Mclaren MP4-30 Honda

[FrukostScones]

For me the car sounds like there is no ERS system present currently. That's because it is so noisy compared to others. Also the engine is not running smooth with alot of misfiring going on.

at least it roars like a hybrid (of godzilla and a lion)

[KingHamilton01]

Wow why so negative, nobody know's what McLaren have already achieved today without being in the garage. Nobody was expecting them to go round doing 30-40 Laps! slow but steady progress being made and Honda will get on top of this engine soon enough I believe. But to come out and say it's not looking good after the 1st day hasn't even finished yet I think is harsh to say the least.

[JimClarkFan]

Has anyone considered that they are running the engine like this deliberately, that there might be some trickery going on?

I know that might sound like jibberish, but I wouldn't just dismiss it out of hand.

An engine re-fit could take a very long time, so I would have expected that if there if there was a genuine unexpected problem with the engine then they would have already stopped the car.

The fact that the car is still running suggests to me that it isn't much of a concern or isn't entirely unexpected, or maybe even part of the plan.

[taperoo2k]

You have to expect McLaren Honda to have these sorts of issues on the first day of testing, however they've done better than Red Bull did last year. It's a shakedown test more than anything else. The car has a niggly problem https://twitter.com/McLarenF1/status/561888712502415360

[KingHamilton01]

Has anyone considered that they are running the engine like this deliberately, that there might be some trickery going on?

I know that might sound like jibberish, but I wouldn't just dismiss it out of hand.

An engine re-fit could take a very long time, so I would have expected that if there if there was a genuine unexpected problem with the engine then they would have already stopped the car.

The fact that the car is still running suggests to me that it isn't much of a concern or isn't entirely unexpected, or maybe even part of the plan.

good point you make there, people automatically assume that just because McLaren are not running and ticking the lap's of that they are not making progress. Especially with Honda they will need to an engine re-fit and take certain other bit's apart to get used to it and get better each time they do this.

[Manoah2u]

as stated in the jerez testing thread, it's all good news for Honda.

they are actually doing better compared to last year's new engines. Remember, this is Honda's first real test.
Mercedes stalled after a couple of corners. Fires. Hamilton ran straight into the barriers due to a loose front wing.

Honda is actually making complete laps, without problems. that's good news.

the sound is normal; they are installation laps, testing modes, and finding bite points, finding torque, finding revs, and testing simulations in real life. They will be carefull not to damage anything. Meanwhile, they will check on fluids, oils, etc.
Looking at if all their simulation data indeed comes out in real life like they wanted to. Testing temperatures. Testing engine mapping. Testing with and without ERS on.

It's actually very promising. Mercedes did not have such great laps on their first test last year, and they did win,win,win and win. they became champions. And i'm not even mentioning the other manufacturers of last year. Remember Renaults problems? ugh, that was some serious stuff, and in the end, it all did end up well in Melbourne.

Honda is miles ahead compared to the competition last year.

[Thunder]

What's with all the negativity here?

Geez last year they didn't do 1 Lap on the First Day. It didn't explode or burn down and from the Videos it really doesn't sound like anything is broken with the engine. Just running different Maps to evaluate.

Edit: Basically what Manoah2u said

[KingHamilton01]

They are doing now what they were supposed to do on Abu Dhabi: check all the systems.

But they did nothing in Abu Dhabi and now they are behind schedule and with a car that is not working. They are one year behind everyone else, and they should be doing lots of laps. But they are siting in pit looking for gremlins

But that is what testing is all about, all the team's are looking for gremlins! and why should they be out there doing lap's? McLaren's main aim today could be just to test most part's are working as they should. I am curious to know since you claim they should be doing lap's do you want to back that up with how many they should do?

[Mesteño]

Yes I agree. Mercedes running so many laps is discouraging in some way too, but in the end you have to reach a number of hp, some good aero and have good drivers. The speed of reaching that goal it doesn't matter that much til the first race.

[Manoah2u]

Yes I agree. Mercedes running so many laps is discouraging in some way too, but in the end you have to reach a number of hp, some good aero and have good drivers. The speed of reaching that goal it doesn't matter that much til the first race.

Mercedes running so many laps is more a clue that they aren't running a 'too' updated engine. Rather aerodynamics.

Which could still come, yet. For all we know they could be housing the 2014 spec engine in the 2015 model car, which would give a good view of the aerodynamic updates, without 'wasting' time on (non-neccesarily) engine changes.

They might put up some engine changes tomorrow, hell merc could slam in a 2015 engine tomorrow and encounter many sorts of problems (or not) and get the same effects as Honda has now.

for all we know, Honda could be running 100 laps tomorrow, who knows.

It's clear Ferrari, Renault and Honda are testing engines.

Mercedes? i'm not sure about that.

[Mesteño]

[ringo]

MP4-30 being fired up in the Garage...sounds awesome (don't think its been posted yet)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhrOh8XachE

Could be a 1000hp monster and they are just hiding their hand and doing systems checks. The engine sounds very grumpy and powerful.

About the chassis. This car has a lot of redbull DNA. The side pods are so tight because most of the cooling is being sent high around the exhaust pipe. This was typical of the 2013 rb car. I hope peter P. ideas aren't old ideas that redbull have moved on from, but i guess it's still much better than what mclaren were doing from before.

[Manoah2u]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpHwEFGlMQI

looks very stable in corners , almost planted. seems to run some torque already with that non-full power setup.
this looks very promising, thanks for sharing!

[ringo]

I think they are doing isolated tests. This may be just the ICE running with all the MGU systems off, hence the loudness.

[Chene_Mostert]

as stated in the jerez testing thread, it's all good news for Honda.

they are actually doing better compared to last year's new engines. Remember, this is Honda's first real test.
Mercedes stalled after a couple of corners. Fires. Hamilton ran straight into the barriers due to a loose front wing.

Honda is actually making complete laps, without problems. that's good news.

the sound is normal; they are installation laps, testing modes, and finding bite points, finding torque, finding revs, and testing simulations in real life. They will be carefull not to damage anything. Meanwhile, they will check on fluids, oils, etc.
Looking at if all their simulation data indeed comes out in real life like they wanted to. Testing temperatures. Testing engine mapping. Testing with and without ERS on.

It's actually very promising. Mercedes did not have such great laps on their first test last year, and they did win,win,win and win. they became champions. And i'm not even mentioning the other manufacturers of last year. Remember Renaults problems? ugh, that was some serious stuff, and in the end, it all did end up well in Melbourne.

Honda is miles ahead compared to the competition last year.

Yes but they are not doing enough laps to perform all the "tests" that you are suggesting. The Idea behind test days are to test, not trace problems.
We saw last year that all the teams that struggled during the tests were on the back foot for most of the season, spending hours in the garage was not a good sign last year and it has not changed for 2015 - we need to be realistic
Being miles ahead of were they were last year means nothing, This is season 2015 and they are now miles behind the competition.