McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[beelsebob]

So, Autosport are reporting that Phil Prew recons that qualifying performance can be improved by fiddling with engine mappings to blow the diffuser more effectively at slight expense to reliability and fuel consumption. Certainly sounds like an interesting route to go down.

[bot6]

Interesting, yes. But is it worth enough to close the gap? That's the Shakespearian question...

[FemiA]

In reality, these guys are scientists – they're trying to understand what's going on. In science you don't go changing lots of variables at the same time, because you'll never figure out what caused any one result. The only time these guys might ever do that is when they're getting their ass handed to them, and being *competitive* scientists, they need to panic something together.

Given that the RB7 is not handing them their ass *that* badly, I'm betting they're going down the slow, relentless progress route, safe in the knowledge that their relentless progress will be faster than everyone else's.

Off topic if I may:

As an Engineer I am puzzled that engineers are referred to as scientists when the context is good but as engineers when the context is bad. A scientific triumph when something good happens but an engineering disaster in the other case. It explains why the social status of engineers is so low in your society and the whithering of the British manufacturing industries. Are you aware of the distinction you make between so-called engineers & scientists? (I ask the question in the context of society & not personally.)

They're not, they're referred to as engineers when they're building things, and scientists when they're experimenting to find the best solution to something.

I don't think engineers are always cast in a bad light – go watch the news when a beautiful new bridge is opened. And I don't think scientists are always cast in a good light – go watch the news when the discussion swings to *anything* vaguely ethically controversial to do with biology.

That said – I think a large portion of british society treats both engineers *and* scientists terribly. There seems to have been a reinforcement of the frankenstein's monster theory recently, that we are all out to stick bolts through everyone's neck and take over the world.

I think one of the problems in Britain is the abuse of the term "engineer". The guy who comes to fix your toilet is referred as "Sanitary engineer" and the guy who lays rail tracks is "Railroad engineer"

[Hangaku]

I think one of the problems in Britain is the abuse of the term "engineer". The guy who comes to fix your toilet is referred as "Sanitary engineer" and the guy who lays rail tracks is "Railroad engineer"

There's no basis in fact here!

We don't use the term "Railroad" (it's railway)

Our toilets aren't sanitary.

[axle]

I think one of the problems in Britain is the abuse of the term "engineer". The guy who comes to fix your toilet is referred as "Sanitary engineer" and the guy who lays rail tracks is "Railroad engineer"

I've never called a Plumber a Sanitary Engineer. So please don't make up that being a British thing or that British people use that term. Only big business' that can't stand tradesman titles would call someone that....and most of them are international company's.

[snorri788]

I've never called a Plumber a Sanitary Engineer. So please don't make up that being a British thing or that British people use that term.

I doubt that the last guy that came to my house could even be called a plumber. More like a burglar.

[FemiA]

I think one of the problems in Britain is the abuse of the term "engineer". The guy who comes to fix your toilet is referred as "Sanitary engineer" and the guy who lays rail tracks is "Railroad engineer"

There's no basis in fact here!

We don't use the term "Railroad" (it's railway)

Our toilets aren't sanitary.

But you in any case catch my drift. But please don't get me wrong, I am not at all anti-British. If a British media refers to an individual as an "expert", I will trully believe it but if that came from an American news media, I will take that with a bag of salt; they have experts in everything and a number of these American "experts" I have listened to don't know as much as I do on their specialist subjects and I am by far not an expert in most things.

[gridwalker]

Anyone who has read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre will know that British "experts" are normally just as dubious as American ones.

Hell, the BBC once ushered a Taxi driver into the News 24 studio and interviewed him as though he was an expert in Computer Technology :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atfNL0_KAcs[/youtube]

Now, have we gotten far enough off topic for this to deserve a new thread? I keep browsing to this page in the hope of McLaren news only to find people discussing the job title of toilet cleaners

[i70q7m7ghw]

He was actually applying for a job....

[megasyxx]

Good day guys.... sorry for this off topic and a bit of a stupid question, but did anyone notice from the top banner with the mclaren car and it says; McLaren Mercedes MP4-26....Team: Paddy Lowe (TD), Tim Goss (DE), Martin Whitmarsh (TP)
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (5), Jenson Button (6)

i suppose that (5) and (6) mean their respective car numbers, but isn't it supposed to be Lewis Hamilton (3), Jenson Button (4)

[scarlet]

Good day guys.... sorry for this off topic and a bit of a stupid question, but did anyone notice from the top banner with the mclaren car and it says; McLaren Mercedes MP4-26....Team: Paddy Lowe (TD), Tim Goss (DE), Martin Whitmarsh (TP)
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (5), Jenson Button (6)

i suppose that (5) and (6) mean their respective car numbers, but isn't it that it's supposed to be Lewis Hamilton (3), Jenson Button (4)

Yeah, you're right. Someone obviously got confused about Alonso finishing higher than Lewis or Jenson last year and the numbers beneath the driver' champion going by constructors results.

[megasyxx]

yeah, but the determining factor on who gets #3 and #4 numbers is the team who finished 2nd in the constructors championship.

[adrianjordan]

Good day guys.... sorry for this off topic and a bit of a stupid question, but did anyone notice from the top banner with the mclaren car and it says; McLaren Mercedes MP4-26....Team: Paddy Lowe (TD), Tim Goss (DE), Martin Whitmarsh (TP)
Drivers: Lewis Hamilton (5), Jenson Button (6)

i suppose that (5) and (6) mean their respective car numbers, but isn't it supposed to be Lewis Hamilton (3), Jenson Button (4)

And amazingly it's taken 170-something pages for any of us to notice!!

[keoxiv]

Today:

[beelsebob]

Today:

For a minute I thought they'd invented a hovering wing element off to the left!

Interesting that they don't feel the need for the curve along the trailing edge any more.