I can't say for sure, but the McLaren chassis can't easily bolt into slow corners, as if there's always not enough grip on the front tires. This is clearly noticeable with regard to Red Bull; in some incomprehensible way, their entire chassis rotates around the front axle.mwillems wrote: ↑14 Sep 2023, 22:32Worth noting that at this weekend the new Technical Directive around flexible bodywork is enforced, the team also suggested it won't affect them. We will see tomorrow who felt the need to bring any new front wings or any other areas that might have been flexing.LionsHeart wrote: ↑14 Sep 2023, 21:36Earlier this year I thought the problem was purely mechanical. But lately I’ve been ready to admit that perhaps it’s also a matter of the balance of the aero package at low speed. If it turns out to be a pressure gradient and equal distribution of downforce between the front and rear axles, then the suspension will only have a partial effect, while the aero body itself may have a greater impact on handling.mwillems wrote: ↑14 Sep 2023, 21:09
Yes the team have confirmed that there will be a new floor and sidepod. I am very interested to see what it is that is different.
Also worth noting that through the past months that there was a lot of discussion between Aero and Mechanical being prime contributors to the low speed corner issue. Tomorrow will be wonderful to understand how much the Aero side of things can bring us closer to RB in low speed corners.
It is also worth noting that whatever it is about this car that makes it unpleasant to drive still remains. One can only assume that given all the aero changes and the fact the issue hasn't changed, that this must be something to do with the mechanical side and how it interacts with the tyres and track. I wonder how much that impairs the speed of the car.
Remember, you wrote that how the upper flap of the front wing is unloaded at high speed and how this affects the flows under the floor? So, perhaps you are very close to the truth. We know that the McLaren chassis handles well in fast corners and is quite good in medium-speed corners. At these speeds, the front wing flap flexes downward, possibly optimizing underbody flow, while at low speeds, flexing the top flap back upward may not provide enough load on the front tires, as I think the rear end has something to do with it. It holds very tightly and it has something to do with the flows under the floor. What I mean is that in the phase after braking there is no adequate loading of the front wing.
Perhaps the rear axle is simply more stable in terms of downforce, while the front axle simply lacks enough downforce at the front. Is it possible that after the top flap returns to its normal position, there will be no increase in downforce due to the disruption of the air flow from the front wing?
As for Mechanical vs Aero, the mechanical in part needs to keep the car in the parameters of the operating window for the Aero, and both have opportunities to improve. But is it a question of what might they be able to address now in the aero because they can't address the mechanical without a new chassis? This is why I am interested to see just how much time can be made. If we are close to RB in slow corners this weekend we have a good indication.
The inability to get a good turn in during a high energy braking zone like at Monza or the need for a V shaped profile that the team speak of seems more mechanical.
Lando suggests that the way the car is driven hasn't changed at all and I think he refers to this behaviour, I think that side is mechanical and will be addressed in the next years chassis. But it is such an odd phenomenon, I wonder what on earth could cause it. It may well be excessive dive. Due to a combination of flex and dive, is the wing bottoming out? Do we need to keep a certain profile of the front suspension to push the car to an optimal laptime, but that this setting in particular means we have to compromise on low speed corners? I wonder if the car suffers issues at low speed corners that are Approached also at low speed, i.e. less braking energy and dive. if it still has issues this would seem to rule out dive.
Edit: What they might be able to address now was written as a statement it is, and not the question it was meant to be... is it, in italics.
I have one guess. Does anyone here on the forum still remember Red Bull's trick 3-4 years ago regarding changing the ride height depending on the steering angle? To be honest, this element kind of should have been banned, but it’s possible that Red Bull somehow recreated this trick.
