22/03/2017
NEWS STORY
It's fair to say that while most of us are anticipating whether Ferrari really does have the equipment to take on Mercedes this weekend, and others whether Red Bull can join in the fun, McLaren fans will be hoping that things are not quite as bad as they appear.
If ever the term 'damage limitation' was warranted, in the wake of a horrendous pre-season test programme, McLaren will head into the Melbourne weekend hoping upon hope that things are not as bad as they appear.
As both the Woking outfit and its Japanese partner attempt to put on a smiling face and tell the world that all is OK, and 'we're getting there', like a couple desperate for the world not to know the truth, both will be wanting to get the season opener out of the way without incurring too much damage, either on track or off.
Clearly, some at McLaren are sick of making excuses, and the old one about 'they were late coming to the party' is looking worn and tired.
Indeed, in a rare snipe at Honda, Eric Boullier has questioned the Japanese manufacturer's inability to understand the culture of F1, claiming that its insistence to do things 'the Japanese way' is the cause of much of the problem.
"They only need one thing, which is to understand and integrate the F1 racing culture," he told Autosport. "What I mean by that is: the way we behave in racing and Formula 1 is all driven by a calendar, by fixed targets, fixed dates, lap time gains; we always try to go to the best solution as fast as possible.
"Where a car manufacturer is running a project, you can have a few weeks delay and it's not going to change the product, it's not going to change the business model," he continued. "In racing, if you don't bring your upgrade for race one, in race one you will be nowhere.
"That is the racing mentality. It's as far as going to suppliers and making sure that if they do something in one month, the next time they do it in three weeks, and from then three weeks to two weeks.
"We value more the time gained than the money spent," he admitted. "This is a different approach from the rest of the world."
While Honda has a workshop in Milton Keynes, its HQ remains in Japan, and that, insists the Frenchman, is core to the issue.
"This is why Mercedes is based in England, and I guess they benefit from the supply chain, from people with experience of F1. Our suppliers maybe cost twice as much but are three, four, five times faster.
"In some ways you can realise the corporate influence is not helping to be efficient. The more you behave like a corporate company, the more process inherited from a corporate company, the slower you are, the less agile you are, which doesn't fit the racing culture."
Check out our Build-Up gallery from Melbourne, here.