Tom Hartley's Column
RLB Ultimate Grid: Dream Teams
Imagine you have been given complete control of every team in RLB Formula 1�s history. You have an unlimited budget to purchase the best car, manager and drivers each team has ever had. Who do you sign? For every team there are many options, each with different merits. The top teams have often had many championship contenders, while even the sport�s most recent additions have already supplied plenty of talent.
In the second of this fifteen-part series, Tom Hartley looks at the team who have come closest to BMW Sauber�s championship record - McLaren Mercedes.
The Car: McLaren Mercedes MP4-23d
Season 10 ( 7 ~ 11 )
Pedigree: 8 poles, 16 podiums, 6 wins, 168 points
Much like BMW Sauber, McLaren�s championships all came in the first eleven years of the RLB, although they at least show greater signs of recovering than the Swiss team. Of the five cars produced by the Woking team, two have delivered titles to date. The others have flattered to deceive. One season with �06 specifications saw the team surprisingly off the pace, while the car produced between Seasons 12 and 15 was the worst McLaren have yet to deliver. Over the past couple of years though, McLaren�s latest incarnation has continuously improved and threatened to put the team back on top.
McLaren have produced two fantastic cars, the first netting five championships in a three year period. Gabriel Nogueira took those titles, becoming the first driver to win three championships, one year before John Richardson equalled the feat. He was backed by worthy second driver Ed Williams. However despite collecting all the prizes, there was a sense that it was only Nogueira�s skill, and everyone else�s flaws, which took McLaren to the top. When Ferrari finally got their act together in Season 6, they pipped McLaren to the constructors� crown.
Despite being less successful, it was under the �08 regulations when McLaren achieved their most dominant season. The team had been beaten black and blue by BMW for three successive years, with disappointing line-ups including Sam Gordon, Metar Heller Algazi and former champion Travy D�Souza, who had come close but failed to match his success with Renault.
However in the RLB�s tenth season, McLaren hit the ground running with Eduardo Liguori and inexperienced team-mate Samir Achrifi. The team beat their Season 9 total by 25%, overturning a six point defecit to BMW into a 27 point victory. Meanwhile Liguori achieved a resounding first title, with Achrifi only just missing out on second place. It showed what the car would have been capable of with the right driver pairing in the previous three years.
Only the MP4-23d could prevent BMW�s dominance of the �08 era
The Manager: Doug Wood
Seasons 1 ~ 3
Pedigree: McLaren�s first ever manager, RLB legend
Like their bitter rivals, McLaren have had three managers who can claim to have brought a positive contribution to the team during its course in the RLB. In between them, Shaun Gilmore, Darcy Hegarty, Jack Renyard, Rob Webb and Alan Craig all failed to make any positive impact on the team.
While William Takahashi won a title with the team, and Tom Mullan may yet do so, it�s the team�s original manager Douglas Wood who is still revered as the best the team, and perhaps the sport, has ever had. In an era where rival managers, such as Renault�s Sam Clark or Sam Beardsworth and Vito Diepstraten at Ferrari, only participated in pre-season testing, Wood was a beacon of what the RLB hoped to deliver. Only Callum Lea and Tom Hartley came close to achieving the level of media attention that Wood did in the RLB�s foundation years. Wood inspired a generation of young managers, and brought confidence to the system the RLB�s bosses were trying to achieve.
Despite all that, McLaren�s on-track performances during Wood�s reign were a bitter disappointment, and he is still regarded as one of the best managers never to win a title. Strange driver choices certainly contributed to that. Originally Wood brought in Christopher Paul and Jamie Watson, a very controversial and divisive pairing. The McLaren may not have been the best car on the grid, but with Renault and Ferrari also struggling, neither Paul nor Watson could take advantage. The pair fell out, as Paul would go on to do with most of his team-mates, and some who weren�t. In the end they finished twelfth and fourteenth in the championship. Things showed some sign of improving the next season, with a more harmonious team line-up Watson reached third in the standings, although still some way off the BMW drivers.
