McLaren MP4-29 Mercedes

[BorisTheBlade]

I think they will stick with it, RB has shown that DF trumps top speed over the last 4 years.

I know I'm stating the obvious but now we have a new formula with limited fuel supply and a max peak flow. That is likely to change priorities.

[Chuckjr]

The point that RB ran with a drag penalty 4 years and still won is valid, and may have been the catalyst to Macca giving this a go. I say they will stick with it.

[raymondu999]

I think they will stick with it, RB has shown that DF trumps top speed over the last 4 years.

I know I'm stating the obvious but now we have a new formula with limited fuel supply and a max peak flow. That is likely to change priorities.

Yes. Drag increases fuel consumption, let's not forget. But while the suspension is aiding the diffuser as an extraction augmenter, it could be that the net gain in downforce there allows them to crank down the RW by more than enough to counter that.

[Lazy]

There are other factors as well, for example more df means higher exit speeds and therefore less fuel is needed for acceleration and acceleration is where most of the fuel is used.

Tyre wear is reduced as well presuming thermal degradation isn't a major problem and I'm assuming that Pirelli will be playing it safe in this respect after last years issues.

Plus you will still need to be fast and that means df.

Edit: Not forgetting qualy ofc, could be a huge advantage.

[the EDGE]

There are other factors as well, for example more df means higher exit speeds and therefore less fuel is needed for acceleration and acceleration is where most of the fuel is used.

Tyre wear is reduced as well presuming thermal degradation isn't a major problem and I'm assuming that Pirelli will be playing it safe in this respect after last years issues.

Plus you will still need to be fast and that means df.

Edit: Not forgetting qualy ofc, could be a huge advantage.

Like we saw with Vettel, quali will be key so as to lead from the front and control the pace and thus fuel

[darkmninya]

Mclaren said they mclaren said they never understood the mp4-28, but it was simple

The Pull Rod destroyed everything, now that is gone, I see no bad signs for another failure

[PlatinumZealot]

The point that RB ran with a drag penalty 4 years and still won is valid, and may have been the catalyst to Macca giving this a go. I say they will stick with it.

That is pure speculation... The RB had decent top speeds in recent years. Half the time the Cars bang the limiter down the straights. The Bulls were more gear limited than drag limited. They are known to run really tight gear ratios.

[turbof1]

Half the time the Cars bang the limiter down the straights. The Bulls were more gear limited than drag limited. They are known to run really tight gear ratios.

Which was a partly influence from red bull themselves (that other cars did the same).

I believe drag and gearing are very much correlated to eachother. Red Bull focussed during the 2013 season a lot on removing drag while retaining or even improving the downforce level. They succeeded in that during the second half of the season, very obvious at both Spa and Monza, and started to gear longer then in previous years at those circuits, because drag no longer halted acceleration as much.

What I believe to be the main difference why red bull often had tighter gears is simply because they were able to create more downforce then the others. Others probably couldn't get downforce improvements as fast as red bull, and therefore couldn't reach the same drag level.

[Huntresa]

The point that RB ran with a drag penalty 4 years and still won is valid, and may have been the catalyst to Macca giving this a go. I say they will stick with it.

That is pure speculation... The RB had decent top speeds in recent years. Half the time the Cars bang the limiter down the straights. The Bulls were more gear limited than drag limited. They are known to run really tight gear ratios.

But it was quite clear in 2013 on Monza and Belgium that they had designed a nice low drag/low df kit for the car, which was from nose to tail(rw). I mean RB hasnt used for example a different nose at those circuits before but did so this year.

[Pup]

The Bulls were more gear limited than drag limited.

The two can't be separated. The amount of drag on a car is a major factor in determining the gear ratios.

[ACJJ619]

If such a system is apparently so complex for other teams to copy - won't simply removing it for tracks like Monza not be as simple as some are making out?

Granted, it doesn't require physically moving the location of suspension arms like installing the system does, but it affects a lot of things surely?

[AlexJ]

If such a system is apparently so complex for other teams to copy - won't simply removing it for tracks like Monza not be as simple as some are making out?

Granted, it doesn't require physically moving the location of suspension arms like installing the system does, but it affects a lot of things surely?

Yes, that is why they will not remove it.

Much easier to fit a really slim low downforce rearwing for these circuits.

[marcush.]

you cannot just separate drag without looking at downforce produced .The famous word to drop here is L/d in other words not the drag alone will decide- it´s the downforce numbers you are able to produce with each Count of drag increase...and of course at which Speed and yaw figures (and how robust your figures are against distarctions like changing rideheights ,steering angles ,crosswinds ,temperature and at which Speeds your Efficiency Peaks -or is your Efficiency a constant over the whole Speed range? ) i´m pretty sure your simplified views are not even remotely close to define what a newey design makes a winner ...short gearing and small rear wings do not necessarily translate to engine short on topend power or low drag numbers.

[Lazy]

If such a system is apparently so complex for other teams to copy - won't simply removing it for tracks like Monza not be as simple as some are making out?

Granted, it doesn't require physically moving the location of suspension arms like installing the system does, but it affects a lot of things surely?

They would just fit aero neutral arms if they feel it's necessary, like the launch version.

[hollus]

There are other factors as well, for example more df means higher exit speeds and therefore less fuel is needed for acceleration and acceleration is where most of the fuel is used...

No, you use the same fuel in acceleration than in the rest of the following straight. Acceleration is where the burnt fuel gives you the most lap time, though.