October 6, 2012

Viva Sergio and Pedro – Pride of Mexico

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What an inspired and exciting hire Sergio Perez is for McLaren. Sergio has been in fine form this season gaining three podium finishes for Sauber already. I remember seeing him at Silverstone last year and I was impressed with how fast he seemed in what was palpably not the fastest car on the grid. This year he has looked even sharper. Certainly he is a fine young talent.

Whilst I had tipped Di Resta for the vacant McLaren seat I must say I am more excited by Perez getting the drive. Di Resta is a fine driver but not particularly exciting. Perez has moments of brilliance and sheer pace. The thought of him in a front running car is mouth-watering. Clearly he will now be under enormous pressure to thrive. Podium finishes are like winning for Sauber.   Anything less than winning for McLaren is going to be a disappointment.  Having said that,  I think that on the whole he will be able to handle the pressure in a way many other young F1 drivers would not. His first test will be at Suzuka in a few hours. He has qualified a good 5th on the grid – way ahead of the hot shoe whose shoes he is filling. Hamilton qualified a poor 9th – I guess his shoes won’t be too hot for Sergio to step into..

There have of course been other Mexican F1 drivers. The most notable were the Rodriguez brothers, in particular Pedro.  Pedro raced for Lotus, Cooper, BRM and Ferrari in the late 60’s and early 70’s before his tragic death (at only 31)  in July 1971 in a Ferrari 512M sportscar at the Norisring, Germany. Despite winning only two Grand Prix  Pedro was known as a quick driver, particularly in the wet,  but he was unfortunate in only being able to drive non-competitive F1 cars.  It was a different story with sportscars.  He won Le Mans in 1968 in a Ford GT40 and was twice world champion in the beautiful but terrifying Porsche 917.

Pedro tries to get past Vic Elford at a rain soaked Brands Hatch 1970

…spins but still goes on to win

Mexico loves its motorsport and hosts rounds of Indycar and NASCAR. The race tack in Mexico City is named the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after the two brothers who are revered in their home country. Hopefully the success of Sergio Perez in F1 will lead to a whole new generation of Mexican F1 fans and maybe pave the way for F1 to return to Mexico.

 

September 28, 2012

Bye Bye Lewis (2)

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Ok so it wasn’t Ferrari but another team with a sort of great history, Mercedes.  Lewis’ decision to leave McLaren at the end of the season has been described as a “mistake” by Martin Whitmarsh.  And its hard to disagree with them. Whilst I appreciate that a young driver wants to win above all else, is Lewis really likely to make greater progress to another world championship at Mercedes than he would have done at McLaren? Sure he will become the No 1 driver but they have struggled this season (Rosberg’s solitary win in China excepted) and unless they manage to woo Newey away from Red Bull, its hard to see them making much of an impact on Red Bull, Ferrari , McLaren and Lotus. Even Mercedes’ bags of money won’t be able to deliver the sort of success Lewis needs. And when Lewis isn’t winning he’s not happy..

Its difficult not to sympathise with McLaren. Lewis literally owes them (and Ron Dennis in particular) everything.  They nurtured his talent for decades and built their team round him and the bitterness of his departure is a sad end to their relationship. When I was being shown round the MTC a few months ago my guide pointed to one of the McLaren F1 road cars that sits on display in the “Boulevard” and told the story of how a young Lewis Hamilton, when he had just been signed by McLaren, said to Ron “when I become world champion I want that car”.  Ron apparently told him he could have it if he won the world championship twice.  Lewis won’t be getting the car now.

Your name’s not on it any more Lewis..

But who will get Lewis’ drive at McLaren? The speculation has begun and my guess is the talented Paul Di Resta. He had been a possible for the Mercedes drive so I suspect Force India have already resigned themselves to his possible leaving. His fine drive to 4th in Singapore will have done his chances no harm and his cool (cold?) efficency will no doubt suit Ron.

So it will be all change at the end of the season.  Perhaps most significantly the final race will probably see the end of Schumacher’s F1 career.  I won’t be sad to see the back of him. He and the sainted Senna bear most responsiblity for the bad behavior that now so afflicts all levels of professional motor sport.

 

September 22, 2012

Bye bye Lewis?

