Mclaren Mercedes MP4-25

[WhiteBlue]

There is no logic in the McLaren being slow. They have the biggest effing diffusor which seems to work real well according to their flow-viz pics. There is absolutely no reason to be slower than Ferrari. I was also suspecting that they simply sandbag with higher fuel loads. It is so easy. If most teams run say 60-80 kg base loads and you go for 120-140 kg you get this effect. There is still plenty of time to go for quick times later.

While the Mac's diffuser is incredibly big, it could be incredibly inefficient, too. I do think McLaren has some more speed in it, but nothing is ever guaranteed. I'm sure the Ferrari has yet to be fully would up as well. Jerez will give us a better idea, but I think we have to wait for Barcelona to really get a good idea of who's where. And we've yet to see the Red Bull, or the full Merc.

That is all true. Just that I see no reason why the Macca diffusor should not work. The only negative feature I see on that car is the perceived wheel base. The car look really long. But again we have no data how things really look compared to all other teams.

[Giblet]

Teams that are not having huge troubles don't seem to be running to the green paint or taping strings to their cars.

Is it safe to assume that there is something (minor or major) amiss if they need to check their data in a 3rd or 4th way? Is this just another confirmation of what is expected, or is it the WTF paint?

Honda had the strings attached to their wing when they couldn't figure out which way the car was pointing.

If a teams wind tunnel data and CFD data line up to their design, would they be using this paint anyways?

[horse]

Teams that are not having huge troubles don't seem to be running to the green paint or taping strings to their cars.

It's an interesting point, this one. On his BBC interview, Kubica seems to be mocking McL for having such a lot of paint on the car, but then I'm sure he had some on his too (unless it fell off the McL). To be honest, I don't know if all teams use the stuff. Has anyone ever seen it on a Ferarri? I assume the experience McLaren have with the paint is useful to them given what they achieved from a bad position last season. I suppose we won't know if it's truly WTF paint until the cars start racing competitively.

[tok-tokkie]

the first test in Valencia showed the different philosophies by engineers for carrying out the 2010 car and we could appreciate the differences thanks to the early laps. Because of regulatory restrictions in force late last year, which decreed the cessation of the supplementary appendix wing along the car body, the engineers of Formula 1 have had to devise other solutions, often at the limit (... and maybe even beyond) the Regulation, to channel the greatest amount of air as possible to the profiles that most influence the behavior of the car.

Red Bull signed Newey has certainly made the school and the proof is that many cars this year, offering its various aerodynamic born from the genius of British design. The MP4-25 Paddy Lowe is instead a very interesting "special case" and proposes solutions very different from the competition. It 'obvious that to attract the photographers was the much-criticized rear diffuser, which seems to be the Mc even triple. The photos, in fact, testify as McLaren have decided to drastically reduce to the minimum dimensions of change and maximize the amount of air channeled in different speakers, even proposing an unprecedented position of discharges, which are housed in the terminal zone of the casing side in practice over the attack of the upper triangle.

Only photographers and curious fans have noticed the particular solution adopted instead the front, which is cleverly hidden by a black color. While other manufacturers have offered more or less high snouts, McLaren offers a dual solution, rather odd. In addition to the normal face, a standard form, that of car silver / red fluorescent hides a second profile, staying just below the first, which deflects the air flow to the bottom but the sides of the cockpit, which then, thanks the sinuous shape of the side air vents, precisely in the area flows into the diffuser. Furthermore, the depression that is created under the second face, causing low pressure, increases the passage of air beneath the car and causing a ground effect more pronounced. That the solution is functional, at least in theory, it seems obvious, but it will be just the track at the difference between success or failure

good work, i find it much more helpful when people do pictures like you have so we can see what the parts actually do

Those are hand drawn lines. The artist shows the free airstream being drawn towards the gap between the front wing pillars. It is pure imagination as there is nothing to deflect it from the straight streamline (in fact the air is stationary & the car is penetrating the stationary air). If all of that is taking place in the artist's imagination you might as well ignore the rest.

[ISLAMATRON]

They went from second to dead last to winners last year... based on that alone I'd put that paint on every car and transporter the team owned.

