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^ Agreed, interested to see the rumored new color scheme. Maybe a throwback Marlboro McLaren-Honda scheme?
Originally Posted by Mugen.Justice
One can hope!
That'd be a good trick especially in light of the tobacco ban in the EU. Maybe the differently sized "slashes" that Ferrari used to replace the word "Marlboro."
^ True, I meant more the color scheme less the Marlboro logos.
Similar to what Williams had to do in the last race & remove the Martini logos from the cars (which killed the look, IMO).
That'd be a good trick especially in light of the tobacco ban in the EU. Maybe the differently sized "slashes" that Ferrari used to replace the word "Marlboro."
Those "slashes" ? Are they the actual barcode for the Marlboro tobacco ?
^ Agreed, interested to see the rumored new color scheme. Maybe a throwback Marlboro McLaren-Honda scheme?
One of motorsports most iconic sponsor schemes.
I love it, all the McLaren cars from the 70's to 90's with Marlboro red/orange.
Originally Posted by 00TL-P3.2
^ True, I meant more the color scheme less the Marlboro logos.
Similar to what Williams had to do in the last race & remove the Martini logos from the cars (which killed the look, IMO).
, didn't know that. Muslim country, I remember when Williams F1 driver's were sponsored by Saudi airline in the late 70's early 80's. If the driver's made the podium they could not touch the champagne as alcohol.
, didn't know that. Muslim country, I remember when Williams F1 driver's were sponsored by Saudi airline in the late 70's early 80's. If the driver's made the podium they could not touch the champagne as alcohol.
I had read an article the week before the race about a MADD type group campaigning to have alcohol sponsorships removed from F1, then saw the lack of Martini livery on the Williams cars. Was until one of the commentators mentioned that alcohol advertising was illegal there.
To me, the Williams/Martini livery was the best looking of the 2014 season.
CNN is going to be a title sponsor for McLaren, hope the graphics aren't too large. Another thing, the stupid rule for the nose has been modified so no anteater noses any more
Pretty boring. Looks like they took last years car and tossed a little red on it. The new nose on the other hand looks 100x better.
Agreed. I'm not feeling the silver-black-red. For McLaren, i think a two-tone scheme would have been better. I wouldn't have the black on there...to make things worse, this livery bears some resemblance to Force India's style IMHO. Lol just substitute the red for the orange.
Swing and a miss, really. Who signed off on this? Really missed an opportunity to come up with a throwback scheme. And how about that title sponsor eh?
On the other hand, the nose is leaps and bounds better than anything in 2014. Especially from the front- and top- views.
Finally, a shame about the helmet designs. Looks like Alonso kept his blue one, but Button ditched his. Too bad he didn't at least sick with his PinkforPapa one.
Mauro Forghieri is a respected former Ferrari team manager, agree with some of his opinion. Since testing is limited there's the driver feedback is crucial for car development.
Sounds like hogwash to me. I don't think I have ever read/heard anyone say Alonso is not good at developing a car. Looks to me like it's more a case of a former Ferrari boss (not involved anymore, so he can get away with saying shit) blaming now departed driver to make his beloved Ferrari not look as bad for underperforming. They haven't produced a good enough car to win with. Alonso would have won the one year too had Grogean not taken him out and nearly killed him at Spa in that giant shunt. Dumping most/all the blame on Fernando is ridiculous, and no mention of Massa or Kimi,....they were there too. It just doesn't add up.
Is it Alonso's fault their engine was quite a bit heavier vs others this past year? And down on power? His fault they've stuck with pull-rod suspension despite it being an issue for them to get right for the handling of the car etc? Hell, former Ferrari engine chief Luca Marmorini said they sacrificed engine development for aero work under the assumption the aero improvements would make up for engine deficit. How did that work out for them? Not like Alonso was making those types of decisions. He isn't the guy running the team/departments.
Unofficial Times (12GMT)
01 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:23.106
02 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1:24.641
03 Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1:24.804
04 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:25.764
05 Carlos Sainz Jr Toro rosso 1:36.081
06 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:28.479
07 Fernando Alonso McLaren 1:40.738
A former Ferrari chief has pointed the finger at departed Fernando Alonso following the Maranello team's recent troubles. Legendary designer Mauro Forghieri, a key Ferrari figure from the 60s to the 80s, said the Spaniard cannot simply blame the team for his failure to add another title to his tally since joining in 2010.
"If for three or four seasons in a row the car has the same problems, that means you are not developing in the right directions, and it's the driver's fault," Forghieri told the Italian website diariodelweb.it. Alonso, widely credited as the best driver in F1 today, has returned to McLaren for 2015, despite clashing badly with the British team in 2007.
McLaren's acting CEO Jonathan Neale told the Mirror: "There has been a lot of speculation about our relationship with Fernando last time but we can confidently put that to one side and say we are just here to get the job done."
