2024 Mclaren Formula 1 Team

[Vanja #66]

The thing about this race is that Russell and Mercedes were practically dictating the pace of front runners, not Ferrari or McLaren. And Russell was extra conservative with mediums

[LionsHeart]

The thing about this race is that Russell and Mercedes were practically dictating the pace of front runners, not Ferrari or McLaren. And Russell was extra conservative with mediums

It seems to be so, it seems not. But what difference does this make? Absolutely nothing. If it weren't for Leclerc's orders, Russell's pace wouldn't matter to the leaders, would it?

Somewhat similar tactics allowed Sainz to win in Singapore. Yes, the circumstances there were different, but even there the leader was restrained by McLaren alone, who in turn defended the leader. This doesn't make the race in Monaco any more enjoyable. Let it be written in the regulations that in Monaco it is necessary to carry out 2 or 3 mandatory pit stops. The teams will figure out what to do themselves.

Perhaps the most joyful thing is that Monaco is behind us, and ahead are the tracks, where the race promises to be more overtaking.

[hollus]

Regarding that Monaco thing… unless you are specifically talking McLaren here, it is off topic and diluting this extreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemely looooooooooong thread, and hiding the posts from people that might want to discuss Monaco.

Please make the effort to find the Monaco race thread if the points are not McLaren specific.

It cannot be that this thread becomes the “I am a Macca fan and I discuss everything that interests me right here”.

Thanks.

[mwillems]

The thing about this race is that Russell and Mercedes were practically dictating the pace of front runners, not Ferrari or McLaren. And Russell was extra conservative with mediums

It was very much Russels race that would have determined Mclarens call with Lando and indeed Sainz that was managing that gap. Had Russell pitted or his tyres dropped off then we'd have had the gap we need to pit. Even then it would have been tough to get past Sainz, so I don't think anything would have been different.

[mwillems]

[Darth-Piekus]

It's the first time I'm hearing Mclaren not having answers why the upgrades are providing more than intended.

[Zynerji]

It's the first time I'm hearing Mclaren not having answers why the upgrades are providing more than intended.

It must be really hard to anticipate how much driver confidence an update can deliver tho... I mean, if a driver feels like an extension of the car all of a sudden, the bleeding edge moves a bit further ahead.

[mwillems]

The full article.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mcla ... /10617803/

Stella thinks that some of the unexpected improvement is likely the result of increased driver confidence allowing Norris and Piastri to push harder, but equally there are some technical elements that he thinks need to be better understood.

...

For us, it’s still an open point as to why the car now seems to be pretty decent in low-speed. And we don’t want to jump to conclusions too early because it’s pretty fundamental that we derive the most precise answer to this question.

“It could be a big opportunity for further development, so we need to understand exactly why the car is now competitive in low-speed.”

But Stella is clear that the issue of the car producing more than expected is not down to a factory/track correlation issue – as its actual downforce gain is on target.

[Emag]

I am surprised he made such a statement. Don't think its wise signaling things to rivals, both for good and for bad.

[Mostlyeels]

The full article.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mcla ... /10617803/

Stella thinks that some of the unexpected improvement is likely the result of increased driver confidence allowing Norris and Piastri to push harder, but equally there are some technical elements that he thinks need to be better understood.

...

For us, it’s still an open point as to why the car now seems to be pretty decent in low-speed. And we don’t want to jump to conclusions too early because it’s pretty fundamental that we derive the most precise answer to this question.

“It could be a big opportunity for further development, so we need to understand exactly why the car is now competitive in low-speed.”

But Stella is clear that the issue of the car producing more than expected is not down to a factory/track correlation issue – as its actual downforce gain is on target.

Drivers having confidence to push harder reminds me of "success breeds success". Good to hear that it's across the board too e.g. not specific to low-speed corners. Will be interesting to see how this plays out across the season.

[BMMR61]

I am surprised he made such a statement. Don't think its wise signaling things to rivals, both for good and for bad.

Yeah, and he isn't the sort of run-off-at-the-mouth guy like Horner or Wolf. I think he has decided that openness in many of these areas doesn't really allow the competition any advantage. After all, it's one thing to hear X has achieved more than their simulations predicted, and another thing to be able to deduce what they did to achieve the same and what direction they are going. It's an incredibly exciting time to be with McLaren (or Ferrari) but I suspect the orange ship is sailing a little more steadily and safely than the red one. A new driver lineup with a former champion having to blend with a fast and ambitious teammate who's established is just one challenge they will have. I think it will be a lot nigglier than the present pair. Our guys seem to have good manners, I know, you put the sniff of wins and championships on the menu and that can all change.

[LionsHeart]

When Lando's car was picked up in Miami, I saw one curious detail that immediately stood out to me. The lowest pressure area under the floor is now moved back closer to the diffuser area. Thereby shifting the center of pressure back, closer to the center of mass of the chassis. This step allows the use of softer front suspension settings. Wear on the control bar indicates the same thing. I am sure that such a change in aerodynamics played a key role, due to which both balance and handling changed.

