segedunum wrote:ringo wrote:They always could. It was no big deal to remove it...
It is a big deal to remove it. It's an integral part of the car and they would have needed a different rear wing to cope without it. For other teams that hasn't been so much of a problem since they added it to their cars and had separate rear wings they could develop without the system.
A new rear wing is not something other teams haven't contended with, they make those all the time. The F duct is no more integral to the car than a front wing, a floor or a rear wing. In fact it's hard to pinpoint a part that is sewn into the philosophy of the car. Ferrari's ducted wheels are all i can think of.
The reason why they haven't removed it before was that it would be too much hassle to come up with different bodywork and a different rear wing, minus the F-duct components. Now at Monza the disadvantages obviously heavily outweigh the advantages and the hssle, to the point where they'd be heavily compromised with the system.
Well they came up with body work changes this year faster than any other team, and those had nothing to do with the F duct. Front wings, engine covers, diffusers, floors among other things.
Some like to believe the F duct has a compromise, but it doesn't.
It obviously is a compromise otherwise they'd be using it at Monza. To be able to run some wing with zero drag penalty would be a huge advantage there, and heaven knows McLaren need it, but they obviously can't achieve it.
The only compromise the F duct has is specific to Monza, and it's not really a compromise per say. Mclaren want more cooling for their engine at Monza. Removing the F duct creates more room in the engine cover and may allow them to have a bigger split around the back.
Without getting some numbers from McLaren it's difficult to ascertain whether the F-duct really allows them to run wing with no compromise, but this points the fact that there is a compromise.
I'd say it's a matter of cooling. The f duct will simply be wasting space sitting behind the engine, so even though it may not be detrimental, it might as well be removed since it's not helping any cause. I still see the f duct as an unfair advantage, i don't think it's disadvantages balance it's advantages.
I am interested to see the body work changes as well, but i don't expect much of a difference aside from removal of the snorkel, split in engine cover, and bigger cooling hole. New low drag wings and low drag diffuser.