By Emma Aitken
February 12 2008

The 2007 season saw McLaren experience their own ‘annus horribilis’, what with the whole spy gate episode and having to deal with a driver who had a somewhat difficult relationship with his fellow team mates. McLaren Fans new reporter, Emma Aitken assesses whether McLaren can bounce back and win in 2008. “This is a year of looking forward for us. We won’t be spending any time dwelling on the past”. So said Ron Dennis at the launch of the MP4-23 in Stuttgart on January 7^th; and so say all of us! The 2007 season saw McLaren experience their own ‘annus horribilis’, what with the whole spy gate episode and having to deal with a driver who had a somewhat difficult relationship with his fellow team mates. So, with the ridiculously steep fines paid, a new driver in their line up and a car manufactured to all the legal requirements, will the fall out from last season permeate in to the next? Ever the optimist and forever a McLaren fan, I’m going to answer that question with a resounding no! Technically, the main issue as a result of the FIA’s decision to strip McLaren of their Constructor’s points last season is that their garage in the pits throughout this season is going to be right at the back and that, if not a major issue, is certainly going to be a hindrance that they could do without. Instead of having a clear lane in front of them after their pit stops there will be times when they get caught up in traffic. Apart from the obvious point of them losing precious time through this, there will also be occasions when they are going to have to deal with overtaking back markers who they got caught up behind coming out of the pits. A plus point for us fans though is that they just might have to do more racing for position out on the track, and not so much from their pit stops. In fact, I firmly believe that last season’s nightmares will result in a better 2008 season for McLaren. In order to ensure the MP4-23 had all its own legal specifications for the season ahead, it has been developed earlier in the winter months than is normal so everyone in the team, including perhaps more significantly Heikki Kovalainen; the new boy on the block, has had more time to adjust to the car and work on its set up in preparation for when they go racing. And speaking of Heikki, the new driver line up has surely got to be a more harmonious one than that of last season. Everyone has hopefully leant from their mistakes and that includes Lewis Hamilton. If the team want results for both the drivers championship and the constructors then they have got to be just that; a team. Ron Dennis is careful to comment on this fact saying that although there will be a strong rivalry between the two drivers on the track he is expecting that they will be collaborative and competitive in equal measure. Basically he is saying that there will be no nonsense this season and everyone is going to toe the line. That can only be a positive thing. And that is the key to McLaren’s success at bouncing back in 2008. They remain positive about their future instead of wallowing in the past. If anything, they have learnt from last season’s horrors and are ready to come back fighting; bigger, better and stronger than ever before.