Retooling McLaren
Jonathan Neale, McLaren’s managing director, candidly confessed that his team’s development has been sluggish when compared to his rivals. While this lag has proven costly on the track, Neale confronted his critics’ claim that the season was a total write-off
for McLaren.
"We have not been quick enough to overhaul the competition. Red Bull, Ferrari and even Mercedes in the first part of the season had very strong upgrades to their cars," he said. “There will be time for reflection, but it's not exactly as though the season
has been calamitous – it has been a successful one," Neale insisted.
While Red Bull seized the Constructors’ title in Brazil, McLaren is still grappling for second place with Ferrari. This ongoing race for development has dominated the latter part of this current season. Despite initial setbacks, Ferrari made big gains,
taking three races since Belgium to McLaren’s zero.
With the final race taking place in Abu Dhabi this coming weekend, McLaren currently enjoys a 32 point lead over its chief rival. However, with 43 points still up for grabs and based on their recent performance in Brazil, many F1 insiders posit that Ferrari
will field a stronger car on the Yas Marina circuit.
This prognostication was not lost on Neale. "On this occasion we didn't quite get enough [upgrades] to get the job done," he lamented. However, given the stiff competition as well as the cut-backs due to the global financial meltdown, the managing director
remained optimistic despite his team’s loss of the Constructors’ title. "I don't see that as being a failure on our part – it has been a tough job all year," he said.
Indeed McLaren’s current setbacks contrast sharply to their 2009 season when the team managed to fine-tune its cars to gain an impressive three seconds per lap from the season-opener in Australia to the finale in Abu Dhabi.
Since then, McLaren’s fortunes have clearly declined. In addition to losing the Constructors’ title, Lewis Hamilton’s bid for the Drivers’ title is more than a long-shot. Regardless, Neale is adamant that the sky has not fallen for his team, which plans
to reassess, revamp, and retool its strategy for next year. The season may be over, but the race is just getting started.
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