Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
This is where funds come in.
Copier can refine his copy beyond that of the copy-ee with funds and man power.
Mclaren is not through copying though. They might try the small chord flap and some kind of new radiator design.
Of all the cars, watching the in car shots, the Mclaren looks effortless to drive, the steering wheel is very calm both with Hamilton and Button. There aren't any spots where the driver's seem to have to "fight" the steering wheel. Watching from outside camera shots, the Mclaren didn't have any wide runoffs, (RB had a few, Alonso a couple as well, though Massa seemed out of sorts, more fuel?) and the car also "looks" very planted.
A car with a slow pace can look very planted as well, but when you top the charts like this and the car looks effortless in doing so, there's room for the car to be driven even harder and faster until it doesn't feel so stable.
This will be a very interesting qualifying with the tire choices for the first stint of the race. Who will be on the softs and pit early, who will give up qualifying time to run hard tires and pit later....
"Driving a car as fast as possible (in a race) is all about maintaining the highest possible acceleration level in the appropriate direction." Peter Wright,Techical Director, Team Lotus
richard_leeds wrote:donskar - don't count your chickens. Many a team has topped FP only to end up several rows back in Q3 ... or even Q2
No question that you're right for this weekend, but I feel confident that McL have now backed out of a technical blind alley and will be competitive this season. (Don't get me wrong: I'd be happy to see them flounder all season.)
Enzo Ferrari was a great man. But he was not a good man. -- Phil Hill
More important than the time is the Mac looking planted, even in hard tires. Ferrari by comparison was pretty squirrelly in the hards, especially in Massa's hands. Given what we've heard from the 'experts' throughout testing, I was expecting the Mac to be a real handful. Button in particular looked like he was on a Sunday drive.
n smikle wrote:Told you guys that copying pays off big time!
I hope McLaren payroll still has Newey's bank account details.
OMG, RedBull copied McLaren by starting an F1 team!
OMG, Nigel Mansell copied James Hunt by breathing air!
I'm sure you see where I'm going with this.
It's hardly any wonder, that a bunch of people all trained in the same ways, in the same sport, working under the same restrictive rules, come up with similar ideas. Call it copying if you like, but I call it optimizing opportunity.
Maybe the octopus was never intended for racing purposes, but a way to test different areas of the diffuser to be blown without building a bunch more exhaust systems?
Why else would they make an annoucement about the failure of it and announce that they may or may not use it in the future? Apparently it's taught them a thing or two about exhaust blowing on a diffuser....
"Driving a car as fast as possible (in a race) is all about maintaining the highest possible acceleration level in the appropriate direction." Peter Wright,Techical Director, Team Lotus
Look like lots of people over here is not happy when McLaren is on pace... but hey always hoping that McLaren is off the pace to make them the happiest person in the world.....
and now i believed that who is clever on this......
we just make a judgement from the performance we see in the test BUT we don't know what the Mclaren do.
i can smell that the repeat of McLaren 1998 season repeat once again this yes... are you believed....
I think McLaren want you to believed that it's gonna repeat again..... but McLaren think the other way JUST LIKE YOU BELEIVED THAT MCLAREN IS OFF THE PACE......