Mclaren Mercedes MP4-25

[Scotracer]

I believe Mclaren also lowered the beam wing to meet it (so they didn't exceed 175mm height)?

[f1rules]

ok then one more question, why isnt the rest of the teams doing that. As far as i understand, bigger is better when it comes to the design of a diffuser. Offcourse i know its not as simple as that, its also how its fed, but remember some years back when they made the rules about the height of the diffuser, if i remember correctly, at that time the teams said that would give them a loss of 30%DF, now Mclaren has effectively created a diffuser that sucks air from the bottom all the way to the top of the beamwing

[ringo]

What i find interesting about the dffuser solution is it's openness. It's hard to see how the flow stays attached to the upper surface at such a steep angle without stalling.
Unless the inlets to the top deck are a way way down the length of the car to get a better transition and reduce the angle.

[i70q7m7ghw]

What i find interesting about the dffuser solution is it's openness. It's hard to see how the flow stays attached to the upper surface at such a steep angle without stalling.
Unless the inlets to the top deck are a way way down the length of the car to get a better transition and reduce the angle.

There was wispers that the Toyota/Ferrari concept has a hole the size of an A3 sheet of paper.

[ringo]

The central strut has me curious - I don't see how the exhaust is blowing on it any more than anything else around it, so why is it completely foil covered?

There is a split down the middle of the fin, the wing strut lies right in the middle of it's flow

[ringo]

What i find interesting about the dffuser solution is it's openness. It's hard to see how the flow stays attached to the upper surface at such a steep angle without stalling.
Unless the inlets to the top deck are a way way down the length of the car to get a better transition and reduce the angle.

There was wispers that the Toyota/Ferrari concept has a hole the size of an A3 sheet of paper.

should be able to suck standing water of the track with that.

I also saw these side holes, it could help the air going through the diffuser.

[Pup]

The central strut has me curious - I don't see how the exhaust is blowing on it any more than anything else around it, so why is it completely foil covered?

There is a split down the middle of the fin, the wing strut lies right in the middle of it's flow

I wouldn't have thought the air coming from that split would be so hot - relatively speaking. It's just ambient air from the engine, isn't it? Or have they snuck a turbine in there, too?

[luca]

I was just wondering whether the shark fin could be a significant disadvantage in case of strong "lateral wind". What do you think about?
(Sorry, this may have been discussed before, please don't make me read all of the pages of this quite long topic. Thank you. )

[ringo]

They could have used the wing strut like a smoke stack, sending hot exhaust up to the wing too. 2009 really got the team thinking.
About the fin, Mclaren have narrowed it to a point at the back, leaving a gaping hole when viewed frm the side, like sauber, to prevent lateral wind from destabilizing the cartoo much.

[christopher.mahlon]

I was just wondering whether the shark fin could be a significant disadvantage in case of strong "lateral wind". What do you think about?
(Sorry, this may have been discussed before, please don't make me read all of the pages of this quite long topic. Thank you. )

A lot of people have brought this up in past threads, and even on the current Renault thread. While you're probably right, I think the prevailing wisdom by now is that the teams have accounted for this and have decided that the benefits outweigh the downsides. I know this will sound like I'm being aggressive towards you, but I'm surprised people are still asking about this because the concept's been around for three seasons now. Some teams have adopted it; others haven't, and I'm sure they've all got good reasons for doing so. McLaren must like what it does for the car's aero at the back.

[luca]

About the fin, Mclaren have narrowed it to a point at the back, leaving a gaping hole when viewed frm the side, like sauber, to prevent lateral wind from destabilizing the cartoo much.

A lot of people have brought this up in past threads, and even on the current Renault thread. While you're probably right, I think the prevailing wisdom by now is that the teams have accounted for this and have decided that the benefits outweigh the downsides. I know this will sound like I'm being aggressive towards you, but I'm surprised people are still asking about this because the concept's been around for three seasons now. Some teams have adopted it; others haven't, and I'm sure they've all got good reasons for doing so. McLaren must like what it does for the car's aero at the back.

Thank you both for your explanations.
I'm sorry for the question, next time I will try to search the forum better.

[ISLAMATRON]

The central strut has me curious - I don't see how the exhaust is blowing on it any more than anything else around it, so why is it completely foil covered?

There is a split down the middle of the fin, the wing strut lies right in the middle of it's flow

I wouldn't have thought the air coming from that split would be so hot - relatively speaking. It's just ambient air from the engine, isn't it? Or have they snuck a turbine in there, too?

Air coming out of there has also passed over the gearbox and electronics too I'm sure.

[christopher.mahlon]

Luca, I apologize; I responded in haste, and upon reflection my reply looks harsh.

I do find it interesting that although the shark fin has been widely adopted, it has not been universally adopted. I'd like to know what aero circumstances lead teams to stay away from the shark fin concept.

[PlatinumZealot]

OK guys the tyre behaviour seem OK to Hamilton..

Autosport interview:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/81221

Q. Gary Paffett expressed some concerns about the tyres yesterday. What do you think about the narrower fronts?

LH: The tyres for me were fairly similar to the tyres we've had in the past. The front tyre is a little bit weaker, has a little bit more understeer, but otherwise they behave the same.

Car seems satisfactorily balanced unlike Kubica and his Renault.

BTW, also In the interview Hamilton also hinted that the new tyre rules wouldn't be a problem for him in the actual race. This was also mentioned by Alonso some time ago. I guess these two guys are to most adaptable. I really want hear what Button has to say about the tyres tomorow.

[mx_tifoso]

OK guys the tyre behaviour seem OK to Hamilton..


BTW, also In the interview Hamilton also hinted that the new tyre rules wouldn't be a problem for him in the actual race.

Thank God!! I was fearing the worst for THE BOSS!!

Hear that guys, the world will be just fine now.