Wood stepped down at the end of that season, but it would not be long before he returned. Shaun Gilmore had very briefly stepped in, signed Gabriel Nogueira, and then left. Wood was invited back for one last hoorah. The Brazilian missed out by just a single point in the closest fought championship in history, and Wood bowed out for good. He may not have won a title, but he helped create and nurture the Nogueira-Williams partnership which brought the team immense success.
Doug Wood inspired a generation of RLB managers
First Driver: Gabriel Nogueira
Seasons 3 ~ 6 ( 1 ~ 6 )
Pedigree: Three-time world champion
McLaren�s first champion came from humble beginnings, but would go on to become one of the most feared and respected drivers in the whole of Formula 1. In his first season, few would have picked out Gabriel Nogueira as a future world champion, let alone someone who would smash all of the RLB�s records.
Picked up by Morgan Jones at Williams, the Brazilian looked solid if unspectacular. The BMWs, Hondas, Martin Miles� Ferrari and even the Super Aguri of Ted Tofield looked more threatening. Phil Cogswell, not regarded as one of the sport�s finest talents, outscored him 52 points to 33. The following year things got somewhat better, an improvement to 41 points and sixth in the championship, smashing rookie team-mate Corey White. Yet after two managers in two seasons, he looked to move on to a new team. Little did he know, he would see five managers come and go in four years at McLaren.
Nogueira was somewhat fortunate to get a McLaren drive for the next season. He certainly wouldn�t have been a Doug Wood signing; he actually had potential. Shaun Gilmore spotted that, and so a legendary partnership was born. Nogueira�s fortunes improved greatly in that first season, although consistency ultimately cost him the title. Meanwhile with three impressive drivers, BMW again won the constructors� crown.
Season 4 would be a different story, as McLaren began a reign of terror in Formula 1. Jack Renyard, who had managed Nogueira at Williams took the helm, and the Brazilian took an easy first title as his rivals fell by the wayside. The partnership of Nogueira and Ed Williams was the perfect combination, as the Australian collected regular points without ever coming close to challenging for number one status. The same came true in Season 5, as Williams came third in the championship with just half the points of Nogueira.
Gilmore, Wood, Renyard and Hegarty had all been and gone, and by now Nogueira was looking for a move elsewhere. McLaren�s latest recruit, Rob Webb, again flattered to deceive. The Brazilian won his third consecutive title by a much smaller margin than the year before, however with Webb long since gone he had decided to retire from the sport, without achieving the dream of driving for Ferrari. In four seasons at McLaren he had won three championships and missed out on another by a single point, consistent success which is unlikely to be seen again.
With three successive titles, Nogueira set a record which is unlikely to be beaten
Second Driver: Eduardo Liguori
Seasons 8 ~ 10 ( 3 ~ 18 )
Pedigree: McLaren�s only other World Champion
Despite driving for BMW Sauber, Renault, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams, Eduardo Liguori�s only championship thus far came with the McLaren team, in their most dominant season of Formula 1. The second of McLaren�s two Brazilian drivers spent three years at the team, his longest stint with any until his third run with Ferrari.
It all started over fourteen years ago, when Red Bull�s Rob Webb promoted Liguori to the team for the final race of the season at Interlagos. The following season he joined BMW Sauber, but it would be a season full of disappointment. Manager Michael Booth did not contribute, and Liguori fell out with team-mate Christopher Paul. It was still a competitive season for the Brazilian, who finished fifth in the championship, but he left at the end of the year to join Ferrari.
Liguori was proving to be a very popular driver, and improving his racing abilities fast too. From fifth with BMW, he finished fourth and then third in the championship for Ferrari, enjoying a good team spirit with Colin Nixon in control. But when the Australian left, Liguori followed him. He found sanctuary with Renault, but suffered his worst season yet. Beaten by Fernando Waldren, and outside the top ten for the first time in his career.
This was the situation when Liguori joined the McLaren team in Season 8. William Takahashi had been charged with bringing the team managerial consistency back, and Liguori was part of the long-term plans. In his first two years, Liguori lost the championship to David Reid, and was beaten by his own team-mate Travy D�Souza. But deciding to stick around for a third season, things came good, and he took a comfortable first championship.