The car is now easier for Lando and Oscar to handle because the wear on the front tires is not as bad as before and the chassis does not cause severe understeer. And in some places it’s even the opposite, Lando often pays attention to excessive controllability. As far as I remember, he likes this option better. And Oscar too. And overall the chassis rides much smoother than before.

The softer suspension lowers the front end slightly lower at low speeds. As speed increases, the aerodynamics independently equalize the ground clearance, lowering the front and rear evenly. But the front end now acts as the main link around which the chassis rotates. At Imola I didn't see any sign of a lack of grip at the front end at Turn 7. Everything was great in Miami too. In Monaco, the chassis turned easily at the hairpin and at the exit of turn 10.

The overall center of pressure under the floor and the center of mass of the chassis are now more closely connected and have one common point, around which a more stable balance occurs in all corners.

[Sidewinder]

Vanja, you know well that penalties aren’t applied based on outcome, it’s the action that is penalized not the outcome of such action.

You know full well that penalties are applied based on outcome despite the stewards pretending they aren't. All you have to look at is Piastri-Sainz in Miami.

Bad example. If Sainz hadn't caused a collision there is nothing to be penalized for. Are you saying you want the rules to penalize oversteer/understeer?

No, quite simply if Sainz's right rear had only hit Piastri's front left instead of his front wing there would not have been a penalty. Equally if Sainz wouldn't have avoided Piastri and just kept his car within track limits at T11 Piastri would have made contact and been penalized. At the start in Miami Perez would have been penalized had he made contact but that wasn't the case so he got off scot-free. In Australia had Russell not lost the car Alonso would not have been penalized. Do I need to go on?

[SmallSoldier]

When Lando's car was picked up in Miami, I saw one curious detail that immediately stood out to me. The lowest pressure area under the floor is now moved back closer to the diffuser area. Thereby shifting the center of pressure back, closer to the center of mass of the chassis. This step allows the use of softer front suspension settings. Wear on the control bar indicates the same thing. I am sure that such a change in aerodynamics played a key role, due to which both balance and handling changed.

The car is now easier for Lando and Oscar to handle because the wear on the front tires is not as bad as before and the chassis does not cause severe understeer. And in some places it’s even the opposite, Lando often pays attention to excessive controllability. As far as I remember, he likes this option better. And Oscar too. And overall the chassis rides much smoother than before.

The softer suspension lowers the front end slightly lower at low speeds. As speed increases, the aerodynamics independently equalize the ground clearance, lowering the front and rear evenly. But the front end now acts as the main link around which the chassis rotates. At Imola I didn't see any sign of a lack of grip at the front end at Turn 7. Everything was great in Miami too. In Monaco, the chassis turned easily at the hairpin and at the exit of turn 10.

The overall center of pressure under the floor and the center of mass of the chassis are now more closely connected and have one common point, around which a more stable balance occurs in all corners.

Your CFD eyes are very strong, lol

[mwillems]

The full article.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mcla ... /10617803/

Stella thinks that some of the unexpected improvement is likely the result of increased driver confidence allowing Norris and Piastri to push harder, but equally there are some technical elements that he thinks need to be better understood.

...

For us, it’s still an open point as to why the car now seems to be pretty decent in low-speed. And we don’t want to jump to conclusions too early because it’s pretty fundamental that we derive the most precise answer to this question.

“It could be a big opportunity for further development, so we need to understand exactly why the car is now competitive in low-speed.”

But Stella is clear that the issue of the car producing more than expected is not down to a factory/track correlation issue – as its actual downforce gain is on target.

Drivers having confidence to push harder reminds me of "success breeds success". Good to hear that it's across the board too e.g. not specific to low-speed corners. Will be interesting to see how this plays out across the season.

Imola had a setup directed towards low speeds, so did Miami and Monaco. It's safe to say that this car has not been tested yet where it is to be set up for a tracks like Canada and Barcelona. Barcelona is known as a great place to test what your car can do, just like Japan.

I think it was spoken about at length over the past 6 to 8 weeks that a car that you trust and where you can more readily feel the limits is a car that the drivers will be more confident in extracting consistent time in the race and allow the drivers to find a smaller amount of time on their fast laps, but also be able to reliably get in laps that were close to, but stayed on the right side of, the edge of what the car can do.

The answer likely lies in some mix of the drivers getting less from the raw downforce potential of the previous car than expected, they are getting more from the potential of the current car or quite simply when all the variables are put together as a package that works well, additional time can be found that isn't specific to a part of the car.

I look forward to hearing from the team in a race or two about why this worked, although I suspect this is something they will keep quiet.

It's great to hear that the low speed corners are the area most improved and that it is looking "good" in the low speeds. Suggests the old weaknesses of the car are gone.

But as I say, it's not yet been seen at a track where the setup isn't so focussed. This is why I was saying to LionsHeart that the next 3 tracks would be very interesting.