilliance. A force that has been affiliated with F1 for a long time and second only to long-time rivals Ferrari.

They are one of the most successful teams in F1 history, having won 12 drivers’ and 8 constructors’ championships over 725 races, coming out on top in 182 of them. Though the win percentage over that time period doesn’t say much in terms of success, they still are one of the fan favourites.

Boasting an illustrious record with names any team could only dream of, McLaren has been ruling the roost for so long that it’s very difficult to see them bereft of a championship trophy for over 4 years.

McLaren have always had the best drivers racing for them, and the trend has continued for a very long time; well, that was until former world champion Lewis Hamilton joined Mercedes at the start of this season. With the pairing of Hamilton and Jenson Button, McLaren had a near perfect combination. Hamilton’s attacking prowess was the highlight when the team took to the track. And when you mix Button to that combination, with his defensive mindset and position holding abilities, you are left with an all-British line-up that goes about their business diligently and efficiently.

However, since Hamilton left for pastures new, signing for Mercedes, a massive void was left in the McLaren garage. Their all-British team was slowly starting to disintegrate, almost mocking the mighty McLaren think tank. With the news of Lewis’ impending departure came the prospect of signing a driver who was not only good, but comparable to Lewis. That way, improve their chances of putting up a title challenge.

But then the shocked the F1 world by signing youngster Sergio Perez from Sauber, who had caught the eye of pundits all over with his aggressive style of racing. But while Perez is also aggressive, he gained plaudits for also keeping cool in pressure situations.

Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez, the current No.2 driver for McLaren this season so far has been rather dismal. However, it comes as no surprise as it takes time to adjust to the new surroundings with a new crew and the limelight of having to work with a popular team. Apart from his strong performance in the Bahrain GP, he hasn’t really shown his worth. Replacing Hamilton isn’t a small task, as is evident from the performances so far.

But McLaren have gotten it wrong with young ‘Checo’. Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh said at the start of the season, “I have to be honest and I don’t know [about his potential]. We wouldn’t have signed him unless we thought he could go to another level, but I think what I said is that we don’t know.”

Jenson Button (L) and Sergio Perez (R) with team principal Martin Whitmarsh at the unveiling of the Mercedes McLaren MP28 at the McLaren technology centre on January 31, 2013 in Woking, England. (Getty Images)

So with a questionable signing, McLaren have a lot of work ahead for the rest of the season, and grooming young ‘Checo’ would be their primary concern. In Button they have a tried and tested champion who can certainly help the youngster.

Drivers define teams; they are the poster boys of the team after all. The success of the team depends a lot on how they perform on the day, and over time, if that driver performs consistently throughout the season, he will win his team the constructors’ championships and in return could win the drivers trophy. And McLaren have showed they always have drivers capable of winning them the championships consistently. The legendary duo of Ayrton Senna-Alain Prost, or the likes of Mika Hakkinen-David Coulthard, Juan Pablo Montoya-Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton-Fernando Alonso are prime examples. Such was the class of the McLaren team.

Unfortunately this season, the pairing of Button-Perez doesn’t inspire much confidence. These two, although good in their own right, aren’t in the same class as the aforementioned names.

It is both theoretically and politically incorrect to play the blame game, but it only helps cover the actual reason behind a certain loss, or for that matter, a string of losses. In a sport like F1, or any sport for that matter, that has embraced technology so much that the importance of the tech can’t be undermined at any given point, it is as important as the driver, and is as important as the crew handling it. Having analysed smaller intricate issues of McLaren’s short-comings this season, one can attribute a lot of their failures to the highly under-performing car at the disposal of the drivers.

McLaren’s MP4-28 is the current car that the team is using for the 2013 season. It was launched on 31st Jan 2013 as a part of McLaren’s 50th anniversary celebrations. As a successor to the slightly more successful MP4-27 of the previous season, it was expected to do better and rightly so, as the famed Paddy Lowe was again put at the helm of designing the MP4-28. This too doesn’t have the apparent ‘step nose’; it’s covered by a faring that makes the car look outwardly similar to its predecessor. Though McLaren claim that the internal architecture has been totally reworked, pundits say otherwise, that McLaren have retained the design to work on the technical aspects of the car.

Ironically, the technical aspects of the car aren’t sorted out properly, and the superior straight line speeds are somewhat absent this time around. Downforce too is lacking while the traction is suspect in hampering the prospects of the team this time around. Maintaining the design may have paid off, but the technical aspects must be addressed as soon as possible to ensure that something can be salvaged from this season.

So maybe the McLaren F1 MP4-28 can be blamed for the team’s failures this season. But this season is far from over, and with a fortnight’s break, McLaren do have some time to reflect on what has transpired so far. Even if you attribute the losses this season to the car, it doesn’t answer for these 4 trophy-less years for the team. The cars in the previous seasons were better than the current one, but considering how much has changed over the years, you can’t criticise the team for making a few technical errors every now and then. The fast paced nature has caught up with F1, and with the FIA bringing about changes at the rate of knots, the teams and drivers are left to adapt as fast as possible to make sure they don’t get beaten in the race for the title.

Button and Perez of Mexico unveil the Mercedes McLaren MP4-28 at the McLaren technology centre. (Getty Images)

McLaren’s experience in the field should ensure smooth sailing going further ahead this season and the next. But all that experience would count for nothing if they don’t sort out their own ‘niggles’ this season. Drivers and cars, the two major problems this season, should be sorted out, and considering McLaren’s ability to bounce back easily, that shouldn’t be much of a problem.

With the Red Bulls doing exceedingly well every season with unparalleled consistency, McLaren, like their Italian counterparts, Ferrari, have a lot of work to do to match the Red Bulls. Staying ‘brilliantly consistent’ and not ‘consistently brilliant’ would be the motto for the other teams as they look forward to dethroning RBR from the pinnacle. And now, since Felipe Massa has rediscovered his imperious form, Ferrari look ever so competent to do just that.

However, McLaren do have a lot of thinking to do going forward from here on end. One of the major concerns would be to decide on Perez’s contract when it runs out at the end of the year. Retaining him and helping him become better under the tutelage of Button and the rest of the McLaren team would seem wise, considering they have invested in the youth.

But if they do decide that letting him go would be the better option, then maybe signing newer drivers who have proven themselves over a longer time would be the best thing possible. Maybe Japanese wonder kid Kamui Kobayashi could be an option, or maybe Senna’s nephew Bruno could come into the team.

Whatever the choice, McLaren would look to regain their former glory, to come back to winning ways and shrug off this prolonged lean patch and once again assert their dominance on the track.