Until someone else delivers a championship for McLaren, Liguori will always be considered as their second best driver ever. Sadly he could not deliver any more than that one title. Moving back to Ferrari immediately after his title was a disastrous move, as was the deal to partner Danielle Henson at Red Bull. Since then he has redeemed himself by helping Ferrari and Liane Solfrank to two titles, but it could have been so much more. Having driven for so many top teams, greater commitment could have easily made Liguori the multiple champion his talent deserved.
Liguori has driven for all the top teams, but his greatest triumph came with McLaren
The Reserve: Daan van den Acker
Seasons 17 ~ 18
Pedigree: Multiple race winner in just half a season in F1
McLaren have entered the new season with a bright young line-up, and based on last season�s form are set to challenge more than any year since Liguori took the title. While Mark Andrews already has great experience in F1, team-mate Daan van den Acker has risen rapidly through the ranks to become one of the RLB�s stars in just his third season.
The Belgian made his debut for Lotus in the GP2 series, and despite failing to win a race took two second place finishes, and ended tenth in the championship. However he was one of the most attractive media talents in the field, and competition was rife to sign the young star. Despite the possibility of driving for a backmarker team in F1, van den Acker opted to move to IndyCar with Newman Haas.
In GP2 he had shown consistency without winning, but in America van den Acker won plenty of races without backing them up with good results. He won four times, more than anyone other than the champion, team-mate Lars Arnesen. After missing two races, and failing to score in six more, he limped home to eighth in the standings.
Still, van den Acker had broken America with his great media ability, and when McLaren needed a mid-season driver he was quickly called up. In F1 he combined the consistency of GP2 with the speed of IndyCar, winning twice with four other top four finishes. Having debuted at Silverstone, the Belgian showed the sort of form which would have made him a title contender had he competed the full season. Now he will do, and could very quickly put himself amongst McLaren�s great drivers.
van den Acker has already been earmarked as the man most likely
to take McLaren�s fifth drivers� title
Coming next time: The new team setting the standards in Formula 1 - Mercedes GP (featuring Brawn).
In the second of this fifteen-part series, Tom Hartley looks at the team who have come closest to BMW Sauber�s championship record - McLaren Mercedes.
The Car: McLaren Mercedes MP4-23d
Season 10 ( 7 ~ 11 )
Pedigree: 8 poles, 16 podiums, 6 wins, 168 points
Much like BMW Sauber, McLaren�s championships all came in the first eleven years of the RLB, although they at least show greater signs of recovering than the Swiss team. Of the five cars produced by the Woking team, two have delivered titles to date. The others have flattered to deceive. One season with �06 specifications saw the team surprisingly off the pace, while the car produced between Seasons 12 and 15 was the worst McLaren have yet to deliver. Over the past couple of years though, McLaren�s latest incarnation has continuously improved and threatened to put the team back on top.
McLaren have produced two fantastic cars, the first netting five championships in a three year period. Gabriel Nogueira took those titles, becoming the first driver to win three championships, one year before John Richardson equalled the feat. He was backed by worthy second driver Ed Williams. However despite collecting all the prizes, there was a sense that it was only Nogueira�s skill, and everyone else�s flaws, which took McLaren to the top. When Ferrari finally got their act together in Season 6, they pipped McLaren to the constructors� crown.
Despite being less successful, it was under the �08 regulations when McLaren achieved their most dominant season. The team had been beaten black and blue by BMW for three successive years, with disappointing line-ups including Sam Gordon, Metar Heller Algazi and former champion Travy D�Souza, who had come close but failed to match his success with Renault.
However in the RLB�s tenth season, McLaren hit the ground running with Eduardo Liguori and inexperienced team-mate Samir Achrifi. The team beat their Season 9 total by 25%, overturning a six point defecit to BMW into a 27 point victory. Meanwhile Liguori achieved a resounding first title, with Achrifi only just missing out on second place. It showed what the car would have been capable of with the right driver pairing in the previous three years.
