Mid-season review – McLaren: An improving car but

The important figures

Constructor standings: 7th place

Pole: 0

Podium: 0

Victory: 0

Best result: 5th (Alonso: Monaco)

Best qualification: 5th (Button: Austria)

To great evils, experienced pilots.

To embark on this new adventure with Honda, McLaren called upon two of the oldest drivers in the discipline in 2014, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, who are now 36 and 35 years old. Developing a new car and returning to the top of the hierarchy requires time and experience. Last year, McLaren was invisible. This year, the British team is regaining some of its shine. Even though, for the moment, they only average 12th place, whether in qualifying or in the race standings, making it to Q3 has become a regular occurrence this season, notably with the group effort in Hungary to place the cars 7th and 8th on the grid. However, the engine block remains a major handicap for the beautiful English car in terms of both power and consumption, and it is the subject of the biggest development this season. We saw it in Baku and Montreal with the lack of power compared to its competitors and in Hockenheim for consumption; the Honda block is still a bit sluggish and greedy compared to Mercedes, Renault, and Ferrari engines.

A points fishing game still uncertain

Much better this season, the Woking single-seater is making a name for itself on slower circuits, and the experienced Spanish and British drivers know how to seize opportunities. Thus, after three encouraging first steps and the first point scored by Stoffel Vandoorne in Bahrain as Fernando Alonso’s replacement, McLaren places its two cars in the points at the finish of the Russian Grand Prix. The performance is repeated in Monaco a few weeks later, with Alonso achieving McLaren’s best result of the season by finishing 5th and Button finishing 9th.

But after the Monaco stage, the Canadian and European Grand Prix are two difficult races for the British team. Button is forced to retire in Canada and Alonso in Azerbaijan. Fortunately, the European Grand Prix provide an opportunity to score new points, notably with Button’s excellent 5th place qualification in Austria under mixed conditions, starting even in 3rd place due to penalties for Rosberg and Vettel. At the finish, Button is 6th, and Alonso is once again forced to retire.

At Silverstone, the weather conditions are once again very changeable, unlucky Button at home is eliminated as early as Q1, Alonso once again reaches Q3. But Sunday’s race led, on a wet then drying track, to a ballet of single-seaters, with drivers taking turns making mistakes in turn 1, and Alonso was one of the victims. This new good performance in qualifying was not transformed. The Grand Prix at the Hungaroring seems favorable to the McLarens, on the grid they are 7th and 8th. But once again reminded of reliability issues, Button’s car is hit by a hydraulic brake system failure in the early laps, eventually resolved, but it dashed any hopes of points for the Brit. Fortunately, Alonso retains this 7th place acquired in qualifying at the checkered flag.

At Hockenheim, despite a fuel-thirsty engine, Button crossed the finish line in 8th place, while Alonso was forced to slide to 12th in the final laps after holding 10th. Button once again demonstrated the effectiveness of a more fluid British driving style, while Alonso did not receive a pleasant gift for his 35th birthday, celebrated on Friday at the circuit.

The report on the pilots

The most experienced driver pair on the grid – Button with 16 years of career and Alonso with 15 years – work together to elevate McLaren in the hierarchy each weekend and by the end of the season to compete in the Constructors’ ranking. But even with all the goodwill and experience in the world, the MP4-31 and especially its Honda engine won’t give the Spaniard and the Brit the chance to fight for victory. A podium is still possible, as race circumstances are unpredictable. Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso each have their own driving style and temperament, and it is clear that the latter still has this thirst for victory and titles as he likes to repeat, while the former, more discreet, has not yet commented on his future in F1.

In qualifying, it can be observed that Alonso is often the highest placed in the hierarchy, although Button is never too far behind. But the numbers speak for themselves. Alonso enabled McLaren to reach Q3 five times, while Button was able to bring this top qualification achievement to the team only in Austria under mixed track conditions, which he particularly enjoys and excels in. Similarly, the Spaniard has seven more points in the championship with one less Grand Prix, during which, moreover, the Briton was outperformed by the third McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne. Button will celebrate his 300th Grand Prix at Spa, and it is hoped that he will distinguish himself on this occasion.

Continue the ascent in the hierarchy

With seven retirements, six of which are related to parts reliability, McLaren is the team that has withdrawn the most since the start of the season, and Alonso is the driver who has least often crossed the finish line if we count his absence at Sakhir, which saw a fortunate replacement by Stoffel Vandoorne, who secured the team’s first point this season. Certainly, the British team is showing performance gains as the season progresses, but reliability is still a significant issue for the MP4-31. Currently in 7th place in the constructors’ standings, the team hopes to secure the 6th place held by Toro Rosso, which is gradually being caught in the Constructors’ Championship despite its consistency.