Ex-F1 driver and now TV pundit Marc Surer has said that the McLaren team have not been deliberately slow to fool their rivals. Reports over the weekend linked outspoken F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone to the idea that McLaren were playing complex psychological games, in order to gain some kind of advantage. But the Swiss Surer has no doubts the Woking-based concern are having difficulties.
‘There is no bluffing, they are having problems,” he is quoted as saying by spox.com. “They definitely have an aerodynamic problem.’
“It would surprise me if they will be where they want to be in Melbourne,” he said.
However, Surer added his voice to those who expect McLaren to solve whatever problems they have within the next few months.
”We can safety assume they will get to the bottom of it, but they are not going to have a winning car all of a sudden,” he added.
Although Ecclestone often knows more than journalists expect, it is difficult to understand why McLaren would admit to difficulty unless they wanted to lower expectations. The runner-up constructor in 2008 has been experimenting with different aero settings in recent testing, but no 2009-spec arrangement has yet seen them top the timesheets.
