[morini]

So, I know we have a few McLaren fans on here, myself included. What would you do to try and turn the tide?

I'll kick it off by saying that Middle Eastern investment has killed the team, not helped it. The biggest blunder was to oust Ron (he *was* McLaren for much of the era I've been watching) and put in an American with no clue. Bouliier has to go as well, the guy has to stand up and be accountable.

I'd like to see someone like Ross Brawn go in there and tidy the mess. Bring in Adrian Newey to turn it around on the technical side. He's coming to the end of his career and to turn a flailing Brit team around and get it back to winning ways would be a fantastic fanfare.

So, what would you guys do?

[PapaofGags]

So, I know we have a few McLaren fans on here, myself included. What would you do to try and turn the tide?

I'll kick it off by saying that Middle Eastern investment has killed the team, not helped it. The biggest blunder was to oust Ron (he *was* McLaren for much of the era I've been watching)

I'd like to see someone like Ross Brawn go in there and tidy the mess. Bring in Adrian Newey to turn it around on the technical side.

You have pretty much sorted it Morini, now if we can only persuade Ross & Adrian, I'd put the first £5 in the pot, this might take a while lol.....

[morini]

now if we can only persuade Ross & Adrian, I'd put the first £5 in the pot, this might take a while lol.....

I can donate a £4 bottle of Lidl Shiraz and a half drunk G&T if that helps entice them?

[pennywise]

So, I know we have a few McLaren fans on here, myself included. What would you do to try and turn the tide?

I'll kick it off by saying that Middle Eastern investment has killed the team, not helped it. The biggest blunder was to oust Ron (he *was* McLaren for much of the era I've been watching) and put in an American with no clue. Bouliier has to go as well, the guy has to stand up and be accountable.

I'd like to see someone like Ross Brawn go in there and tidy the mess. Bring in Adrian Newey to turn it around on the technical side. He's coming to the end of his career and to turn a flailing Brit team around and get it back to winning ways would be a fantastic fanfare.

So, what would you guys do?

I'd start by Firing Alonso... Young Lando will fill his seat...that's millions saved and replaced with a driver who won't diss the team in public.
I'd then throw Boullier to the wolves....best place for him...although wolves eat fresh meat and this guy went stale years ago...

I'd find the highest paid aero designer for Boeing and offer him a job...no joke...these guy's know their shit.
Then I'd go to Ducati's head designer....if there is a better man with an imagination out there then I aint seen his work.....dont matter it's on a bike ....beauty is universally achievable on car and bike equally.

Then grovel at the doors of Lambo, Audi or another main engine guru to come in and be part of F1..reinvent instead of treading old waters.....


Mc Laren should stop clinning to the past and look to the future .....the future is bright and could be orange.

[Jody Barton]

Lando Norris is trying to weasel out of his McLaren contract, rumour is he's currently pimping himself to Mercedes and Red Bull. So I think that speaks volumes as to where the team are, not even rookies want to drive for them. Alonso is definitely off with apparently Andretti and Penske vying for his signature. So that leave McLaren with Stoffel "I'm not sure I'm good enough" Vandorne and Lando "please can I drive a Honda" Norris.

I've looked through the talent available to McLaren, as in people they already employ, and quite frankly outside of the top 3 teams they have easily the best garage crew, and aero team. The issue is clearly leadership and management. There is something very, very wrong at McLaren. I have to say the rumours I've heard coming out of the technology center don't make for happy listening if you're a fan. Departments waiting weeks to get sign off on projects, nobody able to make delegated decisions and Prodromou apparently walked out a few weeks back and had to be coaxed back, because he's having to wait to be given the go ahead for anything.

So for me, it's a predominantly a management problem from what I hear, everything is centralised far too much. You compare that with RBR, Mercedes and Ferrari where the heads of departments work in the smae building and delegate to subordinates while keeping an overall picture of what is going on, and people aren't waiting to be told to do their jobs. I just think getting rid of Brown and Boullier would be a fine start. I agree the Saudi and UAE money wasn't good for the team, they started throwing their weight around, and quite frankly didn't understand the sport and what they were doing.

