The
McLaren Technology Centre is a building that has you in awe, and that's
only the pictures. So you can imagine how jealous I was when Luke
Smith, Editor-in-chief of RichlandF1
(my boss), got the chance to visit the iconic building. Check out his
behind the scenes look at the MTC in this exclusive guest blog.
After an early start, two trains and an enormous amount of coffee, I arrived on foot at the gatehouse, and was then escorted to a McLaren liveried minibus that took me to the MTC itself. The footage of the building you may see on the television doesn’t come close to conveying its true aesthetic beauty. The rippling lake and slick architecture summed out McLaren’s ethos in an instant, but of course, I had to go inside. After meeting the people organising the event, I was taken to a room where I met the other six journalists who had been invited to the day. Seven writers, when normally there are 60 people selected from 1300 per event (two held every day); this was no minor event. After a McLaren cookie (with a McLaren logo on it), we introduced ourselves, and a nice compliment was paid to Richland F1, which is “really coming on!” (McLaren read my site!?).
The tour swiftly began with a visit to McLaren’s road car production centre, which is just as intricate as their Formula One operation. The new P1 car is subject to close scrutiny, including a “monsoon test”; it does what it says on the tin. Soon after, we returned to the F1 side of the MTC where we were visited the trophy corridor. Hundreds and hundreds of trophies from names such as Lauda, Piquet, Prost, Senna and Hamilton (all originals, no replicas bar the constructors’ trophy) made it quite a spectacle. Quite a poignant fact is that every McLaren team member who eats in the canteen has to walk past all of this history; what an incentive.
We then got a chance to look at the carbon fibre the team uses for the bulk of the MP4-28, with the rear wing being surprisingly easy to lift. McLaren can now produce the same amount of carbon fibre in 3 hours that it took 60 days to make five years ago, a testament to the constant improvement that the team instigates. This kind of work led them to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, and the McLaren GT setup is certainly an impressive one. However, it does not compare to the Formula One pedigree which the MTC houses. The same names detailed in the trophy room re-emerged, with every single championship winning car on display along the boulevard, as well as many other ‘notable’ vehicles belonging to Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.
Following this travel through time, we were treated to a presentation on the Team McLaren membership scheme, and then one on the simulator work that McLaren undertake. It is the most sophisticated simulator in Formula One, with drivers being carefully picked to use the system. The machinery is so accurate that it can even tell where the driver is looking when entering a corner, allowing the engineers to carefully work with them. The “in the loop” principle works so well, will drivers giving their engineers real time feedback. In terms of simulator-to-track transition, the gap at Spa-Francorchamps was a few tenths in a McLaren GT car, although much of this depends on the driver. However, there is no denying that a McLaren tester has one of the greatest shots at making F1, with the simulator work complemented by a great fitness and health regime which has helped Max Chilton through the ranks. Although they were unwilling to tell me just who was using the simulator currently (it was worth a shot), you can be certain that they’re going to be gracing our sport in the near future.
Finally, lunch. A simple sandwich in the canteen? Please, this is not the McLaren way. Our day had started in the James Hunt suite for coffee (a fellow journalist believes there is a button you could press which would reveal beds, booze and girls), and it finished in the Hakkinen suite for lunch. McLaren’s catering arm, Absolute Taste, treated us to a delightful three-course meal of the highest quality (butter in the shape of the McLaren logo!), and the conversation was equally enthralling – off the record, mind you, so I’ll keep quiet. We were joined for dessert by managing director Jonathan Neale, who answered some of our questions on the record. He really did display just how determined McLaren are to regain the lost ground in 2013, and he also showed a good deal of wit, especially when talking about Paddy Lowe’s departure and the Button/Perez battle in Bahrain.
This is a team which not only knows its place in Formula One history, but one that is using this history to inspire the future successes at McLaren. The team admitted “we’re a blue chip brand” – you pay for what you get. Nothing evokes the high quality of McLaren’s operations than the MTC itself. There is not a single fault in the McLaren machine, and it is just a matter of time until the on-track results reflect this.
 |
| (c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes |
Writing about Formula One certainly has its
highs and lows. There are the late nights where you’re wrangling with a team
over an article, knowing you’re not going to get paid for it anyway, and
questioning just where you’ll find the money to pay the website bill. Luckily,
moments such as these are beautifully juxtaposed by the dizzying highs, one of
which I experienced on Tuesday on a visit to McLaren’s HQ: the hallowed MTC.
