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Post by René on Jun 22, 2018 21:54:19 GMT
I don't know. Maybe Woking is a great place to live. Lucio? Of course it must be a great place to live...but less great if you drive for McLaren Lucio once told me for all the years he lived in Woking he never visited the McLaren Technology Center. Maybe Danny can do the same; stay at Lucio's but never go to McLaren!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2018 23:08:29 GMT
seriously, are McLaren going to stay with Regie? Who could they change to? Mercedes and Ferrari are not willing to supply more teams, Honda would probably want Zac Brown to commit some painful act of contrition before they'd consider it. So I reckon, yeah, McLaren will stick with Regie for at least the next two seasons.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 1:13:57 GMT
I doubt Ricciardo would even want to visit Woking! I don't know. Maybe Woking is a great place to live. Lucio? Great place, Rene'. Some of the best schools in the South-East (Daniel doesn't have children, but I do...). The town centre is not as nice as Guildford, but usually millionaires they can afford to go in nearby villages like Weybridge, West Byfleet, Chobham, Cobham (where Andy Murray lives and Chelsea FC have their training ground). Lots of McLaren people live in or around Guildford (only five miles/8km away). Or they can come more my way, towards Pyrford and Ripley (where Paul Weller has his recording studio), in the middle of the green. The area Woking-Guildford is one the best in England, and Surrey (I learned eventually) one of the poshest. My landing there was entirely casual, I went to the Uni Surrey and stayed.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 1:20:15 GMT
Seriously, it seems also this year lots of talk about Ricciardo to Ferrari and then, as I already suspected following last year's pattern, it won't materialize. A shame. It seems Kimi will retire and Leclerc will take his place. Conservative move by Marchionne. If Vettel doesn't win the championship this time they will have some questions to make themselves at Ferrari.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 1:29:11 GMT
Ricciardo at McLaren poses lots of questions. On one side, one thinks McLaren and the reflex is to expect them to resurface eventually. However, on the other, not with Zak-Bouiller, I can't see that happening. They have put the team in a rut, they are the problem McLaren has at the moment, a big problem that needs some wherewithal and enlightened leadership to solve, and that seems missing unfortunately. Ojjeh is not the man, for the little I know.
It seems he's got an offer from Renault too. Hard decisions, but I think the wiser move at the moment is staying where he is.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2018 3:32:53 GMT
The free practice were on TV live here last night and I must say that the Paul Ricard is a special place with lots of memories from my youth, the Mediterranean light is really something there. Regardless of the track itself, the breaking up of the Mistral straight etc.
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Post by Carl on Jun 23, 2018 4:02:02 GMT
Seriously, it seems also this year lots of talk about Ricciardo to Ferrari and then, as I already suspected following last year's pattern, it won't materialize. A shame. It seems Kimi will retire and Leclerc will take his place. Conservative move by Marchionne. If Vettel doesn't win the championship this time they will have some questions to make themselves at Ferrari. "Topolino" Marchionne is small and timid unless arguing by proxy with a Spaniard. Here are his company car and his "Fiorano" track day special.
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Post by chrisb on Jun 23, 2018 6:17:04 GMT
Lucio, there is also one of the most historic venues near you as well, one I had the pleasure of being invited to once, Brooklands, and it really is impressive,
I knew Surrey reasonably well, however, it is many years since i have been there, but it posseses many fine memories for me and of course the historic A25 - which was great fun on a Sunday afternoon, and then when i 'moved onto other things' taking the lady to all those fantastic antique shops - mind you that was 30 odd years ago....ouch
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Post by chrisb on Jun 23, 2018 6:23:18 GMT
That's the thing Jim, as a 'mere customer' I can't see McLaren making any realistic progress, especially as Lucio says with the two 'b's', which prompts the thought and the fact they have so much financial backing with the Middle east that are they trying to look at external alternatives? there was talk of Cosworth returning and that could be a partnership, McLaren are too ambitious to stay where they are and too realistic not to expect too much from Regie, i don't know the whole thing just doesn't add up to me,
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Post by Jamie on Jun 23, 2018 6:47:13 GMT
McLaren moving to the Renault engines just reeked of potential embarrassment for the Woking team and so it’s proved.....is there anything worse for this once proud team than the mediocrity they are displaying now? Looking forward to the French GP, something new is always good and it’s an absolute travesty that we haven’t had a French race for 10 years!!