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Last week I attended a smart dinner at McLaren’s technology centre at Woking for current and potential customers for the MP4. We were welcomed by Ron Dennis and Lewis and Jenson made a dramatic entrance (in the new MP4 Spider) at the end of Ron’s speech. The intention of the evening was clearly to link in customer’s minds the racing heritage of McLaren with their new road cars and to generate some of the racing glamour that Ferrari generates for its road cars for the MP4.

Racing heritage on show – I had the Corgi version as a child..

The smart but slightly sinister MTC

Ron in his speech pointedly referred to the cost of putting an F1 car on the grid – some £3m per race. That without even including the “huge amounts” he has to pay the drivers whom he concluded “were lucky he allowed them to drive his cars”. In the following Q and A session Lewis (to uncomfortable laughter) acknowledged that being a success in F1 was a team effort but that the drivers made a significant contribution to the development of a successful car – and if Ron wanted to get himself a “cheaper driver” he was welcome to do so.

When asked about his contractual intentions Lewis tellingly replied he had  “never been in this position before”. The position of having another good offer on the table? He refused to be drawn. I suspect he will soon be off – to add to the racing heritage of Ferrari?

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Lewis’ empty preparation bay at the McLaren Technology Centre – a sign of things to come?

 

September 4, 2012

McLaren MP4, a super enough super car ?

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MP4 at the RAC – Spring 2012

Recently I had the pleasure of a tour of McLaren’s slightly sinister technology centre at Woking and the opportunity to test drive the latest version of the MP4 at Goodwood and on the roads of the South Downs.

When it was first announced I was excited about a British super car to rival Ferrari. And, at approximately £120,000, I could (with some financial engineering that would make my prudent father choke on his Lidl cornflakes) even dream of owning one.

First impressions were favourable – the MP4 is a fine looking car, particularly in McLaren orange. The stunning curves and compact lines ooze quality and McLaren’s famous attention to detail.  Even before I drove the car I put my name down as a potential customer. But then the Ferrari 458 was launched and McLaren decided to increase the price of the MP4 to match that of the Ferrari – some £170,000 plus. That put the car beyond me and made me wonder if McLaren’s attempt to compete with the Ferrari was wise.

The famously fast Goodwood circuit was the perfect place to test the car’s performance. Despite the insertion of two additional chicanes, the sheer speed of the MP4 was still enough to scare me. Acceleration was brutal, cornering sharp and the brakes superb. Handling was sublime. Not once did the car feel unbalanced even when my journeyman attempts at hard cornering caused the instructor accompanying me to wince. So on the track or at full chat the MP4 is a genuine super car.

But for a car to be a good super car it needs to be more than just dynamically good. As I drove an MP4 around the country lanes near Goodwood the McLaren marketing guy sat at my side assured me that the MP4 was a car you could live with every day. He selected (through a couple of neat and simple knobs on the dash) “normal” suspension and throttle settings and set the car’s gear box to full automatic.  It pootled around quite well but we both knew that no one would pay £170,000 for a car then take it to Tesco. And even if you did you would not be able to get out due to those smart gull wing doors banging the cars next to you. When I was driving the MP4 it wasn’t neighbouring cars that were being clobbered by the doors but my head every time I bent myself into the driver’s seat. I’m only in my forties but after getting in and out of the MP4 all day, I felt several decades older.  Whilst I expect that the MP4 does in comfort mode (or whatever it is called) have a more compliant ride than other super cars, compared to a GT it still feels harsh. This is not a car you would want to drive to the South of France.

But with a super car you don’t really want to drive to the shops, or to the South of France, or do anything sensible. You want to hare around, impress your friends and demonstrate your taste and wealth. Does the MP4 do the trick? Its a fine looking car but (and its been said before) it lacks the drama and charisma of the Ferrari 458. In addition, and crucially, when not on the track it sounds anaemic, like a Kia with a broken exhaust pipe. How could McLaren not have noticed this? McLaren already have to overcome the handicap of a brand lacking the virile rosso glamour of the prancing horse. Pricing the MP4 at the same level as the 458 was brave but undoubtedly leads customers to compare the two cars. By all accounts, the MP4 has the edge over the 458 dynamically. But I suspect to many potential customers that won’t be of overriding importance. For them the 458 will  win the battle on looks, sound and the glamour of that famous badge.

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Bet Greenpeace love the plate..

 

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