Seems like a good tool to me... they allways say a good tool is more useful in your hand than in your toolbox.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

Those are hand drawn lines. The artist shows the free airstream being drawn towards the gap between the front wing pillars. It is pure imagination as there is nothing to deflect it from the straight streamline (in fact the air is stationary & the car is penetrating the stationary air). If all of that is taking place in the artist's imagination you might as well ignore the rest.

I think you misunderstood the lines drawn on the image. I'm fairly certain that the artist is trying to highlight what is happening to the air which flows through the front wing pillars towards the under-nose splitter which is a very valid point. The fact he/she shows only this flow is not detrimental to his/her argument.

While you may take the view that the hand-drawn lines are inaccurately showing air being "sucked" into the space between the front wing pillars as if my an area of relatively low pressure. It's highly plausible that they are, as you state HAND-DRAWN lines, and are attempting to show air flowing into this space in a linear fashion using a rough, freehand, single point perspective drawing for those lines (in which case the drawing of those lines would be fairly accurate.)

[Giblet]

They should just get CPD running, and use the green paint to validate.

Computational Paint Dynamics.

[rifrafs2kees]

People, that paint isn't a big deal. I don't believe for one second that a day or so into their first test and they're sprinkling paint to fix a major problem. I would think they'll use paint in last ditch effort or because they've seen how useful it can be fron their experience last year....i think that latter reason explains why they're using it. They'll fine tune their design from the paint analysis and then we'll see. This isn't an '09 repeat.

[astracrazy]

Honda had the strings attached to their wing when they couldn't figure out which way the car was pointing.

really or joking? any pics lol?

[Giblet]

The string was true, I think it was the Earth Dream car a couple years ago. It is a common tool in wind tunnels, and can be used to do a lot. Saw them lower the drag coefficient quit a lot on a racing mini with just tape and string.

They had taped pieces of string to the back wing and I know there are pictures, but my keywords are turning up nothing.

And of course they were able to find out which way the car was pointing, they just had to ask another team

[jason.parker.86]

I know we have been looking at overall lap times on the testing sessions, but personally I do not think that will make any odds this season. When you think of how many different types of engine are on the grid - each one of those engines are going to be burning fuel at a different rate. Maybe Ferrari have gone for a faster car by making the car more uneconomical and thus the reason the fuel tank is larger / car is longer?

Maybe the McLaren on a long stint could be alot quicker if the car is overall more economical???

[PlatinumZealot]

I think the key is thermal efficiency, not fuel economy.

It ranges between X and Y amount of energy to go around the track right.. The winner is who does it first..

So The car with the most power will finish first. But there is a limit on how much fuel you can carry so the engines with the best thermal efficiency will have the advantage.


Fuel economy doesn't mean you will finish fastest.. I would bet on the engine that is most powerful and most thermally efficient.. (not fuel efficiency.. thermal efficiency!)..

[Giblet]

I know we have been looking at overall lap times on the testing sessions, but personally I do not think that will make any odds this season. When you think of how many different types of engine are on the grid - each one of those engines are going to be burning fuel at a different rate. Maybe Ferrari have gone for a faster car by making the car more uneconomical and thus the reason the fuel tank is larger / car is longer?

Maybe the McLaren on a long stint could be alot quicker if the car is overall more economical???

With only 4 engines on the grid it will be pretty obvious who is thirsty, powerful, or weak. At least 3 teams per engine make, except for Renault.

[Hakki]

Did anyobody notice that Hamilton tested different helmets?
On the first helmet, there are 3 air-points(like in 2009), on the second, there is 1big horizontal line that brings in fresh air..

I also noticed that Jenson didn't use the same helmet.. did't he had time to make one or is he keeping his old model (other brand?)

Do these little things make a big difference in a car that has been designed for hamiltons model?

Old model


New model, with 1 central air inlet



Buttons helmet

[ESPImperium]

Jenson uses Bell helmets and Lewis uses Arai helmets.

Lots of drivers are starting to lean for a larges air scoop now, as last year many of them sweated buckets in dry warm conditions. Maybes they are looking at diffrent helmets for different climactic conditions. EG Wet & Cool Dry helmets and Dry warm wether helmets???

I notice Massa, Rosberg and Schumacher have been testing new Scuberth helmets for 2010 as well. Maybes this is the thinking for F1, have 2 different helmets for different conditions.