By Parminio
June 9 2004

The good news is, help is on the way. The bad news is, we don't know how soon it will arrive. Kimi's first impression of the B spec McLaren were quite possitive. Although a good bit of possitive feedback was given to the MP4-19 in pre-season, one has to believe that this feedback for the B-spec is genuine. First off, it's racing with all of the 2004 spec wings, which don't give it the advantage that the 19 had in pre-season while testing with the 2003 spec wings, giving it an unfair advantage.

In hindsight, one has to wonder what McLaren were thinking back then. To launch your 2004 car with 2003 wings on it and not get any honest evaluation until 2 weeks before the season starts sounds more than a bit odd. That said, McLaren-Mercedes have suffered dramatically ever since. It's been the worst start Team McLaren has had not in decades, but in it's entire history.

The B spec car, which according to Raikkonen is much more stable, should give McLaren the lap time improvement that it needs to get some desperately needed points. The problem though is that the new Mercedes engine is not yet available, and there are no reports to suggest that it will be available any time soon. Mercedes has had a black eye season to say the least. With more engine failures than Grand Prix finishes this season, it's safe to say that Mercedes Benz has more than egg on thier face. They have egg, ham, grits, bisquits and gravy on thier face...the whole breakfast.

Looking to Canada, a course known for being tough on everything, McLaren fans are in for another long (or short, depending on how you look at it) weekend. Canada is hard on brakes, engines and tires. With the 19, the odds of our finishing have to be in the 3 to 1 range, and that's being kind.

The going rumour of late puts the B-spec McLaren on the grid at France, but this might be a little optomistic. We can only hope that the B-spec makes an appearance by Hockenheim in order to salvage anything from this season. Being overhauled by Sauber, and possibly Jaguar and Toyota is a possition that McLaren fans are not used to being in.