Only the MP4-23d could prevent BMW�s dominance of the �08 era
The Manager: Doug Wood
Seasons 1 ~ 3
Pedigree: McLaren�s first ever manager, RLB legend
Like their bitter rivals, McLaren have had three managers who can claim to have brought a positive contribution to the team during its course in the RLB. In between them, Shaun Gilmore, Darcy Hegarty, Jack Renyard, Rob Webb and Alan Craig all failed to make any positive impact on the team.
While William Takahashi won a title with the team, and Tom Mullan may yet do so, it�s the team�s original manager Douglas Wood who is still revered as the best the team, and perhaps the sport, has ever had. In an era where rival managers, such as Renault�s Sam Clark or Sam Beardsworth and Vito Diepstraten at Ferrari, only participated in pre-season testing, Wood was a beacon of what the RLB hoped to deliver. Only Callum Lea and Tom Hartley came close to achieving the level of media attention that Wood did in the RLB�s foundation years. Wood inspired a generation of young managers, and brought confidence to the system the RLB�s bosses were trying to achieve.
Despite all that, McLaren�s on-track performances during Wood�s reign were a bitter disappointment, and he is still regarded as one of the best managers never to win a title. Strange driver choices certainly contributed to that. Originally Wood brought in Christopher Paul and Jamie Watson, a very controversial and divisive pairing. The McLaren may not have been the best car on the grid, but with Renault and Ferrari also struggling, neither Paul nor Watson could take advantage. The pair fell out, as Paul would go on to do with most of his team-mates, and some who weren�t. In the end they finished twelfth and fourteenth in the championship. Things showed some sign of improving the next season, with a more harmonious team line-up Watson reached third in the standings, although still some way off the BMW drivers.
Wood stepped down at the end of that season, but it would not be long before he returned. Shaun Gilmore had very briefly stepped in, signed Gabriel Nogueira, and then left. Wood was invited back for one last hoorah. The Brazilian missed out by just a single point in the closest fought championship in history, and Wood bowed out for good. He may not have won a title, but he helped create and nurture the Nogueira-Williams partnership which brought the team immense success.
Doug Wood inspired a generation of RLB managers
First Driver: Gabriel Nogueira
Seasons 3 ~ 6 ( 1 ~ 6 )
Pedigree: Three-time world champion
McLaren�s first champion came from humble beginnings, but would go on to become one of the most feared and respected drivers in the whole of Formula 1. In his first season, few would have picked out Gabriel Nogueira as a future world champion, let alone someone who would smash all of the RLB�s records.
Picked up by Morgan Jones at Williams, the Brazilian looked solid if unspectacular. The BMWs, Hondas, Martin Miles� Ferrari and even the Super Aguri of Ted Tofield looked more threatening. Phil Cogswell, not regarded as one of the sport�s finest talents, outscored him 52 points to 33. The following year things got somewhat better, an improvement to 41 points and sixth in the championship, smashing rookie team-mate Corey White. Yet after two managers in two seasons, he looked to move on to a new team. Little did he know, he would see five managers come and go in four years at McLaren.
Nogueira was somewhat fortunate to get a McLaren drive for the next season. He certainly wouldn�t have been a Doug Wood signing; he actually had potential. Shaun Gilmore spotted that, and so a legendary partnership was born. Nogueira�s fortunes improved greatly in that first season, although consistency ultimately cost him the title. Meanwhile with three impressive drivers, BMW again won the constructors� crown.
Season 4 would be a different story, as McLaren began a reign of terror in Formula 1. Jack Renyard, who had managed Nogueira at Williams took the helm, and the Brazilian took an easy first title as his rivals fell by the wayside. The partnership of Nogueira and Ed Williams was the perfect combination, as the Australian collected regular points without ever coming close to challenging for number one status. The same came true in Season 5, as Williams came third in the championship with just half the points of Nogueira.
