2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[SmallSoldier]

Also is there a lower downforce wing that McLaren even have? Taking a dremel to the RW flap does but you are losing drs efficiency with that

Today’s straight line performance, at least S1 wasn’t all drag / DF induced… By the time they were hitting Radillion they were already behind compared to the others and that’s a short run from T1 to Radillion to be all based on drag… My guess is that they were a bit more cautious in that section, therefore compromising the rest of the straight… They did have losses in the back from Stavelot to the Bus Stop chicane that are more indicative of drag / DF induced losses, losing 4.5 tenths in that section alone

[runningmanz]

Solid result in the end but a bit disappointing compared to last 2 weekends. Too much of a wet setup? Oscar did well though considering he never drove an F1 car around here. Said he is still learning the braking points in the dry. Looking forward to sprint race too!

[McLarenMor]

Seems like from f1.com's data McLaren are only 0.16sec down on redbull on dry track, so that's good to see.
Just an underperformance of both our drivers in quali, it happens.
Let's hope for a better sprint

[mwillems]

Lando alluding to too much downforce for the straights…..

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... zYNyJ.html

At least we are learning more about some of the top speed issue. I'd rather it be because of DF rather than aero inefficiency or deployment.

It may not be optimal in Q but it will become more beneficial in the race, it certainly feels like they had one eye on the race with this set up. Especially if there is any kind of rain.

Of course it will not only improve race pace but also tyre life and strategic options.

For several of those first laps we should be able to run behind cars for a tow and then DRS negating further that drag penalty.

And the opening laps with warmer tyres will be yet more effective with the added DF, so look for some action here too.

Edit: I'm sure we can be more efficient, of course, it's just I'm not sure it's a big issue on this car with DRS closed.

[FittingMechanics]

Top speed has been an Achilles heel so far this season, but as in Silverstone, it may not be as detrimental… If it rains on Sunday, it’s game on having probably more downforce than the rest of the field, that would be the best possible outcome… In the dry, it will be difficult.

Spa was the toughest test for the new package and even though so far it’s a bit early to judge it, it is definitely an step forward… The amount of lap time gained in S2 versus rivals is massive, in the race, with the tow and some DRS help, it could be really good for the Team.

Let's be honest, we expect Piastri to be 2 tenths or so behind Lando, maybe even more as there was little running in FP. If that was the case (no damage) Lando would start on pole. Things look quite good but it might be a struggle to overtake with low top speed.

Piastri has been close enough that I wouldn’t just give Lando a 2 tenth bonus “just because”, but there would definitely be an expectation for Lando to match or exceed Piastri’s pace.

The reality is that with the new generation of cars, the floor is responsible for most of the DF of the car, damage to it would have had a big impact on the It’s performance (probably the reason for the big difference in S2)… So I would think that Lando would have been there or thereabouts with Piastri in Qualy.

But the conditions suited the car with a higher DF setup… If it rains on Sunday, we might be in for a surprise (a positive one)… Already doing the rain dance

Lando was 2 tenths faster in S1, with damage. He was massively slower in S2 because he couldn't run as fast in quick corners. I feel it is safe to assume he had 2 tenths over Piastri in him.

Remember, this quali first time Piastri ran a dry lap in F1 car around Spa.

[FittingMechanics]

Also is there a lower downforce wing that McLaren even have? Taking a dremel to the RW flap does but you are losing drs efficiency with that

Today’s straight line performance, at least S1 wasn’t all drag / DF induced… By the time they were hitting Radillion they were already behind compared to the others and that’s a short run from T1 to Radillion to be all based on drag… My guess is that they were a bit more cautious in that section, therefore compromising the rest of the straight… They did have losses in the back from Stavelot to the Bus Stop chicane that are more indicative of drag / DF induced losses, losing 4.5 tenths in that section alone

T1 (slow) compromises the whole run through Eau Rouge and further. It would be much better if T1 was fast then that would mitigate slow speed issues.

[CjC]

Lando alluding to too much downforce for the straights…..

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... zYNyJ.html

At least we are learning more about some of the top speed issue. I'd rather it be because of DF rather than aero inefficiency or deployment.

It may not be optimal in Q but it will become more beneficial in the race, it certainly feels like they had one eye on the race with this set up. Especially if there is any kind of rain.

Of course it will not only improve race pace but also tyre life and strategic options.

For several of those first laps we should be able to run behind cars for a tow and then DRS negating further that drag penalty.

And the opening laps with warmer tyres will be yet more effective with the added DF, so look for some action here too.

