McLaren MCL38

[nicolas]

[nicolas]

[KimiRai]

[Vanja #66]

Not that anything else was expected, but the new wing doesn't show any signs of flow separation. It seems the flap is now steeper and obviously the frontal area is maximised, in terms of performance the DRS delta seems aligned with RB and Ferrari. Photo by motorsport



Compared to barcelona RW+BW spec, bottom BW element seems to have a shorter chord now. Overall a slight change of pressure distributions locally and, we can imagine, an improvement in aero efficiency overall

[organic]

Strange behaviour of the rear axle in Dutch GP weekend. This is after the car has come to rest.



Solved... Tweet is inaccurate

[CaribouBread]

Strange behaviour of the rear axle in Dutch GP weekend. This is after the car has come to rest.

At first glance I naively thought maybe it had something to do with the tyre pressure or deformation, but it seems the whole rim shifts a substantial amount from the cake tin? (assuming there isn't an engineer out of view that's just undone the wheel nut as the tweet says)
If the rear wheels behave this way and retracts 5/10/15mms (?) on track on both ends when in motion, what could be the benefit of a narrower rear trackwidth? My layman's guess would be a reduced turning circle but worse high speed stability?
Another question would be, can this apparatus activate or deactivate while on track depending on speed? Narrower on certain speed ranges and wider on others?

Fascinating mechanism if this is what it appears to be! (or it could be something very mundane ) Very exciting.

[Watto]

Strange behaviour of the rear axle in Dutch GP weekend. This is after the car has come to rest.

At first glance I naively thought maybe it had something to do with the tyre pressure or deformation, but it seems the whole rim shifts a substantial amount from the cake tin? (assuming there isn't an engineer out of view that's just undone the wheel nut as the tweet says)
If the rear wheels behave this way and retracts 5/10/15mms (?) on track on both ends when in motion, what could be the benefit of a narrower rear trackwidth? My layman's guess would be a reduced turning circle but worse high speed stability?
Another question would be, can this apparatus activate or deactivate while on track depending on speed? Narrower on certain speed ranges and wider on others?

Fascinating mechanism if this is what it appears to be! (or it could be something very mundane ) Very exciting.

[CaribouBread]

Sometimes it is really that simple! Good thing I hedged my post!

[Emag]

Not that anything else was expected, but the new wing doesn't show any signs of flow separation. It seems the flap is now steeper and obviously the frontal area is maximised, in terms of performance the DRS delta seems aligned with RB and Ferrari. Photo by motorsport

https://cdn-5.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... -rear.webp

Compared to barcelona RW+BW spec, bottom BW element seems to have a shorter chord now. Overall a slight change of pressure distributions locally and, we can imagine, an improvement in aero efficiency overall

https://cdn-8.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... mcl38.webp

Rob Marshall said that the rear wing was perhaps their most impactful upgrade and he dismissed the rest of the changes as having a minimal effect on performance.

He said that this new high df configuration generates more load for the same level of drag as the previous high df wing.

Do you think the DRS improvement is coming as an effect of running a larger flap, or is there something in the design that suggests work was done specifically targeting that weakness. Does anything in particular pop out to you that would explain the increased efficiency?

[Vanja #66]

Rob Marshall said that the rear wing was perhaps their most impactful upgrade and he dismissed the rest of the changes as having a minimal effect on performance.

He said that this new high df configuration generates more load for the same level of drag as the previous high df wing.

Do you think the DRS improvement is coming as an effect of running a larger flap, or is there something in the design that suggests work was done specifically targeting that weakness. Does anything in particular pop out to you that would explain the increased efficiency?

Yes, it's clear that other bits are very small improvements. Even the floor edge features new bracket locations, not a new geometry. It's good that we can have this kind of information verified

As I mentioned, DRS flap is more aggressive in angle and frontal area than new designs we've seen in 2024 (primarily Bahrain and Jeddah specs). Monaco, Barcelona and Hungary cars featured wings from last year.

[Emag]

Rob Marshall said that the rear wing was perhaps their most impactful upgrade and he dismissed the rest of the changes as having a minimal effect on performance.

He said that this new high df configuration generates more load for the same level of drag as the previous high df wing.

Do you think the DRS improvement is coming as an effect of running a larger flap, or is there something in the design that suggests work was done specifically targeting that weakness. Does anything in particular pop out to you that would explain the increased efficiency?

Yes, it's clear that other bits are very small improvements. Even the floor edge features new bracket locations, not a new geometry. It's good that we can have this kind of information verified

As I mentioned, DRS flap is more aggressive in angle and frontal area than new designs we've seen in 2024 (primarily Bahrain and Jeddah specs). Monaco, Barcelona and Hungary cars featured wings from last year.

Alright, thank you for that.

I agree, initially I thought that the changes at the floor edge were more significant than they really are, but on a second look, it seems more of a weight-saving change more than anything else.

As for the minor detailing along the brake ducts and suspension links, I wouldn't imagine that to have a noticeable effect on performance anyway.

It's interesting that it took them this long to come up with a rear wing that allows them to have as efficient of a DRS as their rivals. I suppose it's not that easy to manage losses when running steeper flap angles.

[mclaren111]

[CjC]

Please can someone double confirm which one is the new wing for Zandvoort.
I’ve read this evening to conflicting reports describing the new wing.
One said it had a straight upper element (which I thought was the new one) and one report stating the new wing had a V cut out behind the DRS mechanism!!??!

[Vanja #66]

Please can someone double confirm which one is the new wing for Zandvoort.
I’ve read this evening to conflicting reports describing the new wing.
One said it had a straight upper element (which I thought was the new one) and one report stating the new wing had a V cut out behind the DRS mechanism!!??!

I keep telling people - look no further than f1technical forum for technical discussions (you'll only get wrong info) - but no one listens

The new wing, as plenty of photos here will show, is the one without any notches, featuring moderate frontal taper (AoA reduction) towards the endplates. I can't see it being used in the next 3 races, but it will be used again this year and entire next year too

[CjC]

Please can someone double confirm which one is the new wing for Zandvoort.
I’ve read this evening to conflicting reports describing the new wing.
One said it had a straight upper element (which I thought was the new one) and one report stating the new wing had a V cut out behind the DRS mechanism!!??!

I keep telling people - look no further than f1technical forum for technical discussions (you'll only get wrong info) - but no one listens

The new wing, as plenty of photos here will show, is the one without any notches, featuring moderate frontal taper (AoA reduction) towards the endplates. I can't see it being used in the next 3 races, but it will be used again this year and entire next year too

Thanks for the clarification, I thought it was the one without the notches which you and Mwillems posted Thursday/ Friday.
Only reasoned why I questioned it was because the article I was reading is written by too experienced and respected journalists so I thought I’d better check.
This is said article:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/arti ... GbcxX.html