“F1? it’s like nothing else”: A conversation with McLaren

Online Sports Editor Grace Harvey looks back at the 2011 Formula One season, with an exclusive interview from DTM world champion and McLaren test driver Gary Paffett

 

Writing a F1 season review for 2011 is seemingly difficult. Truth be told, any press release published after the first few races would have summed the season up: Sebastian Vettel wins again, Jenson Button in close second and Lewis Hamilton is avoiding the paparazzi.

This year’s season was both one of the greatest, and frankly also one of the dullest in recent years.  Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel secured his second world championship title whilst national treasure Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton struggled to match the German’s pace.

Vettel wrapped up the driver’s championship in October after finishing second to Button at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. Despite having four races to go Vettel refused to become complacent finishing the season over a hundred points clear of second place, and eleven victories from nineteen races
Of course, we must not forget that Button did finish in second place whilst Hamilton finished in a respectable fifth following a tough year on the race-track, in the paddock and media. Yet it is not only the McLaren drivers, but the whole race team who have succumbed to great scrutiny following a disappointing performance from a team who’ve previously held both drivers and constructors championship.

Speaking to The Courier, world champion DTM driver and McLaren Formula One reserve/Test driver Gary Paffett speaks candidly about McLaren’s struggle to match Red Bull’s attempts and reveals what he believes needs to be done to ensure a strong challenge next season.

It’s clear from speaking to the McLaren driver that passion continues to push the team forward:

“the sheer level of technology and detail that is put into building an F1 car is like nothing else. The amount of down-force these cars have is incredible and the power to get them up to speeds of over 300kph with that level of down-force is amazing”.

Whilst these cars embody a new generation of motorsport, Paffett is ultimately is one of the key driving forces behind the continued progression of the team and integral to the overall performance, especially considering that Button and Hamilton have strict and limited time in the testing seat:

“As the race drivers don’t get that much time to test in there it is very much down to test drivers like me to continually develop the car during the season as well as the off season. I have been with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for a long time now and they rely on my feedback to move the car development forward.

“This year we had a difficult pre-season and were a long way off the pace in the winter testing due to an innovative exhaust system not delivering as it had promised so we had to redesign the complete rear end just before the first race. This meant we were really on the back foot and playing catch up already from the first race.

Already learning from their mistakes, McLaren seem ready to respond and remain optimistic for the 2012 season starting in the pre-season testing led by the DTM world champion; Paffett remarks that:

“hopefully we can see where the biggest benefits can be found with the change in the regulations next year and start strongly. We have an amazing team of engineers at track and back at the MTC (McLaren Technology Centre) working flat out to beat Red Bull next year”

None were able to escape the Red Bull dominance, and quite frankly the driver’s championship was ultimately a one-man race .Yet when probed about the Red Bull dominance of the season, he reveals quite simply and candidly “they just worked out what areas of the car to maximise before anyone else did.

“Even though it is F1 we still have limited resources and time and so identifying where the most time can be found and focusing on that area of development will help you get ahead of the competition”

Despite the limitations and disappointments McLaren have faced this season, there has been as many successes for both Button and Hamilton, and when asked about his memorable moments of the year,  Paffett reflects that “so much has happened this year, some good and some very sad, we have had some great wins in F1 and the best of these was Jenson’s drive through the field to win in Canada.
“But the thing that will stay in my mind the most from 2011 will be the loss of Dan Wheldon when he was killed in the final race of the IndyCar season at the Las Vegas speedway. This was a real hard reminder of how the sport we love doing so much can be so cruel at times”

Of course with every high, there is, unfortunately, a low, and no number of trophies or championships titles can match the devastation inflicted on the world following the sad news of both Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli’s death earlier this season.

Winter testing has already been set in motion, and for sure it can be guaranteed McLaren will be working tirelessly to ensure the same mistakes aren’t made in 2012. The team reign as one of the most successful and most loved F1 teams in history and look to be back with a vengeance next season.