Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24

[shir0]

OOT again. sorry, I couldn't help it. Just responding though...and this is the last post about this. promise. hand on heart.

REALLY? I'll be sure to point this out to:
SIR Frank Williams
SIR Stirling Moss
SIR Jackie Stewart
SIR Alex Ferguson
SIR Chris Hoy
SIR Jack Brabham
DAME Kelly Holmes
LORD Sebastian Coe KBE
etc etc etc

That's a list of just some sportsmen and Women
There's nothing wrong with being proud of one's achievements, having that TINY bit of text on his car is nothing more than a "Look at me mum! I did it!" piece of showing off, and can you really blame him? an MBE at his age...christ he's only 2years older than ME!

<snip>

My point? Yes I'll agree he can be arrogant and over self-confident...i'm not blind. But the evidence suggests that does not define his personality. From time to time, give him a break.

Once again sorry for going OT.

Can you really compare Lewis with those people you've mentioned? MBE is not OBE nor CBE nor KBE. And even then, can you compare what he has achieved with say...Brabham? Lewis' MBE was given to him because he's the first black-descent, British-citizen, Formula 1 WDC. You can't even say that being the youngest WDC is an achievement meriting a MBE. That's a transitory achievement...ask Alonso if you say I'm dreaming. He's achieved nothing compared to those people you've mentioned. And Scotracer is right...I don't think even Stewart, a three-time WDC, did that sort of thing.

I'm not saying he's a complete waste of blood and organs. He's a good driver most of the times and at times, I concede, he shines brilliantly as a driver. I don't despise him as an individual. I just don't like he's ATTITUDE as a Formula1 driver.

[lkocev]

Looks like an interesting looking new diffuser for McLaren, they seem a few tenths faster than yesterday... One exhaust oulet looks different to the other, still cant work out why there 'plugging' part of the central section of the diffuser...


The nose looks a little bit different too, it looks like it flares a little bit at the tip similar to the aligator-style noses that were on the MP4-21 and MP4-22.

[Kester]

That diffuser has been used earlier this week.

[Shaddock]

They are still using the old design front wing. Maybe they have more data with this wing in fixing the aero issues at the rear of the car.

[Henning]

...and more paint (light blue this time) on the lower part of the rear wing

[Spencifer_Murphy]

I only want to reply to shirO's comment below bcause I don't want to be misunderstood:

Can you really compare Lewis with those people you've mentioned? MBE is not OBE nor CBE nor KBE. And even then, can you compare what he has achieved with say...Brabham?

No you can't compare Lewis to ANY of the poeple I listed (well maybe Dame Kelly Homles, she got the honour for her double gold medal performance at the Olympics, Lewis got his for the reasons you mentioned.) I never even contemplated the idea of comparing Lewis to any of them, I was simply pointing out that they have all been honoured by the Queen and are all quite rightly proud of it (Alex Ferguson for one is pretty used to being called simply "Sir Alex"). So who are any of us to say Lewis has no right to be proud of his own honour - even if it is lower than a Knighthood (damn right too, anything more than an MBE for Lewis would be wrong at this early stage in his career). Don't get me wrong, I'm not foolish enough to try and compare Lewis to those people I listed (I chose them as they are very fampus examples), and I DO feel a little agreaved for, say, Nigel Mansell who won his title in much more dominant style, but to argue that because his honour is less than those I listed and thus he shouldn't be so proud of it is, in my opinion, nonesence.

Sorry for the excursion I just didn't want to appear that I feel Lewis has achieved anything remotely like what the people I meantion have done (cos he hasn't!) Back on topic:

Its been noted that the MP4-24 is running asyemetric exhausts, but is the larger one legal under the current regs? As cooling apperatures aren't allowed? My theory being the rules allow only holes for the exhaust, these opening are larger than the exhast, is this not at least against the "spirit" of the rules?

Also I was wondering if the "Williams-Style" diffuser could be used on the Macca? I mean, I think Scarbs said on the March Testing Thread that maybe the diffuser on the MP4-24 is partially blocked off around the central tunnel because it CANNOT get enough air through it to warrent having it "fully open" so-to-speak. He speculated that maybe thats a characteristic of the aero problems they're having atm.

Finally, the 1:18 from Heikki sounds good, but does anybody know whether this was done on a long run? And was it consistant with the other lap times he posted?

[vall]

Finally, the 1:18 from Heikki sounds good, but does anybody know whether this was done on a long run? And was it consistant with the other lap times he posted?

thef1
14:55h McLaren ha mejorado muchos enteros en estos minutos, al menos en las tandas de clasificación. Kovalainen ha hecho primero 1:18:680 y luego 1:19:111. Y después el finlandés ha realizado otra tanda de dos vueltas bajando su crono hasta el 1:18:202 y luego ha marcado 1:18:751.

My Spanish in none, but I think he did two, 2 laps quili runs.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

So would that suggest that the time Heikki set isn't as good for Mclaren (in terms of, "We got news parts any they're working! All is not lost!...YAY!!!!") as it may appear?

[myurr]

So would that suggest that the time Heikki set isn't as good for Mclaren (in terms of, "We got news parts any they're working! All is not lost!...YAY!!!!") as it may appear?

WTF? Yes it was a quali run, just like all the others (except some of the Brawn laps) that were in that region.

Allowing for it being testing, so some salt is required, this lap would put McLaren 0.4s behind the Brawn, 0.2s behind the Williams, and 0.1 AHEAD of the Renault. Considering they were 2s behind just a few days ago I'd say that was amazing progress.

[shir0]

can't tell for sure if the exhaust ports are really assymetrical. but by just looking at the image as it is, yes, they do look that way. couple with the blue flo viz liquid, I say they're trying to figure out which one (exhaust port geometry) would give the best possible result.

improving, huh? McLaren is still McLaren...design troubles or not.

[ben_watkins]

Christ this board really is degenerating into the same juvenile hate fest that plagues other boards. Grow up people or take your hate elsewhere.

+1 =D> well said..


Let's get back to F1...

The fact they've got down to the 1'18" region is a good sign we're gonna see a proper ding dong battle this season. Shame we're subjected to the crappy new points system.

[lkocev]

Just looking back at one of the pics from the Jerez test I posted...


Is that paint on the underside of the lower rear wing the termal type of paint that changes color with heat exposure (I think some of them lighten with heat exposure)?? It definatley appears they are 2 different exhaust outlet designs, coule they be trying to see wich one directs more exhaust heat towards the lower rear wing???

[Longley]

Looking at the front wing, are the shadows


something like this ???

[axle]

Yes they are.

[Spencifer_Murphy]

WTF? Yes it was a quali run, just like all the others (except some of the Brawn laps) that were in that region.

Allowing for it being testing, so some salt is required, this lap would put McLaren 0.4s behind the Brawn, 0.2s behind the Williams, and 0.1 AHEAD of the Renault. Considering they were 2s behind just a few days ago I'd say that was amazing progress.

Thanks for the explaination myurr. Altho i don't understand the need for the "wtf" comment. I'm in my final year at uni and due to the increasingly difficult workload I'm under I find it hard to keep up to date with ALL things F1 atm. I simply don't have the time to look at websites showing times & laps etc like some people do. I thought if I'd ask an innocent question to a group of people (some of) who CAN look at that information I might have gotten a response from somebody who might appreciate that not everyone is as clued up as they are with what time are clearly quali and which ones are long stints.

(I am aware that quali laps will be faster than long stints, what I'm saying is, for all I know everyone else could have been doing long stints that day...it is possible)