McLaren has put its foot in it again with the shenanigans at the Australian Grand Prix. There has been endless commentary on the right and wrong of the situation, but few have pointed out the bigger picture issue. Simply put, what was McLaren possible thinking it was gaining?

Let’s take a look at what happened on the offhand chance you are not aware. The Australian Grand Prix was the first race of the season. McLaren Mercedes has already determined its new car was not competitive to the extent that Norbert Haug had suggested the car would not make it out of the first qualifying session. It did, but just barely and there was no longer any doubt McLaren had got the design wrong and probably blown the 2009 season. Then the race happened.

The Australian Grand Prix is nearly as much about survival as it is performance. As the first race of the season, reliability issues and overaggressive drivers usually trim the field down to the point that anyone just finishing earns championship points. That’s exactly what happened for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton drove from the back of the grid up to sixth place. With three laps left, Robert Kubica and Sebastian Vettel through away podium positions by crashing into each other. Suddenly, Hamilton was fourth.

Now it gets strange. The safety car came out because of all the debris on the track. Jarno Trulli was in third place in his surprisingly competitive Toyota. Being Jarno, he somehow managed to drive off course and Hamilton stayed on track and passed him. Trulli then came back on track. Hamilton then asked if he should let Trulli by and the McLaren pit boss didn’t know the rules. While McLaren thrashed around in the pits, Hamilton let Trulli by and they finished third and fourth.

Trulli was penalized after the race for passing Hamilton while the safety car was out. Trulli balked and said Hamilton slowed and let him past. McLaren was called to the stewards. Sporting Director Dave Ryan and Lewis Hamilton went to the meeting. When asked if they had discussed letting Trulli by or decided to do it, Ryan and Hamilton said no. The only problem was they were lying and the radio transcript proved as much. Hamilton was booted from the results. McLaren has been called in front of the FIA and Ryan has been fired.

There is no doubt McLaren and Hamilton lied to the stewards. Hamilton has admitted as much and apologized to the stewards, Charlie Whiting and fans. The biggest question is what the punishment should be. Critics want McLaren banned. Supporters want nothing to happen. Both miss the bigger point.

Why did McLaren even do this? It was the first race of the year. The point difference between third and fourth is a single point. McLaren had no expectation of any points coming into the race and should have been pleased with fourth place. Some have argued that a single point can decide the championship, but does anyone really think McLaren has a chance this year? A bad car is a bad car. No team in modern Formula One history has ever been able to turn around a bad design. The McLaren MP-18 was a dog and never saw the track. Remember the year Ferrari missed the design and Schumacher drove around in the back? A bad car design just cannot be turned into a good one. It doesn’t happen!

McLaren clearly got caught with their hand in the cookie jar. The team should be punished as much for its stupidity as its devious conduct.

Lemmy Gibson writes about Formula One for PullingGsRacing.com.

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The story of the preseason testing in Formula One has been really two fold. On one hand, the stellar performance of Brawn GP has been surprising. On the other, the shockingly poor performance of McLaren Mercedes has been just as surprising.

The preseason tests have been surprisingly consistent. There was a period where the teams thrashed through initial problems and then started setting competitive times. As one would expect, Ferrari was at the top of the list. The odd thing was Brawn GP was ahead of them on that list while McLaren Mercedes was no where to be found as the team turned in times languishing at the bottom of the results.

The Brawn GP times appear a bit dubious, but many wonder about the legitimacy of the problems at McLaren. McLaren has had problems launching new cars before. They have a tendency of either getting the car horribly wrong or getting it just right. Who can forget the legendary MP4-18, which was so poor that it never even saw the track!

Many assumed McLaren Mercedes would be strong entering this year given the talents of Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 Driver’s Champion. The subtle question few mentioned was whether Hamilton could develop a car. It was only when the controversial Fernando Alonso came on board in the 2007 season that McLaren caught up to the pace of the Ferrari. Whether that was due to Alonso or some swiped Ferrari data is anyone’s guess. Regardless, the current team of engineers and drivers at McLaren has never developed a new car to the extent required by that new rules and regulations in Formula One.

Preseason testing has been cause for concern. The McLaren has been as much as three seconds off the pace of the front runners. Even with the new rules, that figure is a staggering one that can be nearly impossible to overcome in one season. The issue appears to be the rear wing on the car. Regardless, the debate about whether McLaren really have problems or not has been a lively one with nobody really knowing until the season starts in Australia in late March.

The good news for McLaren fans is the team put up a competitive time today in testing. While all other teams except Williams have completed their testing, McLaren was still at it. The time was 1:18.202. This is about half a second off the best laps being put down by other teams. Half a second is a manageable gap. Given the fact the lap was put down by the unimpressive Heikki Kovalainen, one can surmise that Lewis Hamilton will be just fine with the new car.

Does this mean McLaren is in the clear? Nobody knows. The entire 2009 grid is a complete unknown and that is great! All the teams are starting from the same point for the first time in years and that means a boatload of excitement. A betting man would be crazy to imagine McLaren will not be right there at the front competing with Ferrari and the like.

Lemmy Gibson writes about Formula One for PullingGsRacing.com

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Much has been made about McLaren Mercedes test times during the preseason testing run up to the Formula One Season. The rumors are beginning to look like fact – the new McLaren Mercedes car is slow.