Forghieri, however, is less confident about Alonso's place within a team. "Alonso is a great race driver," he said, "but not a good test driver. Each year, when he shook the car down, he said everything was perfect, then after a few months he began complaining. A real champion is the one who is able to manage the team."
He said Alonso therefore does not compare with Ferrari's last great driver. "Ferrari's problem in the last few seasons," claimed Forghieri, "was not having another Schumacher." (GMM)
Alonso bears some responsibility, majority? No but some. As lead driver it's partly his responsibility to get the car he wants, with feedback and input to the engineers.
That is what Forghieri is getting at, a great development driver (think, Stewart, Lauda, Prost, Schumacher, ...) will give a long list of changes and improvements they want back to the designers and engineers after every test and prioritize which needs to be addressed first. A driver can greatly influence chassis and tire development and to some extent engine development. I could have seen one or two bad seasons but after five the Alonso/Ferrari relationship wasn't working. Although I'm not a fan what Schumacher/Todt/Brawn/Bryne did at Ferrari from 1997-2005 was pretty amazing in terms of optimizing a team around their #1 driver. Even going to the extent of getting Bridgestone to almost solely focus on Schumacher's desires in tires after Michelin came on strong.
Originally Posted by West6MT
Sounds like hogwash to me. I don't think I have ever read/heard anyone say Alonso is not good at developing a car. Looks to me like it's more a case of a former Ferrari boss (not involved anymore, so he can get away with saying shit) blaming now departed driver to make his beloved Ferrari not look as bad for underperforming. They haven't produced a good enough car to win with. Alonso would have won the one year too had Grogean not taken him out and nearly killed him at Spa in that giant shunt. Dumping most/all the blame on Fernando is ridiculous, and no mention of Massa or Kimi,....they were there too. It just doesn't add up.
Is it Alonso's fault their engine was quite a bit heavier vs others this past year? And down on power? His fault they've stuck with pull-rod suspension despite it being an issue for them to get right for the handling of the car etc? Hell, former Ferrari engine chief Luca Marmorini said they sacrificed engine development for aero work under the assumption the aero improvements would make up for engine deficit. How did that work out for them? Not like Alonso was making those types of decisions. He isn't the guy running the team/departments.
Alonso bears some responsibility, majority? No but some. As lead driver it's partly his responsibility to get the car he wants, with feedback and input to the engineers.
That is what Forghieri is getting at, a great development driver (think, Stewart, Lauda, Prost, Schumacher, ...) will give a long list of changes and improvements they want back to the designers and engineers after every test and prioritize which needs to be addressed first. A driver can greatly influence chassis and tire development and to some extent engine development. I could have seen one or two bad seasons but after five the Alonso/Ferrari relationship wasn't working. Although I'm not a fan what Schumacher/Todt/Brawn/Bryne did at Ferrari from 1997-2005 was pretty amazing in terms of optimizing a team around their #1 driver. Even going to the extent of getting Bridgestone to almost solely focus on Schumacher's desires in tires after Michelin came on strong.
If they don't give him the car he is asking for, what can he do about it? He cant roll up his sleeves and get extra power out of the engine or more downforce in the wind tunnel himself. Look at all the decisions from last year I already mentioned in my first post,...heavier engine down on power,...sacrificed for aero benefit (and Red Bull still did a better aero job),....pull rod suspension issues but sticking with it,...who knows what else. Where is the evidence Alonso isn't good at developing the car, other than this one guy saying so (and it looks pretty obvious he's deflecting criticism away from Ferrari).
Also, are you forgetting that Alonso won two championships against Shumi/Ferrari/Bridgestone?
2012 Alonso lost the WDC to Vettel by three points. I wouldnt classify that as a bad season. He would have won if not for Grogean at Spa and some team errors during the season.
Why'd Ferrari fire so many people involved with design & engineering if Alonso is to shoulder a good chunk of the blame? Is the team's poor performace this year somewhat related to Domenicali's departure last year? When Shumi was winning everything, who was there,...Todt/Brawn/Bryne. Button,...Brawn. Lewis,...Dennis/Witmarsh/Paddy Lowe et al for his first WDC. Lewis's second WDC, at a team essentially set up by Brawn before his departure, which includes Paddy Lowe. Red Bull = Newey, and they suffered this year because their engine was shitty (totally out of the drivers control). Common theme being strong, smart leadership in key positions to develop a good pkg. Hand a driver a crappy car at the start of the year, he can only do so much. Yes, development takes place during the year, but a driver can only do so much. It's mostly down to the engineers giving them the tools, and the drivers setting it all up optimally.
01-11-2015, 10:15 AM
, didn't know that. Muslim country, I remember when Williams F1 driver's were sponsored by Saudi airline in the late 70's early 80's. If the driver's made the podium they could not touch the champagne as alcohol.
until one of the commentators mentioned that alcohol advertising was illegal there.
for some throwback McLaren/Honda livery.
meh, not overly impressed. Very similar to the 2014 car. Was really hoping for more of a MP4/4 style livery.
