McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[Owen.C93]

They had that snow plough design last year. McLaren were meant to have a new nose by now, not sure what happened to it.

[zgred]

Reflection or glow - let battle begin.

[myurr]

..Can we stop polluting this thread with pictures of the same thing. That is clearly a reflection on the cover of the camera. It's been photographed many times already, shown to be a camera with a red tinted cover, there is no heat shielding, it would serve no aerodynamic purpose in that position, and is way to small to be an exhaust!

[feynman]

They had that snow plough design last year. McLaren were meant to have a new nose by now, not sure what happened to it.

That is the new nose, or at least that is a new 2011 nose.
They have yet to fit a 2011 front wing, but I haven't seen anything to indicate another new nose is planned.

Reflection or glow

Reflection.

Right, it's obvious we aren't gonna get anything useful from the photographers, six days on and off, and still no sign of an exhaust port.
If it turns out it is just sitting behind that barge board, then all those snappers really do deserve a slap ... If I need to hire a thermal imager and fly out to the test track to settle this pantomime, I'll not be best pleased.


Going back and forward through the tech regs

3.8.5 Once the relevant bodywork surfaces are defined in accordance with Article 3.8.4, apertures, any of which
may adjoin or overlap each other, may be added for the following purposes only :
- single apertures either side of the car centre line for the purpose of exhaust exits. These apertures
may have a combined area of no more than 50,000mm2
when projected onto the surface itself. No
point on an aperture may be more than 350mm from any other point on the aperture.


That's the exclusion that lets you punch holes in the side of the closed bodywork for exhausts .... anything to suggest that someone could use this exclusion to punch two holes in the floor instead.

The rules are tightened-up (or properly re-stated) to prevent double diffusers etc, but does the 3.8.5 exception to bodywork rules allow you to override the floor bodywork rules instead? The floor is still classed bodywork.

Tenuous ... but unless a photo shows up soon, there has to be two big holes somewhere, and if we can't see them, then they must surely be under the car, no?

[Steve S14]

i was reading something that sounded fishy in the mercedes w02 thread

Homologating a chassis in 2011 is no problem because the chassis homologation rule has been scrapped this year. All teams can make changes to their chassis through the year since these are usually replaced at a lower cost than it takes to develop a new front wing. They are limited to the number they can produce and IIRC the front wing is homologated.
Homologation in effect starts at the scrutineering for the first GP. Homologated parts cannot be changed from then on.

but if it is true and mclaren have found something incredible, perhaps they are waiting until the first race so that other teams cannot copy it.

[JB2011]

i was reading something that sounded fishy in the mercedes w02 thread

Homologating a chassis in 2011 is no problem because the chassis homologation rule has been scrapped this year. All teams can make changes to their chassis through the year since these are usually replaced at a lower cost than it takes to develop a new front wing. They are limited to the number they can produce and IIRC the front wing is homologated.
Homologation in effect starts at the scrutineering for the first GP. Homologated parts cannot be changed from then on.

but if it is true and mclaren have found something incredible, perhaps they are waiting until the first race so that other teams cannot copy it.

When he says they cannot be changed, does he mean nothing at all can change on them?

[softtyre]

Is it so dificult to have an image of new cars with a termical camera to know exactly how the exaust are positioned in each car?
I supose all the teams are doing it.

[Byronrhys]

i was reading something that sounded fishy in the mercedes w02 thread

Homologating a chassis in 2011 is no problem because the chassis homologation rule has been scrapped this year. All teams can make changes to their chassis through the year since these are usually replaced at a lower cost than it takes to develop a new front wing. They are limited to the number they can produce and IIRC the front wing is homologated.
Homologation in effect starts at the scrutineering for the first GP. Homologated parts cannot be changed from then on.

but if it is true and mclaren have found something incredible, perhaps they are waiting until the first race so that other teams cannot copy it.

When he says they cannot be changed, does he mean nothing at all can change on them?

I think he means the nose cone not the front wing.

[forty-two]

Guys, don't duff me up for bringing this up again, but I've just noticed a development (I think).



Take a look underneath the left-hand vodafone apostrophe logo, and just above the floor you'll see what looks like a filleting piece, inlaid into the black. Note the horizontal seam.

Follow the floorline backwards from here and you will see an anomaly there along with what looks like a triangular vane.

Could this be a hint of the elusive exhaust?

If I've not explained myself properly, let me know and I'll mark a copy of the image.

[Formula None]

Obviously it's an EBR (exhaust blown radiator). The exhaust increases mass flow through the radiator, hence smaller radiator and reduced inlet size. This also preheats the engine coolant and increases the radiator exit's thrust effect. The Nazis developed this in WWII for the Messerschmitt Kurzenflug prototype. The L shaped inlet creates a more consonant intake velocity across its width than traditional o-shaped intakes which vowel up the freestream.

[mcjamweasel]

The L shaped inlet creates a more consonant intake velocity across its width than traditional o-shaped intakes which vowel up the freestream.

=D>

[forty-two]

Here's a close up of what I was referring to:


This looks new to me.

Could this be an exhaust?

[Lurk]

I was thinking too when I saw it but there is at least 1 photo with "U" exhaust and nothing on the sidepod.

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/3419 ... 4c310o.jpg

So if it really is an exhaust, they have at least 2 "U" exhaust configuration.

[Richard]

Here's a close up of what I was referring to:

...

Could this be an exhaust?

I've seen that a few times. Not an exhaust, but it does seem to be an infill fillet. Either they need to remove that panel for servicing, or something is coming soon.

[forty-two]

And what about the thing behind it, also visible here, apparently with some instrumentation attached to it: