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Confessions of a deprived McLaren fan

What is the future of McLaren? (GEPA Pictures/Red Bull Content Pool).
Roar Guru
15th March, 2018
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In the inclement rains of Sao Paulo in late November, back some six years ago; the Brazilian Grand Prix podium saw former world champion Jenson Button stand atop victorious – bookending the 2012 season with wins for McLaren.

Little was it known at the time, that for the next six years the illustrious team from Woking; champion of eight constructors’ titles, 12 drivers’ crowns and over 180 race victories, would remain winless.

How an outfit so ensconced in the velvet of Formula One history, has been so beleaguered since 2013 is a great tale of ill-decision and misfortune. Which not only the team and its shareholders have had to suffer through – but also passionate fans such as yours truly.

The troubles of 2013, which were the result of a presumptuous decision to revolutionise instead of evolve an already strong chassis, were rectified the following year when the mighty Mercedes-Benz hybrid power-unit bolstered McLaren back into the podium places.

Though the ultimate hubris of former chief Ron Dennis, which ultimately led to his unfortunate downfall within the house that he had built, was that only a works team could be successful in the new hybrid-era of Formula One. This then led to the ill-fated reunion with Honda – which is at the crux of McLaren’s slump.

McLaren and Honda together had achieved greatness during the late eighties and early nineties, and while there was the dream that the same success could be reimagined – the result was more like a hellish nightmare.

A team that held the respect of many, quickly became a laughing stock amidst fans in general. The memes generated about the unreliability of McLaren-Honda, heavily outweighed the results being produced between 2015 and 2017.

So much so that former dual-world champion Fernando Alonso became the undisputed ‘King of Memes’, with his sarcastically salty radio messages about the maligned Honda power-unit and hilarious antics following trackside car failures – captivating audiences more than his on-track performances.

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Fernando Alonso of McLaren-Honda at a Formula One press conference.

(GEPA pictures/Christian Walgram).

As difficult and embarrassing as the failures were to bear, it would have felt unfaithful to have given up belief in your team. This is a sentiment that any fan of any sport can attest too, with many great dynasties enduring lean periods in time.

2018 sees a new hope dawn upon the McLaren Racing empire, with a fresh alliance with Renault sought to bring the team back from the brink.

A return to the classic Papaya Orange colours, a reinvigorated Alonso and a hungry Stoffel Vandoorne quickly instilled motivation and expectation – though pre-season testing proved inauspicious, with McLaren having completed the fewest laps of all teams.

Oil leaks, hydraulic and turbo issues seemed like we were getting a strange déjà vu. A familiar setting, nothing new and Renault power-unit or not – McLaren still were under intense scrutiny for their reliability.

Team boss Eric Boullier defended his squad’s aggressive approach to the MCL33, stating in Barcelona that, “We had an ambitious design so we had to work with the time we had on the track and not in the garage to try to understand the cooling.”

“If you want to be competitive you have to be a bit aggressive and have ambition. Is it too much? I don’t think so, we just have to make sure that with this strategy, we leave ourselves enough time to do everything.”

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Being the optimist, it could be said that testing exists for teething and ironing out issues. It can be justified that at least, when the car was running on-track that it showed strong pace and vindicated the boost given by the Renault over the Honda.

Sure, the mileage accumulated by the Japanese manufacturer now with Toro Rosso in the same tests did raise an eyebrow, but it cannot be looked back upon now as hindsight is deceptive entity.

“The last three years were difficult,” Boullier added. “We are now trying to get McLaren back to where it should be. Like anything, you don’t do it in one day. There are maybe a few glitches. We have not lost our capability of designing fast cars and I hope you will see it on-track soon.”

And one along with many McLaren tragics hope as well, Eric – that come seven days’ time when the light is green in Melbourne for the first free-practice session of the 2018 season; that a serious and fast car is in contention again at the sharp end.

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