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[CookinFlat6]

This is the coolest thing McLaren have done for a while - they are on streetview

[Denthúl]

Domenicali also said he'd step aside if Ferrari wanted to bring Brawn in, which is interesting. My main hope is that he's heading not to Ferrari or McLaren, but to Williams. Brawn and Symonds would be quite a good lineup at the top, although if he's wanting a team principal role then I'm not sure how that would go down, as Claire Williams has been in preparation to take over for a long time now.

Why would he leave Merc now for a lower than TP role? He has said before he wants less trackside role as well as wanting to be in charge of everything.

I don't think he would leave Mercedes for anything less than team principal, which is why a Williams move seems awkward.

This is the coolest thing McLaren have done for a while - they are on streetview

That is cool!

[NHcheese]

We know they will have to wait a while before they put another one of their cars on display. Give it till March.

[racechick]

Jenson is already excited about next year and thinks McLaren will be title contenders
https://twitter.com/mclarenf1fans/statu ... 4929890305
I don't think so, but you never know in this game.

[What's Burning?]

Was this car built around him or Checo? The same things were said about the 2013 so eventually they'll get it right. We need a strong McLaren on the grid, as many competitive teams as possible to take points away from Red Bull.

[LRW]

I would be wary about writing McLaren off. People said Mercedes had no chance this year. And they all seem to have disappeared into the woodwork.

McLaren have had bad years before, and bounced back*. It'll be even easier this time with Ross Brawn onboard......

*admittedly not as bad as the one they had this year, but still.

[racechick]

Was this car built around him or Checo? The same things were said about the 2013 so eventually they'll get it right. We need a strong McLaren on the grid, as many competitive teams as possible to take points away from Red Bull.

Well the 2013 was definitely built round Jenson, remember him saying how everyone was following his direction. And Checo said early on it was built to suit Jens. I guess with a rookie coming and Jensons PEERLESS feedback, the next one will be too.

[racechick]

I would be wary about writing McLaren off. People said Mercedes had no chance this year. And they all seem to have disappeared into the woodwork.

McLaren have had bad years before, and bounced back*. It'll be even easier this time with Ross Brawn onboard......

*admittedly not as bad as the one they had this year, but still.

I wouldn't write any of them off with all the changes coming.

[CookinFlat6]

McLaren ofcourse will be back at some point. Thing about Jensons eagerness to tell us its next year is that this years 'blip' was caused by a group of staff that will be unchanged for next year. Also next year is a year that will require an abundance of all those qualities that caused Mclaren to have a bad 2013

Adaptable lead driver, top top engineering brains, slick organisation, sharp and big decisions and most of all an ability to evolve and adapt a car that is not perfect at the start of the season.

If McLaren get it perfectly right from the beginning, then they can do something, Mag will likely do very well and challenge. If however they dont start well and have to adapt and evolve like this season then its going to be very difficult especially when the team will know they are restarting in 2015. So they will be like they were this year except the only ones with a big change in 2015. This will mean they write off 2014 pronto and focus on 2015 (it would be suicide to put all resources into 2014 when they could put it into 2015 early)

So IMHO McLaren are either gonna come out of the blocks flying (doubtful to be honest seeing how their last new car turned out) or 2014 will be worse than 2013. Even if they have the best engine, their car, and organisatation and decision making will have to have improved exponentially compared to the last few years. (even when they had the best car, driver and engineer they threw it away)

Merc improved because of their actions and planning and hiring. McLaren have non of this for 2014, if anything they are weaker than before. Why would they not focus on 2015 unless they had a really good car. Lets remember that the team have not generally turned up at the start of the seasons with the best car, instead relying on resources to catchup. And this aint 2009, there is no Lewis or a single reason to fall behind, there will be many many things to get wrong

2015 is best chance for recovery minus Button Whitmarsh and a few other muppets.

[Roth]

This is the coolest thing McLaren have done for a while - they are on streetview

Hugh should do this for the Playboy Mansion.

[CookinFlat6]

We'd probably end up seeing his wrinkled carcass every turn

[1Lemon]

I would be wary about writing McLaren off. People said Mercedes had no chance this year. And they all seem to have disappeared into the woodwork.

McLaren have had bad years before, and bounced back*. It'll be even easier this time with Ross Brawn onboard......

*admittedly not as bad as the one they had this year, but still.

I wouldn't write any of them off with all the changes coming.

Marussia for WDC 2014!

[racechick]

I would be wary about writing McLaren off. People said Mercedes had no chance this year. And they all seem to have disappeared into the woodwork.

McLaren have had bad years before, and bounced back*. It'll be even easier this time with Ross Brawn onboard......

*admittedly not as bad as the one they had this year, but still.

I wouldn't write any of them off with all the changes coming.

Marussia for WDC 2014!

Well one or two maybe.

[CookinFlat6]

Maybe Button knows something we dont

Button: We are definitely title contenders next year, but It’s not going to be easy

Jenson Button endured the kind of season at McLaren which must have conjured up memories of his days of frustration at Honda, but despite this the 2009 World Champion is confident that in 2014 the team will enjoy a reversal of fortunes.

Shortly after finishing fourth in Brazil, Button and his team’s best result of the year, he declared to English media, “We are definitely title contenders next year. So are Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.If you look at 2010, with two races to go I was out of the championship but Lewis was still in it. In 2011, we got beaten by one person in a Red Bull, so we were very close to the top. So it’s definitely there. It’s not going to be easy, of course.”

A questionable prediction from Button who in January this year said of the McLaren MP4-28, “This year’s car is the best we’ve ever made – I know the engineers have left absolutely no stone unturned in wringing every ounce of performance from every available area.”

A month later he said, “In terms of the car itself – the MP4-28 – it’s very good. We have had a few issues which have set us back a little bit, but I feel that the car in Melbourne will be strong.”

At the season opener in Australia Button qualified tenth and finished ninth – it did not get any better thereafter as McLaren endured their worst season since 1980, a year in which they also failed to score a podium finish.

[Hammer278]