Gilmore, Wood, Renyard and Hegarty had all been and gone, and by now Nogueira was looking for a move elsewhere. McLaren�s latest recruit, Rob Webb, again flattered to deceive. The Brazilian won his third consecutive title by a much smaller margin than the year before, however with Webb long since gone he had decided to retire from the sport, without achieving the dream of driving for Ferrari. In four seasons at McLaren he had won three championships and missed out on another by a single point, consistent success which is unlikely to be seen again.
With three successive titles, Nogueira set a record which is unlikely to be beaten
Second Driver: Eduardo Liguori
Seasons 8 ~ 10 ( 3 ~ 18 )
Pedigree: McLaren�s only other World Champion
Despite driving for BMW Sauber, Renault, Ferrari, Red Bull and Williams, Eduardo Liguori�s only championship thus far came with the McLaren team, in their most dominant season of Formula 1. The second of McLaren�s two Brazilian drivers spent three years at the team, his longest stint with any until his third run with Ferrari.
It all started over fourteen years ago, when Red Bull�s Rob Webb promoted Liguori to the team for the final race of the season at Interlagos. The following season he joined BMW Sauber, but it would be a season full of disappointment. Manager Michael Booth did not contribute, and Liguori fell out with team-mate Christopher Paul. It was still a competitive season for the Brazilian, who finished fifth in the championship, but he left at the end of the year to join Ferrari.
Liguori was proving to be a very popular driver, and improving his racing abilities fast too. From fifth with BMW, he finished fourth and then third in the championship for Ferrari, enjoying a good team spirit with Colin Nixon in control. But when the Australian left, Liguori followed him. He found sanctuary with Renault, but suffered his worst season yet. Beaten by Fernando Waldren, and outside the top ten for the first time in his career.
This was the situation when Liguori joined the McLaren team in Season 8. William Takahashi had been charged with bringing the team managerial consistency back, and Liguori was part of the long-term plans. In his first two years, Liguori lost the championship to David Reid, and was beaten by his own team-mate Travy D�Souza. But deciding to stick around for a third season, things came good, and he took a comfortable first championship.
Until someone else delivers a championship for McLaren, Liguori will always be considered as their second best driver ever. Sadly he could not deliver any more than that one title. Moving back to Ferrari immediately after his title was a disastrous move, as was the deal to partner Danielle Henson at Red Bull. Since then he has redeemed himself by helping Ferrari and Liane Solfrank to two titles, but it could have been so much more. Having driven for so many top teams, greater commitment could have easily made Liguori the multiple champion his talent deserved.
Liguori has driven for all the top teams, but his greatest triumph came with McLaren
The Reserve: Daan van den Acker
Seasons 17 ~ 18
Pedigree: Multiple race winner in just half a season in F1
McLaren have entered the new season with a bright young line-up, and based on last season�s form are set to challenge more than any year since Liguori took the title. While Mark Andrews already has great experience in F1, team-mate Daan van den Acker has risen rapidly through the ranks to become one of the RLB�s stars in just his third season.
The Belgian made his debut for Lotus in the GP2 series, and despite failing to win a race took two second place finishes, and ended tenth in the championship. However he was one of the most attractive media talents in the field, and competition was rife to sign the young star. Despite the possibility of driving for a backmarker team in F1, van den Acker opted to move to IndyCar with Newman Haas.
In GP2 he had shown consistency without winning, but in America van den Acker won plenty of races without backing them up with good results. He won four times, more than anyone other than the champion, team-mate Lars Arnesen. After missing two races, and failing to score in six more, he limped home to eighth in the standings.
Still, van den Acker had broken America with his great media ability, and when McLaren needed a mid-season driver he was quickly called up. In F1 he combined the consistency of GP2 with the speed of IndyCar, winning twice with four other top four finishes. Having debuted at Silverstone, the Belgian showed the sort of form which would have made him a title contender had he competed the full season. Now he will do, and could very quickly put himself amongst McLaren�s great drivers.
van den Acker has already been earmarked as the man most likely
to take McLaren�s fifth drivers� title
Coming next time: The new team setting the standards in Formula 1 - Mercedes GP (featuring Brawn).
