McLaren MP4-29 Mercedes

[stefan_]

Winter Testing 2014 - Session 2, Day 4 - Bahrain (22.02.2014)

(couldn't help myself)
http://i.imgur.com/kdqZDUE.jpg

You obviously watched ted kravitz the other night!

No, I didn't.

[Pup]

According to McLaren's test report from today, it sounds like they're going to bring updates next week, but none to Australia. That seems odd - usually they bring a fairly comprehensive update to the first race.

Programme

The fourth and final day of the first of two Bahrain pre-season tests. Jenson was again behind the wheel for McLaren Mercedes, completing 66 laps as the team worked through a suite of set-up changes.

This week’s test enabled the team to develop and refine areas of investigation that were initiated at the Jerez test earlier this month. This week’s run data will feed into next week’s test, also in Bahrain, when the team will update and run the MP4-29 in the specification intended for the season-opener in Melbourne next month.

Equally importantly, the team completed more than 1600km of largely trouble-free running – an encouraging figure given the important role that reliability will likely play in the opening races.


What's next: Jenson and Kevin remain in Bahrain ahead of next week’s final winter test, which runs from Thursday to Sunday (Feb 27-Mar 2).

[onewingedangel]

I think there will still be smaller updates for Australia, but the package tested next week would be race ready - wheras the launch specification would have some compromises to allow flexibility during testing.

I'm wondering if the current nose was the fallback, and the intended design was what failed the first crashtest.

[mclaren_mircea]

According to McLaren's test report from today, it sounds like they're going to bring updates next week, but none to Australia. That seems odd - usually they bring a fairly comprehensive update to the first race.

Programme

The fourth and final day of the first of two Bahrain pre-season tests. Jenson was again behind the wheel for McLaren Mercedes, completing 66 laps as the team worked through a suite of set-up changes.

This week’s test enabled the team to develop and refine areas of investigation that were initiated at the Jerez test earlier this month. This week’s run data will feed into next week’s test, also in Bahrain, when the team will update and run the MP4-29 in the specification intended for the season-opener in Melbourne next month.

Equally importantly, the team completed more than 1600km of largely trouble-free running – an encouraging figure given the important role that reliability will likely play in the opening races.


What's next: Jenson and Kevin remain in Bahrain ahead of next week’s final winter test, which runs from Thursday to Sunday (Feb 27-Mar 2).

Usually Mclaren brings the complete update package for Australia in the last two days of the final test, each driver have a whole day for running the package (if until now we saw the drivers having consecutive days in the car, on 1 and 2 March we will see But-Magg or Mag-But) to get used with the behaviour of package. Last year it was not the case because they didn't understand properly mp4-28's behaviour, but Mclaren always brings a big package for the final two days and that is the package for Australia. In 2011 we saw a different rear end of the mp4-26 in Australia because they tried until the very last day of testing with the octopus exhaust, and for Australia they redisigned the whole rear end of the car to fit a more conventional exhaust. It was a good move, because even if they only fitted it in Free Practice 1 in Oz, without proper developement work on it they were the second fastest car, after all the testing time they were 1 - 1.3 seconds off the pace.
In all this years, we saw in the last two days of testing new FW, RW, sidepods, floor, engine cover and other small bites.
I think that Mercedes and Ferrari (not sure about Red Bull and Lotus) will bring the final update package for Australia on Friday 1 March.

[beelsebob]

Who's butt is magnetic?

[Del Boy]

McLaren Merc engine "nude". Oil cooler is pretty big this year.

http://i.imgur.com/liFO54F.jpg

Nice picture how did you come by it may I ask? And why is the mechanic blacked out I'm so intrigued!
Tweeted by Scarbs earlier tonight nice one!

[Owen.C93]

McLaren Merc engine "nude". Oil cooler is pretty big this year.

http://i.imgur.com/liFO54F.jpg

Nice picture how did you come by it may I ask? And why is the mechanic blacked out I'm so intrigued!
Tweeted by Scarbs earlier tonight nice one!

Well it was in the background of a picture posted by a McLaren employee and I didn't want anyone to get in trouble. I saw his tweet, it's nice of him to source any F1T posts .

[shelly]

McLaren Merc engine "nude". Oil cooler is pretty big this year.

http://i.imgur.com/liFO54F.jpg

Where is the inlet of air in this picture? is it visibel? You'd have the imprssinon that the roll hoop inlet goes just to the intercooler and to the gearbox oil rad...

[Alexgtt]

To me, it makes perfect sense with such a new reg spec car to go to the first race having as much knowledge as possible about the updates already on the car. If they spend the last two test days choosing what to run in Australia and getting used to it, that's a far better platform to base the weekend off. Also, with this reg change I strongly suspect the car that performs best early on will be extremely hard to catch over the season.

There will be quite a lot of unreliability and we're not used to Championships like that. When was the last time we saw half the field retire from a race?

[Per]

When was the last time we saw half the field retire from a race?

Good question, I think 2003 Brazilian GP. It had 10 out of 20 cars classified although Mark Webber crashed out just before Alonso crashed onto Webber's wheel causing the red flag. Only 3 DNFs seem to be due to technical issues though. http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2003/4/

I agree that it makes sense to bring the Australia package to testing. It's the same reason why I like Caterham's conservative approach, they might score points in the first few races of the season and secure 10th place in the championship early on.

[Owen.C93]

McLaren Merc engine "nude". Oil cooler is pretty big this year.

http://i.imgur.com/liFO54F.jpg

Where is the inlet of air in this picture? is it visibel? You'd have the imprssinon that the roll hoop inlet goes just to the intercooler and to the gearbox oil rad...

You can see the T-bar in behind his head.

[Macklaren]

McLaren doing a promo filming day in Bahrain today. Doubt they will dramatically change the nose now. Can anyone tell about new parts from the teaser photo?

[shelly]

McLaren Merc engine "nude". Oil cooler is pretty big this year.

http://i.imgur.com/liFO54F.jpg

Where is the inlet of air in this picture? is it visibel? You'd have the imprssinon that the roll hoop inlet goes just to the intercooler and to the gearbox oil rad...

You can see the T-bar in behind his head.

Yes I see the t-bar, but I do not see the duct going from the inlet to the turbo. I see one duct going to the intercooler and one duct going to the gerbox rad. Where is the duct for feeding the engine (through the turbo) in this ipicture?

[beelsebob]

Where is the inlet of air in this picture? is it visibel? You'd have the imprssinon that the roll hoop inlet goes just to the intercooler and to the gearbox oil rad...

You can see the T-bar in behind his head.

Yes I see the t-bar, but I do not see the duct going from the inlet to the turbo. I see one duct going to the intercooler and one duct going to the gerbox rad. Where is the duct for feeding the engine (through the turbo) in this ipicture?

Who says the roll hoop is used as the air source for the engine?

[Per]

Can you think of any other source that complies with regulations and makes sense from an aerodynamic point of view?