Newey and Brawn though? Pipe dream, Newey is going nowhere because Red Bull give him freedom to pursue his hobbies, and money to back it up, and Brawn has the job he always wanted, to fix F1, and a very large paycheck, without the hassle and pressure... I would honestly like to see Andrew Green at McLaren as Technical director, with a decent budget. He's worked miracles at Force India on a shoestring and has led some pretty big innovations. Give him a team and a budget and I think he'd work wonders. As for sporting director or whatever the role is at McLaren I'd like to see someone in F1 give Leena Gade a chance.

[morini]

I know Brawn and Newey at McLaren would never happen, I made the suggestion tongue in cheek (and I said it was a pipe dream on the sky pages too). Having said that, none of the top F1 technical guys are short of cash and most of them are also very "enriched" in the ego department. Can you imagine what it would do for their credibility if they could go in and make McLaren a top team again?

It is clear to me the management in place at McLaren are not real F1 people. The Saudi money guys need to poach some top technical talent then take a back seat. I know Ron was / is a flawed character and also very difficult to deal with, but to me he will always be what McLaren was about. I have a lot of time for Ron Dennis, a driven highly motivated man if ever there was one.

<dons rose tinted specs>
Bring back Ron and Bernie, all is forgiven!!
</rose tinted specs>

[LotusLover]

So, I know we have a few McLaren fans on here, myself included. What would you do to try and turn the tide?

I'll kick it off by saying that Middle Eastern investment has killed the team, not helped it. The biggest blunder was to oust Ron (he *was* McLaren for much of the era I've been watching) and put in an American with no clue. Bouliier has to go as well, the guy has to stand up and be accountable.

I'd like to see someone like Ross Brawn go in there and tidy the mess. Bring in Adrian Newey to turn it around on the technical side. He's coming to the end of his career and to turn a flailing Brit team around and get it back to winning ways would be a fantastic fanfare.

So, what would you guys do?

Yes McLaren are in a really bad time, I agree Boullier has to take this on the chin, he has been there since the hybrid era came in and its got steadily worse imo, with a small improvement of late. Unfortunately I cannot see Ross or Adrian ever going there, well maybe Adrian but would he really want such a monumental task I doubt it. 

Zak Brown I really don't see what he does to be honest looks lost a little to me. A dark and cloudy time ahead I am afraid

[Jody Barton]

I Said a few days ago I think, possibly on the Honey Badger contract thread, that McLaren were just starting their wilderness years. I really truly believe that, I honestly think they've got decades of rebuilding ahead of them, I really do, much like Williams, who now the Mercedes engine isn't light-years ahead, and light-years behind everyone else.

As for fixing McLaren? A good start would be ditching Boullier. This sharp decline started with him, McLaren lost a lot of talent under his first two years, ironically to Renault and Ferrari. Boullier chose to replace a lot of them with people who'd actually failed elsewhere. The whole team has been soaked in his mentality, and I feel had Ron still been there he'd have been sacked.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but what they need is someone who knows McLaren inside out to take the helm. That'll never be Ron now, so that leaves Whitmarsh. I do think they need someone like him to head the team up and get them refocused. I mean, FFS, rumours are Brown and Boullier have engineers working on possible IndyCar and WEC 2020 entries. WTF. Seriously, if you can't get F1 right, don't start spreading your talent thin by looking at other series.

[morini]

A month on from the last post in this thread. I thought I'd resurrect it

Well, Boullier has been chopped as dead wood - we all agreed it was necessary, but I don't see any other positive moves coming in the personnel department. It is a very well funded team, surely that must be an attractive proposition for some top engineering talent to go in and make their mark? What is putting them off?

Brown has to step down next (and soon). It is going to be years, but if they can get some of the right people in they could be best of the rest in a season or two. The core engineering talent are good engineers, Peter Prodromou is still there for a start (for how much longer I wonder?). They need some experienced F1 leadership.

Perhaps this comes across as a rose tinted spectacles type of post, but I've always loved McLaren. It's only the past few seasons where Brown and Alonso have been involved that I have become disillusioned with them. I want McLaren to get back up there. The sport needs it.

[Monster Hesh]

It is funny, like you say, and talented bunch of designers & engineers. Maybe that statement is bolstered as it seems any upgrade other teams, especially the top teams bring along all have a strong resemblance to what we already see on the McLaren. So like you say leadership and stabilised focused structure needs implementing, question is who? Maybe the members who have been promoted have already started to correct everything internally. Alter the resource drive down the correct path. But, who knows.