Mercedes McLaren this Season

[ddevine]

Right, so we’ve got six races left in the season and McLaren Mercedes are leading the pack. Isn’t it nice to see a British team doing so well?! The car seems so reliable and the performances have been great, the drivers are clearly talented, but a lot has to be said about the car, it’s got to be that magic Mercedes touch hasn’t it? Apparently loads of this year’s technological advances are filtering through to the Mercs’ road cars (so that’s got to be good news for anyone buying a Merc). If you ask me the so-called Alonso – Hamilton feud is all press talk, and who cares so long as the car is performing on the track? The off-track politics don’t seem to be affecting the mechanics, drivers or car. There’s a really good video on the Mercedes website (http://www.mercedes-benz.tv) about making a Formula 1 TV commercial, they seem to be getting on fine in that! Let’s forget speculation about feuds and get on with the winning!

[Flat.tyres]

Right, so we’ve got six races left in the season and McLaren Mercedes are leading the pack. Isn’t it nice to see a British team doing so well?! The car seems so reliable and the performances have been great, the drivers are clearly talented, but a lot has to be said about the car, it’s got to be that magic Mercedes touch hasn’t it?

DUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

by the way, great first post

[Caroline]

Let’s forget speculation about feuds and get on with the winning!

If only it were that simple...some people obsess about the inner workings of a team and how folk relate to one another. But surely, the team as a whole is driven to do just one thing, be as successful as possible. That's what interests me.

[markabilly]

DUCK!!!!!!!!!!!

by the way, great first post

Gee, it ain't it great, luv @ first sight


As to commercials proving all is well...for sure, and even better we have a a a a british team , even though the engine has that nasty german label on the side, we all know it really comes from England, AND A BRITISH DRIVER leading (how could you forget!!), so let us all bow our heads for a moment of prayer.....

[ioan]

Apparently loads of this year’s technological advances are filtering through to the Mercs’ road cars (so that’s got to be good news for anyone buying a Merc)

As you say, apparently, as there is not that much a Mercedes can use from what they do in F1 (unless it's an SLR).

Are you some kind of Mercedes PR employee?!

What about the use of other team's intellectual property?! :
Oh. we should overlook that part.

[Andrewmcm]

As you say, apparently, as there is not that much a Mercedes can use from what they do in F1 (unless it's an SLR).

Are you some kind of Mercedes PR employee?!

What about the use of other team's intellectual property?! :
Oh. we should overlook that part.

How do you know? I'd wager that a significant amount of the developments in gearbox, drivetrain and electronics would filter down onto road cars, not to mention advances in carbon fibre technology and crash-worthiness. Remember that Mercedes owns a reasonably significant stake in McLaren, so they will most likely have access to the IP on the developments made on the chassis side of things.

I don't suppose you've read the technical specification of both the McLaren F1 car and the Mercedes road car in order to be able to assert that not much can be used? Maybe you should get hauled up before the FIA for charges of espionage.... :P

[ioan]

How do you know? I'd wager that a significant amount of the developments in gearbox, drivetrain and electronics would filter down onto road cars, not to mention advances in carbon fibre technology and crash-worthiness. Remember that Mercedes owns a reasonably significant stake in McLaren, so they will most likely have access to the IP on the developments made on the chassis side of things.

I don't suppose you've read the technical specification of both the McLaren F1 car and the Mercedes road car in order to be able to assert that not much can be used? Maybe you should get hauled up before the FIA for charges of espionage.... :P

How many road cars are mad of carbon fiber composites?
How many road cars do need seamless **** gearboxes? Also how many road cars have gearboxes that last 1000kms or engines that last 1500kms?
Crash worthiness? F1 cars do have crash tests done at 60kmh like road cars, and the exclusive use of carbon fiber composites used in F1 can't help to much to transfer it to road cars that are manufactured using mainly steel, aluminum and plastics.

As long as you don't produce high end sport cars (like Ferrari do : ) you have little relevant technology that goes from F1 to your road cars.

[tinchote]

How do you know? I'd wager that a significant amount of the developments in gearbox, drivetrain and electronics would filter down onto road cars, not to mention advances in carbon fibre technology and crash-worthiness. Remember that Mercedes owns a reasonably significant stake in McLaren, so they will most likely have access to the IP on the developments made on the chassis side of things.

If that's the case, please make sure not to buy a 2005/2006 Mercedes :

[Andrewmcm]

How many road cars are mad of carbon fiber composites?
How many road cars do need seamless **** gearboxes? Also how many road cars have gearboxes that last 1000kms or engines that last 1500kms?
Crash worthiness? F1 cars do have crash tests done at 60kmh like road cars, and the exclusive use of carbon fiber composites used in F1 can't help to much to transfer it to road cars that are manufactured using mainly steel, aluminum and plastics.

As long as you don't produce high end sport cars (like Ferrari do : ) you have little relevant technology that goes from F1 to your road cars.

So where did paddle-shift gearboxes come from then? Weren't they developed by Ferrari in the 1980s, perfected by Williams in the 1990s and are now resplendent on quite a lot of mid- to high- range cars these days? Or don't innovations count if they were developed by manufacturers other than Ferrari?

Of course technology in the current F1 cars will filter down to road cars, thinking otherwise demonstrates a lack of understanding as to how the research and development process evolves. It may not take the same form as that found on the pure racing car, but the essnce of the technology is the same.

[airshifter]

I'm glad to see the team doing well, but have to say I also think part of their sucess is do to Ferrari struggling a little more than in past years. I've always liked seeing the Mclaren team do well, and since us from the US really have no national link to modern day F1 for me it's just a matter of a team of historic significance staying up at or near the top.




Don't pop a gasket Ioan. I'd say over time probably a lot of tech from F1 eventually makes it to production in a refined way. Being the pinnacle of innovation, F1 opens a lot of doors. Naturally they can't always use the direct innovation in a road car, but I'm sure many things influence cars sold.