The massive rule changes in Formula One this offseason have resulted in a clean slate for the teams in the series. It was thought the teams with the larger budgets would develop their cars more fully than those with smaller budgets. To this end, we’ve seen the big budget teams like Ferrari, BMW and even Toyota near the front of the pack.

McLaren Mercedes has a large budget, but the time put up all preseason have been slow. The car has regularly ended up on the bottom of the time sheets. Fans of the team claimed sandbagging was going on. Critics of the team claimed the new car was a dog. Nobody, of course, really knew anything other than those in the team. The semi-retired Ron Dennis suggested all was well and the car would round in to shape just before the race. On the final day of testing, however, the new McLaren finished a full half second behind the only other car on the track – a Williams! That is not a good sign.

The truth of the dire situation is beginning to be revealed. Key figures at McLaren have begun to try to prepare fans for some less than stellar racing. Lewis Hamilton has admitted he doesn’t expect to challenge for a win. Team leader Whitmarsh has suggested it will be a tough race. The stunning statement, however, comes from a person who really knows what is going on.

Norbert Haug is the head of the Mercedes side of the team. When questioned, he uttered an answer that simply is difficult to believe. Haug expects Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen to qualify in the back third of the field. The back third! When does he expect the car to become competitive? Not until the European races begin…at the earliest. Yikes. This means the new McLaren Mercedes is not just slow…it is a dog.

As one would expect, McLaren is talking up the fact it plans to develop the car significantly and this will result in the pace picking up. This is a dubious statement at best. Why? There is testing allowed during the season this year! The team can build parts on the computer, but trying out new parts on race weekend is a very tough way to pick up the pace.

The biggest issue now is how far is McLaren behind the pace? If the car is a second or less, the team can come back. If the car is two to three seconds slow as has been suggested by preseason testing, it is going to be a very long season. Somewhere, Fernando Alonso is probably smiling.

Lemmy Gibson writes about Formula One for PullingGsRacing.com

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The euphoria over the stunning last lap victory of Lewis Hamilton in 2008 resulted in many touting Hamilton for a long, strong run of championships. Of course, the future is always bright when looking through rose colored glasses and early testing results reveal problems in the Mercedes camp.

The predictions of Lewis Hamilton going on a long championship winning streak were not without merit following the 2008 season. Championships tend to come in bunches and it has been a while since a winning driver has not repeated. The past doesn’t really matter this season, however, because the cars from 2008 are a thing of the past given the massive regulation changes.

It now looks like Lewis Hamilton may not be racking up championships as quickly as thought. Why? He doesn’t appear to have a worthy car under him. The consistent test results from preseason runs have shown the McLaren to be a dog. Many put this down to the team intentionally underperforming. With dead last place finishes in many of the testing sessions, this seams odd.

Quotes from the last few days show the team is getting antsy. With only a week of testing left, no less then new boss Martin Whitmarsh has admitted, “At the moment, the car isn’t fast enough”. Norbert Haug, the head of Mercedes on the team, has admitted as much. McLaren is known for issuing rather blunt statements about performance or the lack thereof, so it is difficult to discount these ones.

If history is an indicator, it would suggest the McLaren is truly having problems. McLaren is infamous for having problems launching cars. The issue this time appears to be the rear wing as the new McLaren MP-24 is often seen running the old wing. If McLaren have got it wrong, then Hamilton could face a difficult task.

On a positive note, McLaren have a boatload of money and engineers. Given the few adjustable areas on the new cars across the field, McLaren should be able to recover even if it has built a dog of a car. The reason? It can just copy other cars. It sounds ludicrous, but the sad truth is the new regulations result in cars that are very similar. It is Formula One’s version of the Car of Tomorrow from NASCAR and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

So, is McLaren in trouble? Who knows! It is a long season and progress can be made. That being said, the team’s history is troubling and so is the fact that Alonso is not around to develop the car. Can Hamilton develop a championship car as the lead driver? We’re about to find out.

Lemmy Gibson is with PullingGsRacing.com where you can find videos of F1 crashes

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Since the first Mercedes A Class was sold in 1998, more than 1.1 million have found homes worldwide. That has a lot to do with its supermini sensibilities and the peerless image the car’s Three Pointed Star badge brings.

This model has a sportier stance than its predecessor – especially with the three-door version. It has a pair of sweeping headlights up front, a bolder grille and flowing lines along the side. The edges of the rear screen flow into the sides of the taillights, which in turn drops to form a low boot sill, which makes loading luggage simple.

The Mercedes A Class’ interior is immediately recognisable as a Mercedes. High quality materials and an excellent fit and finish are employed throughout.

Mercedes. cite the A Class‘ clever ’sandwich floor’ – which means parts of the engine and other drivetrain components sit beneath a second floor – as the secret to its interior space.

Mercedes are often bought for its perceived reliability, and the Mercedes A Class’ does a lot to cement that reputation.

Combining Europe’s love of small cars with Mercedes’ iconic badge was a very smart move. But looking beyond the badge, the Mercedes A Class is a superb space package which could be considered against far larger cars.

By: Rehman.Q

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