mclaren-mp4-26

F1 2011 Season Preview: The Drivers and Teams

McLaren-Mercedes
#3 Lewis Hamilton
#4 Jenson Button

In 2009, the sweeping regulation changes caused McLaren to go very conservative with their car design and they were well off the pace. Fast forward to 2011 and people at McLaren and members of the media are talking about 2009 again. That’s not a good sign for the Brits. Hamilton and Button ran well for most of the season but couldn’t hold off the late season charges by Red Bull and Ferrari. Their 2011 challenger is probably the most radical looking of the field with the unique u-shaped sidepods which are designed to maximize clean airflow to the rear wing. In practice, the car has not been nearly as quick as they would hope. At the final test, the MP4-26 was well off the pace. If I’m a Macca supporter, I wouldn’t be expecting too much at the start of the season. Of course, Button is easy enough on his tyres that he could be fast enough over long runs that he can contend on pit stop strategy.

Teams