I'm struggling to find it but I saw a pic of the McLaren wheel fairing earlier which had the exit in the UPPER forward quadrant instead of the lower fwd quadrant. I think it was most odd...I know the pic was by Sutton Images but I can't remember where it was now - but it was most odd!
good job on the pic, axle! =D> The obvious question I think of is did this wheel cover come before or after the wheel cover with the slot in the lower portion? Whichever of the covers ran later, I would assume, is the one that they'll be running come Melbourne...IMO of course I'm no expert!
Just a thought...any chance that the new wheelcover is just the same wheelcover that has rotated out of position? Perhaps one that didn't lock into place? The openning strikes me as a very perculiar position, one that draws much air, without a place to vent it.
I'm with both of you in that it's possible the cover slipped out of place...But if it did, do you think it would just 'stick' somewhere? I think if it came loose it would spin with the wheel instead of ending up in that exact spot, but I don't know...Like I said, I'm no expert!
Besides the new rear wing, IIRC the MP4-22 used angled rear wing mountings, and from what I see in this last picture is that these mountings are now straight and not slanted as they were in the MP4-22