Mclaren Mercedes MP4-25

[jason.parker.86]

Why an outcry? Each team is given 4 (i think) straight line tests each season and McLaren will be using one of their allowance instead of McLaren pretending that Vodafone want to do a photo shoot whilst ragging their new exhaust system around the track.

What's wrong with using the allowance for shake downs & promotional events?

nothing, as per my original post.

[Richard]

Why an outcry? Each team is given 4 (i think) straight line tests each season and McLaren will be using one of their allowance instead of McLaren pretending that Vodafone want to do a photo shoot whilst ragging their new exhaust system around the track.

What's wrong with using the allowance for shake downs & promotional events?

nothing, as per my original post.

Sorry, I misread your post.

McL have the option of a straight line testing day PLUS promotion PLUS shake downs - ie three opportunities of wheels turning on track.

IMHO For an upgrade as ig as rumouored, I hope they would consider a shake down run, plus promo session (as a second shake down), as a prelude to the full speed testing.

Also, are they allowed to run the car stationary as an engine test? That would verify any concerns about heating the bodywork & suspension in the factory/laboratory.

[jason.parker.86]

I would imagine they could just leave the car running and blow air onto the body work as if they was running around a track, but whats the difference between a shake down and a straight line test?

I just wonder if the reason Nandos tyres were so bad is because of the exhaust cooking them towards the end of the race. And also the Red Bulls are not to clever towards the end of a race.

Wonder if the exhausts put too much heat into them tyres too quickly, and will also explain why the redbull is so quick on a single lap on fresh rubber

[ISLAMATRON]

Straight line is just that, in a striaght line(although I think there is an allowance for constant radius track as well), shake down allows for actual track testing(on a non F1 race track I believe)... which Ferrari convieniently own in their back yard,but the others dont so they would almost certainly have to create a new testing team.

There is no limit to the promo events(I think) so in essence they can make commercials every day, and thats also what the teams are worried about.

[forty-two]

Straight line is just that, in a striaght line(although I think there is an allowance for constant radius track as well), shake down allows for actual track testing(on a non F1 race track I believe)... which Ferrari convieniently own in their back yard,but the others dont so they would almost certainly have to create a new testing team.

There is no limit to the promo events(I think) so in essence they can make commercials every day, and thats also what the teams are worried about.

+1

Can someone remind me which team had hired one of the winter testing tracks on the day prior to the start of the final winter tests? The speculation was that since the weather had been so bad at the earlier tests, the teams might ask for an extra day's testing, but that wasn't possible as one of the F1 Teams had already booked the track in question for "filming" purposes? Sadly my memory fails me on this occasion.

[Richard]

Straight line is just that, in a striaght line(although I think there is an allowance for constant radius track as well), shake down allows for actual track testing(on a non F1 race track I believe)... which Ferrari convieniently own in their back yard,but the others dont so they would almost certainly have to create a new testing team.

There is no limit to the promo events(I think) so in essence they can make commercials every day, and thats also what the teams are worried about.

Straightline and promo runs are covered by Section 22 of the Sporting regs http://www.fia.com/sport/Regulations/f1regs.html

I recall speed limits for promotional events, and a 75km limit for shake downs. I can't find the relevent regs for that

[forty-two]

I wonder if the topic of "Promotional Events" might deserve a thread of it's own. For example, this particular discussion is taking place in the McLaren MP4-25 thread, and as far as I'm aware, McLaren have not held any such events. What do you think Moderators?

I shall personally make further comment on this matter within the F10 thread, as that is the team we're discussing here.

[thestig84]

Does anyone know when the mclaren straight line test is with the new upgrade?

They are performing a straight line test at Idiada Spain. Car should be running today.

[Super racing]

Take the car from Woking to Spain, just to bring it back to silverstone, is there nowhere to straight line test in UK?

[higgi91]

Sure I heard somewhere that the Top gear runway (whatever airfield it is, forgot) was used to Straightline the Brawn last year.

[thestig84]

Take the car from Woking to Spain, just to bring it back to silverstone, is there nowhere to straight line test in UK?

Yes of course there is. Mclaren used an RAF station in 2008, cant remember which one now. They have just chosen Spain for whatever reason.

Edit: It was RAF Cottesmore

[astracrazy]

Renault used Duxford Museum runway last year as well.

Any pics about then if they have done it?

[gibells]

Take the car from Woking to Spain, just to bring it back to silverstone, is there nowhere to straight line test in UK?

Yes of course there is. Mclaren used an RAF station in 2008, cant remember which one now. They have just chosen Spain for whatever reason.

Aah thanks for clearing that up. At first I wasn't sure, but now I know it's because of 'whatever reason', now I understand.

[/sarc.]

[Remote_Access]

This is purely conjecture, but maybe it's because the media will mostly be tied up in and around Silverstone.

[PNSD]

As somebody already said earlier in the thread I believe. These things are booked months in advance.

In Britian you can never be sure of weather, days or even hours in advance, at least in Spain it is somewhat predictable. Likewise, Spain is warm, warmer than Britain, and what better way to test a new exhaust system?