Edit: I'm sure we can be more efficient, of course, it's just I'm not sure it's a big issue on this car with DRS closed.

Just looked at the quali sectors from yesterday. In S3 it’s about a 4 tenth loss (not ideal), obviously S2 is strong. S1 is horrible, I’m leaning towards agreeing with a recent poster that the slow speed T1 might be killing Mclarens laptime again

[_cerber1]

[mwillems]

Lando alluding to too much downforce for the straights…..

https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... zYNyJ.html

At least we are learning more about some of the top speed issue. I'd rather it be because of DF rather than aero inefficiency or deployment.

It may not be optimal in Q but it will become more beneficial in the race, it certainly feels like they had one eye on the race with this set up. Especially if there is any kind of rain.

Of course it will not only improve race pace but also tyre life and strategic options.

For several of those first laps we should be able to run behind cars for a tow and then DRS negating further that drag penalty.

And the opening laps with warmer tyres will be yet more effective with the added DF, so look for some action here too.

Edit: I'm sure we can be more efficient, of course, it's just I'm not sure it's a big issue on this car with DRS closed.

Just looked at the quali sectors from yesterday. In S3 it’s about a 4 tenth loss (not ideal), obviously S2 is strong. S1 is horrible, I’m leaning towards agreeing with a recent poster that the slow speed T1 might be killing Mclarens laptime again

It may well turn out to be, I think it can depend on race events. But I think if you look at it from a gambling perspective, there is more chance it will do good than harm, and overall more good that i can do than harm it can cause us.

As Mikel Arteta of Arsenal would say, trust the process!

[Darth-Piekus]

At the moment the Sprint Shootout is wet for intermediates but it will dry. Do you think wet settings were the best decision? Also how come we don't have a Discord community for Mclaren fans here? It seems that we have problems in Spa generally. I don't think we set up well.

[FittingMechanics]

Car seems weaker today.

[SmallSoldier]

Also is there a lower downforce wing that McLaren even have? Taking a dremel to the RW flap does but you are losing drs efficiency with that

Today’s straight line performance, at least S1 wasn’t all drag / DF induced… By the time they were hitting Radillion they were already behind compared to the others and that’s a short run from T1 to Radillion to be all based on drag… My guess is that they were a bit more cautious in that section, therefore compromising the rest of the straight… They did have losses in the back from Stavelot to the Bus Stop chicane that are more indicative of drag / DF induced losses, losing 4.5 tenths in that section alone

T1 (slow) compromises the whole run through Eau Rouge and further. It would be much better if T1 was fast then that would mitigate slow speed issues.

Interestingly, McLaren had a better exit out of T1 and ahead of the likes of Alonso and Hamilton, but by the time they reach Eau Rouge, the advantage was gone and they were behind speed and time wise

[Darth-Piekus]

Im not sure if it was a good idea to use High Downforce. Not sure why the car is so weak here. Drag might be losing us a lot of time in those long straights. The next upgrade has to fix that completely if we want to make another long step forward.

[SmallSoldier]

Let's be honest, we expect Piastri to be 2 tenths or so behind Lando, maybe even more as there was little running in FP. If that was the case (no damage) Lando would start on pole. Things look quite good but it might be a struggle to overtake with low top speed.

Piastri has been close enough that I wouldn’t just give Lando a 2 tenth bonus “just because”, but there would definitely be an expectation for Lando to match or exceed Piastri’s pace.

The reality is that with the new generation of cars, the floor is responsible for most of the DF of the car, damage to it would have had a big impact on the It’s performance (probably the reason for the big difference in S2)… So I would think that Lando would have been there or thereabouts with Piastri in Qualy.

But the conditions suited the car with a higher DF setup… If it rains on Sunday, we might be in for a surprise (a positive one)… Already doing the rain dance

Lando was 2 tenths faster in S1, with damage. He was massively slower in S2 because he couldn't run as fast in quick corners. I feel it is safe to assume he had 2 tenths over Piastri in him.

Remember, this quali first time Piastri ran a dry lap in F1 car around Spa.

I thought we were just giving Lando 2 tenths over Piastri “because Lando”

It will be interesting to watch the shootout, so far Piastri is showing a bit better lap time… They are not looking as fast this morning

[Darth-Piekus]

Interesting so far.I think it was a mistake to choose High Downforce set up as we are losing a lot of time in those straights and not gaining enough on the second part with high speed turns. Unless they have an ace up their sleeve and know something that we don't.