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McLaren regaining momentum 

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Dear Heretic: 
You're right on every count; most importantly, from my point of view, about McLaren. It may be that they were put a little off stride last year by the loss of half of the team that makes the Ilmore / Mercedes engine. But now they're regaining momentum and that plus their really strong drivers makes them again competitive. 
D.C. is, I think, of all the drivers the one most like Michael in smartness and determination. If Kimi is wise, he'll learn as much as he can from David and soon be on the podium regularly. 
On the other hand, I agree with you that J.P.M. is not a believer in finesse and, therefore, not likely to learn anything from either his team mate or from anyone else on the grid! This means that he will, occasionally, be on the top of the podium, but never make enough POINTS to help either himself or his car manufacturer. If it can be broken, as you say, he will break it. 
I am also gratified to see Fisi doing as well as he is; maybe with an improved Honda, he'll be a threat to Williams, too. You were wondering about JPM's early stop. Me too. Could it be that he was even lighter than they claimed? And that they (the team) screwed up tactically by thinking that if they went very light at first they might stretch the lead enough so to be able to make room for a "splash and dash" finish? I mean this is, after all, as you pointed out, the team that can't seem to make refuel their cars, so why assume they have any more reliable strategies than they do refuelers!? And that takes me to the thing that pleases me the most: in a sport where money buys you ONLY advantage, not guaranteed results, it is gratifying to see those monster corporations (Ford, Renault, Toyota) trying (and failing) to simply BUY a win. Jaguar is agonizingly pathetic from Nikki down to the front tyre changer --but they have those beautiful trailors and logos/ paint schemes. Renault is more daring (they have a radical engine design) than Toyota, but equally conservative in their operations and strategies. I am sure that various corporate individuals AND organizational structures affect these big manufacturer's team decisions and strategies. But in racing, decisions need to be made on site and immediately; neither of which are corporate ways of being. So do you think it possible that the leading manufacturer, Ferrari, even though they are "parented" by a huge corporation, have somehow managed a kind of independence not available to either Jaguar, Renault, or (now) Toyota? So that it is their (big) money PLUS their independence which gives them just enough edge to squeak past McLaren and Williams --both of which have equal talent, equal independence and are just lacking the kind of money available to the Red team? If so, the way to go may end up being Honda's after all: now that would be really fun --to see Eddie Jordan pushing Williams, McLaren and Ferrari while Nikki Lauda and the Toyota boys settle for fighting with Sauber and Arrows! 
Ah well, enough said. Over the half way hump, it looks like another smashing year for Michael and Ferrari; the only other interest being who manages to take second and what new "reasons" Rubens and JPM come up with. On to Germany! - Jim W - USA (Reference Heretic 4-17 - McLaren on the way up ?)

The Heretic replies:

Hi Jim,

McLaren is definitely on the move. During testing (and we know that testing tells us very little) Raikkonen is fast. Let’s hope this is race and not qualifying trim.

I am not sure that I share your views on David. I believe that he is technically very fast and that he is one of the few drivers on the circuit today that uses his head, but I suspect that he is a little too cool – to the extent that it suppresses the flair that Michael displays infrequently (the ability to do the impossible for a few laps). He certainly is one of the most professional.

I wonder if Fisichella will still do well in the right car. It has been a very long time since he has had a great drive – I just hope that he has not gone conservative.

In today’s f1 world where everyone is secretive by default, it is really hard to find out why things like Montoya’s stop happen. I have mulled this one over in my mind and am starting to suspect that he had a rear tyre with a problem. Maybe a slow leak or possibly a vibration. There was no benefit in pitting that early if he was on a single stop plan so it has to be something else.

The other theory is that he was very light on fuel to ensure that he stayed ahead from the start. If so how come Barrichello was so much faster when later in the race they were evenly matched?

One of those mysteries that we’ll never solve.

The money thing is getting interesting. I think it was Henry Ford that was asked: “When is enough enough?” and responded “After just a bit more”. The problem is that there are several teams that are unable to succeed with large budgets but no teams that even get close with small budgets. The large budget teams that do not do well seem to suffer from large company bureaucracy – a bit like a camel being a horse designed by committee.

The Heretic

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