After an early start, two trains and an enormous amount of coffee, I arrived on foot at the gatehouse, and was then escorted to a McLaren liveried minibus that took me to the MTC itself. The footage of the building you may see on the television doesn’t come close to conveying its true aesthetic beauty. The rippling lake and slick architecture summed out McLaren’s ethos in an instant, but of course, I had to go inside. After meeting the people organising the event, I was taken to a room where I met the other six journalists who had been invited to the day. Seven writers, when normally there are 60 people selected from 1300 per event (two held every day); this was no minor event. After a McLaren cookie (with a McLaren logo on it), we introduced ourselves, and a nice compliment was paid to Richland F1, which is “really coming on!” (McLaren read my site!?).
 |
| (c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes |
The tour swiftly began with a visit to McLaren’s road car production centre, which is just as intricate as their Formula One operation. The new P1 car is subject to close scrutiny, including a “monsoon test”; it does what it says on the tin. Soon after, we returned to the F1 side of the MTC where we were visited the trophy corridor. Hundreds and hundreds of trophies from names such as Lauda, Piquet, Prost, Senna and Hamilton (all originals, no replicas bar the constructors’ trophy) made it quite a spectacle. Quite a poignant fact is that every McLaren team member who eats in the canteen has to walk past all of this history; what an incentive.
The chilly wind tunnel soon welcomed us, and we
also got a chance to check out the technical workings of the team as they build
engines, gearboxes and sensors for the cars. Perez’s car was waiting to be
repainted, with the Zain logo present from Bahrain. With this being McLaren’s
50th birthday season, the team is currently working to restore many
of its old cars for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. An old MP4/4,
widely regarded as the greatest F1 car of all time, was being carefully tended
to by a man called Ron, who it turned out had actually worked on the car during
1988 with Ayrton Senna. This is the kind of history McLaren has: not just the
cars, but the people who are so
important to the team.
We then got a chance to look at the carbon fibre the team uses for the bulk of the MP4-28, with the rear wing being surprisingly easy to lift. McLaren can now produce the same amount of carbon fibre in 3 hours that it took 60 days to make five years ago, a testament to the constant improvement that the team instigates. This kind of work led them to victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995, and the McLaren GT setup is certainly an impressive one. However, it does not compare to the Formula One pedigree which the MTC houses. The same names detailed in the trophy room re-emerged, with every single championship winning car on display along the boulevard, as well as many other ‘notable’ vehicles belonging to Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen.
It was incredible to see the
development of not only the cars over the years, but also McLaren as a whole.
The difference between Niki Lauda and Alain Prost’s car was clear, with the vertically-challenged
Frenchman requiring padding (effectively a booster seat). One interesting point
was the absence of Marlboro livery, but otherwise the cars were unchanged.
Emerson Fittipaldi’s car was the first to be sponsored by the tobacco giant,
and the logo was still recognisable on the nose of the car, albeit without the
name (subliminal advertising has been around for years). Besides the F1 cars,
Denny Hulme’s Can-Am challenger was also on display in the elegant papaya
colour which many would love to see return, as was the car in which it all
began: Bruce McLaren’s little red vehicle which he entered into hill climb
events as a 15 year old. So much history is rooted in what appears to be the
most inconsequential car in the McLaren Technology Centre.
 |
| (c) Vodafone McLaren Mercedes |
Following this travel through time, we were treated to a presentation on the Team McLaren membership scheme, and then one on the simulator work that McLaren undertake. It is the most sophisticated simulator in Formula One, with drivers being carefully picked to use the system. The machinery is so accurate that it can even tell where the driver is looking when entering a corner, allowing the engineers to carefully work with them. The “in the loop” principle works so well, will drivers giving their engineers real time feedback. In terms of simulator-to-track transition, the gap at Spa-Francorchamps was a few tenths in a McLaren GT car, although much of this depends on the driver. However, there is no denying that a McLaren tester has one of the greatest shots at making F1, with the simulator work complemented by a great fitness and health regime which has helped Max Chilton through the ranks. Although they were unwilling to tell me just who was using the simulator currently (it was worth a shot), you can be certain that they’re going to be gracing our sport in the near future.
Finally, lunch. A simple sandwich in the canteen? Please, this is not the McLaren way. Our day had started in the James Hunt suite for coffee (a fellow journalist believes there is a button you could press which would reveal beds, booze and girls), and it finished in the Hakkinen suite for lunch. McLaren’s catering arm, Absolute Taste, treated us to a delightful three-course meal of the highest quality (butter in the shape of the McLaren logo!), and the conversation was equally enthralling – off the record, mind you, so I’ll keep quiet. We were joined for dessert by managing director Jonathan Neale, who answered some of our questions on the record. He really did display just how determined McLaren are to regain the lost ground in 2013, and he also showed a good deal of wit, especially when talking about Paddy Lowe’s departure and the Button/Perez battle in Bahrain.
This is a team which not only knows its place in Formula One history, but one that is using this history to inspire the future successes at McLaren. The team admitted “we’re a blue chip brand” – you pay for what you get. Nothing evokes the high quality of McLaren’s operations than the MTC itself. There is not a single fault in the McLaren machine, and it is just a matter of time until the on-track results reflect this.
You can follow Luke on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LukeSmithF1
Check out his site: http://richlandf1.com/
He also contributes to NBC Sport's F1 coverage: http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/
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