McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[CHT]

Well it´s Monza so it´s one of the tracks where tire wear is the least of the worries.

As long as you don´t lock up or get tailhappy to much they should do fine here.
I think they will do way better then we think. Especially the harder compound.

If team choose to run a 1 stopper, then tire wear will be a concern.

[ianwit]

The DRS helps RB in quali, even at Monza. I think the gap between Vettel and Lewis on race pace is close to even.

[gridwalker]

The BBC just showed a shot of a "reverse gurney" on the McLaren. Does anyone have any screenshots? I'd like to get a good look at that.

[ianwit]

Not much to see, instead of being on top of the rear element trailing edge it is underneath.

[Mr.S]

I am not sure about that but I think Mclaren would have gained most from DRS in qualy as their are running a significant amount of downforce & a big rear-wing.

If Jenson can make his soft last 20 odd laps then my 2 cents that he will pull off a 1 stopper.

Mclaren do have a decent chance to win if they manage to overtake Red Bull early on.

[Pierce89]

Does it really though? I mean what to do when your finally past?

Leave the RB in the corners, make them work for an overtake on the straights, slow them down, then sail on for another couple of laps when they pit as their tyres are knackered from working the car so hard in the turbulant air...

The one thing that is starting to agrevate me though is that people cant see past the aero! can it dont pass your minds they gearing, engine output, engine mode, cooling needs, kers, set up ect could have a bigger input that just how big the wings are.

actually in modern F1, if you have superior aeero effiency, you could get every setting you mentioned SLIGHTLY wrong and still win the race. That's why people on here can't see past aero. It is THE PERFORMANCE DIFFERENTIATOR in F1 these days. Not to mention the fact that most of the people on this forum obviously find Fluid Dynamics to be extremely intriguing compared to most other parts of the car. It is pretty cool when you harness the air to go faster.

To get on topic: I was surprised that Mclaren's fat wing was as fat as it was. It looked almost like last year's f-duct fat wing. I would've expected them to be about halfway between the size they were and the size of everybody else's wings. I think Mclaren needs to get away from their 10-11 philosophy of low drag. It's obvious to me that Red Bull is on the better end of the downforce/drag specrum.

[HampusA]

What killed them was the 7th gear i think in taking pole and then obviously Hamilton wasn´t alert when Alonso and Vettel pinned it.

Otherwise i think Mclaren could have won it but like i said, one hell of a gamble.

Edit: just read it wasn´t 7th gear for Vettel but rather a shorter gearbox throughout.

[JMN]

While I guess it's more race oriented, I'd actually say their gearing was pretty much perfect for their position on the grid. The strategic choise of gear ratios didn't however account for the possibility of having to overtake a merc. Mercedes have had brilliant drive out of corners all year. Combined with Merc's top speed advantage I dare say they were bound to be a serious strategic obstacle.
The reverse gurney suggests the rear wing characteristics wasn't spot on, but outside of that the car looked good. Loosing 1 second at the safety car restart on the other hand does NOT look good.

[beelsebob]

What killed them was the 7th gear i think in taking pole and then obviously Hamilton wasn´t alert when Alonso and Vettel pinned it.

Otherwise i think Mclaren could have won it but like i said, one hell of a gamble.

Edit: just read it wasn´t 7th gear for Vettel but rather a shorter gearbox throughout.

There's no way they could have won – Button was pumping in fast lap after fast lap only to have Vettel comfortably match him.

[HampusA]

What killed them was the 7th gear i think in taking pole and then obviously Hamilton wasn´t alert when Alonso and Vettel pinned it.

Otherwise i think Mclaren could have won it but like i said, one hell of a gamble.

Edit: just read it wasn´t 7th gear for Vettel but rather a shorter gearbox throughout.

There's no way they could have won – Button was pumping in fast lap after fast lap only to have Vettel comfortably match him.

It´s a difference when you are 1 second apart then 14 though.

Vettel had the optimal setup for leading the race. That´s why a mclaren in front of him would give him a very hard time.

[beelsebob]

What killed them was the 7th gear i think in taking pole and then obviously Hamilton wasn´t alert when Alonso and Vettel pinned it.

Otherwise i think Mclaren could have won it but like i said, one hell of a gamble.

Edit: just read it wasn´t 7th gear for Vettel but rather a shorter gearbox throughout.

There's no way they could have won – Button was pumping in fast lap after fast lap only to have Vettel comfortably match him.

It´s a difference when you are 1 second apart then 14 though.

Vettel had the optimal setup for leading the race. That´s why a mclaren in front of him would give him a very hard time.

The point I'm making though is that Vettel had pace in hand – even if Button was a second behind, Vettel would have just put the hammer down for a few laps, and stretched it out.

[raymondu999]

Vettel had good race pace and so would've been able to do that; yes. However Vettel didn't have straight-line speed. If a McLaren had track position it might have held it. But then again he did pull "that move" on Alonso in Curva Biassono. So we'll see

[Mandrake]

Vettel had good race pace and so would've been able to do that; yes. However Vettel didn't have straight-line speed. If a McLaren had track position it might have held it. But then again he did pull "that move" on Alonso in Curva Biassono. So we'll see

I'm not so sure about straight-line speed. In the end of the race: Definetly.
But at the beginning with full tanks I think he was in pretty good shape to overtake any car other than an MGP or Renault.

Just look at how he went past Alonso getting out of the slipstream (+grass). When Button came close to Alonso it wasn't that easy for him. And Ham vs MSC -> You know the story.

Had he been behind the McLarens past the 50% distance I'm sure he would have been all over the back of Button, but unable to pass him!

[raymondu999]

Vettel was geared for heavy acceleration; which is why he had a good run on Alonso in the middle of Curva Grande. But then when they were alongside; before the braking zone; Alonso was still pulling ahead

[Ferraripilot]

Question regarding the rules and Macca's 'L' sidepods: Is it possible/legal for the 'U' section in their sidepods to be further covered creating an 'O' or partial 'O' thus creating more surface area for downforce? I believe this sidepods are only the first iteration of many more. Thoughts?