I’m hoping the track turns up a cracking race and that Hulkenberg gets right up there for the Reggie at their home track. As an aside, I found out this week that a work colleague’s parents own a holiday home near St.Tropez and we’re making plans to stay there next year and visit the race with a few like-minded souls......would make for a good trip, France is a wonderful place.
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 23, 2018 7:09:41 GMT
Lucio, Chris my folks lived in Weybridge for a couple of years in the late 80s when my old man worked in London. I visited in 1987 and used to drove past Brooklands a couple of times but never visited it. Surrey is a very nice part of England and I would love to live there but doubt I could afford the house prices.
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Post by mikael on Jun 23, 2018 7:52:15 GMT
seriously, are McLaren going to stay with Regie? Who could they change to? Mercedes and Ferrari are not willing to supply more teams, Honda would probably want Zac Brown to commit some painful act of contrition before they'd consider it. So I reckon, yeah, McLaren will stick with Regie for at least the next two seasons. To try looking at it from a positive side, they (McLaren) started out in the turbo-era of 2014-- as a Mercedes customer, then Honda, then Renault. So at the end of the present season they will have gathered an intimate knowledge of three out of the four engines in use. Of course the evolution goes on continuously but still, they could perhaps be in a very good position to team up with someone like Cosworth, like Chris suggests, and then essentially produce their own engine. (Easier said than done, of course ... there is the real danger that it will be their Honda years all over again ...)
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Post by chrisb on Jun 23, 2018 8:17:21 GMT
Jamie, you are on! although would be taking the bike!
Rob, I moved from SE London about 20 years ago to the North East and have a larger house c/w a garden, I cannot afford to move back to London let alone Surrey
Mikael, like your thinking my friend, that - makes sense
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Post by René on Jun 23, 2018 9:42:11 GMT
The free practice were on TV live here last night and I must say that the Paul Ricard is a special place with lots of memories from my youth, the Mediterranean light is really something there. Regardless of the track itself, the breaking up of the Mistral straight etc. Yes it's a beautiful area. When I visited the 1988 Grand Prix it was part of a holiday trip I did with a mate. We borrowed and old Volkswagen van from another friend and did a trip along the Côte d'Azur. It was wonderul!
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Post by charleselan on Jun 23, 2018 11:26:28 GMT
So much one could write about McLaren and its pretty obvious demise.
Firstly it is surprising that Ojjeh and his Middle Eastern cronies haven't bank rolled Porsche to build them a 21st Century TAG motor.
Secondly it is case in point of McLaren's board appointing all the wrong people, not understanding that the supposed success that these people appointed had previously been down to the work of others and not them; Boullier being a case in point. Both he and "Chubby" Brown should be marched out the door and then the board go cap in hand to the guy who was there for just one month Jost Capito. Unfortunately for them he is now a major player at VW and most unlikely to be attracted to a group of losers like that.
Ron Dennis must be quietly laughing his socks off, Ron may not be the most engaging of characters in a public way but it was he who built that empire. I always had the feeling with Ron was a man who had to make his way against the system and his somewhat humble beginnings as a "mere mechanic" were looked down on by some others who mostly had less worthy credentials. That also was the reason why Ron felt compelled to make some dubious decisions, and as he did not have a silken tongue he could not talk himself out of trouble.
Getting rid of Honda was a catastrophic mistake, and a decision that Brown will live to regret. If, as some believe, he did it to placate Alonso then he is a fool of the highest order. Does anyone believe that Red Bull & Honda will not be a major player?
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