Mclaren MP4-29 Pre-launch Speculation

[ergenomic]

Black makes sense from a Sony perspective (corporate theme white on black) and Honda (last car as a manufacturer).
Earth dreams to return?

[Manoah2u]

so according to the batman rumours, the mclaren will look like the tumbler? 4 wheeler at the back to cope with torque?
mclarend did say they have a 'unique' suspension.....tumbler front suspension?
or wil it fly?

or is Warner Bros the new sponsor?
Or is Ben Affleck erm Bruce Wayne getting his hands on a Mclaren P1 instead of a Lambo?

i just want to see the new cars for 2014.

[ChrisF1]

I doubt Honda would like it.

What does Honda have to say?? The MP4-29 has a Mercedes engine.

Mclaren create an image and it becomes the core of their design for years at a time. They won't do a 1 season special, it doesn't fit OCD neatness and visual history of modern Mclaren.

[j2004p]

I doubt Honda would like it.

What does Honda have to say?? The MP4-29 has a Mercedes engine.

Mclaren create an image and it becomes the core of their design for years at a time. They won't do a 1 season special, it doesn't fit OCD neatness and visual history of modern Mclaren.

Absolutely right!

The current chrome, black and red design was designed to incorporate Vodafone's red colour a year before vodafone actually came on board as the deal for Vodafone to switch from Ferrari to Mclaren was already common knowledge at the time. It wouldn't make any sense for Macca to do a new design which did not have future considerations in mind.

[mclaren_mircea]

Information about one aspect of Mclaren's Mp4-29 design. Even the article it's about Ferrari's 2014 car Omnicorse makes a comparison with Mclaren Mp4-29 on this aspect of the car. I will underline the clear information about Mp4-29.

First in italian: "SCAMBIATORE DEL TURBO ACQUA/ARIA? Questa scelta dovrebbe consentire il disegno di un’aerodinamica estrema, con delle fiancate che potrebbero essere meno massicce di quella della McLaren, per esempio, che ha scelto di usare uno scambiatore di calore aria/aria e che richiede una maggiore superficie (ma meno peso) per raffreddare il turbo. A Maranello hanno provato anche dei radiatori di un’azienda americana che avrebbero la particolarità di avere tubi di diametro millimetrico che consentirebbero delle superfici ridotte."

Now, translate with google (I know, it's not very, very accurate): "EXCHANGE OF TURBO WATER / AIR? This choice should allow the design of aerodynamics extreme, with the side panels that may be less massive than the McLaren, for example, who has chosen to use a heat exchanger air / air, and that requires a greater surface area (but less weight ) to cool the turbo. In Maranello have also tried the radiator of an American company that would have the distinction of having millimeter diameter pipes that allow the small surface area."

[mclaren_mircea]

So, it's a bad thing or a good thing what is doing Mclaren with the side pods? It results, that Mclaren will have larger side pods than Ferrari, this must be a disavantage, but why are the italians saying that "that requires a greater surface area (but less weight ) to cool the turbo". How can have less weight if they are bigger? I'm not an engineer, only a Mclare fan, so if we have someone specialised I would love a pertinent explanation of that, to my decent request. (Or translate Google is again misleading me?)

[miguelalvesreis]

So, it's a bad thing or a good thing what is doing Mclaren with the side pods? It results, that Mclaren will have larger side pods than Ferrari, this must be a disavantage, but why are the italians saying that "that requires a greater surface area (but less weight ) to cool the turbo". How can have less weight if they are bigger? I'm not an engineer, only a Mclare fan, so if we have someone specialised I would love a pertinent explanation of that, to my decent request. (Or translate Google is again misleading me?)

One is air/air (McLaren, supposedly) and the other will have a liquid inside the tubes, commonly known as air/water.
The air/air, needs a larger surface area to achieve the same thermal transfer rate, but, the liquid/air one as increased weight due to the liquid weight flowing inside the pipes.

On regular road cars you normally see the air/air on the intercoolers (turbo charged cars) and the water(liquid)/air on radiators (engine cooling). And even liquid/liquid on the oil cooler.

[Del Boy]

I thought I read that the side pod design has been standardised for 2014 and every team will use the Red Bull shape?

[Thunder]

Only the Side Crash Structure is standardised. It is a Red Bull Design.

[mclaren_mircea]

I'm curious which solution will be better. I know, that above all this elements, the best solution will be that which is better integrated in the design as a whole, but strictly on those two solutions... The air/water let the designers to realise smaller side pods and help to realise a tighter package, but Mp4-29's air/air solution is much lighter, and you can compensate the greater surface with less weight which will be distributed smoothly in other parts of the car's design, which will help the packaging. The results seems to be a parity.

[mclaren_mircea]

Gary Paffet interesting interview for Sky about Mp4-29 - http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/12479 ... developing

1. The downforce is level is much lesser than previous years, and the car will be difficult to drive evem in medium corners (no more blown exhaust): "The downforce level in particular is a lot less than we have had - in the past the FIA have tried to reduce that, but this year they seem to have successfully done that - and the cars are a lot more difficult to drive, especially with the different power unit and the amount of torque that the turbo engines produce - even the medium to high speed corners are difficult without the blown downforce we have had in the last few years."

2. The drivers will need to learn a lor of new things, even Jenson Button (second oldest driver on the grid), had to think about how to manage the challange: "Working with Jenson (Button) as well, the first time he came to drive the car I spent a bit of time talking him through it and you could physically see him having to think about how to drive the car."

3. The team learned a lot from the mistake with the mp4-28, but he stays cautious with the new car: "So I am pretty sure we have a good idea of where we went wrong, but you can never say for sure until you build another car that you know exactly how it went wrong, but we have an idea of what we are doing with this year's car. It is a different car totally anyway, we have learnt from last year's car areas we need to avoid going down, but it is a different car anyway."

4. Mclaren Mp4-29 is well on schedule: "And in terms of development, is everything progressing as planned and on schedule? You will be on track in Jerez?
GP: "Yes, I've seen the car in the workshop, they are working hard and the car will be in Jerez. It is going to be launched at Woking in a digital launch on the 24th (January) and then out on track on the 28th in Jerez.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Paffett a Discusses MP4-29 Development

[noxroxafox]

Hi All,

I'm sorta new here, or well, I'm a frequent reader of the forum, but never posted a reply or registered on it. So here I am

I was just wondering, in any case, GP mentioned that the downforce would be a whole lot less than the previous car. Meaning, of course, the rule interpretation for 2014. However, I don't really know whether it is illegal or not, and with the innovative rear-suspension in mind, could the blown air out of the the turbo (with a damn smart solution and don't ask me how in details) could be used to create downforce somewhere?

I know that the rear beam and blown diff and every meaning of creating downforce the old fashioned way is illegal in 2014. And I also know, that a Turbo is a closed circuit, but hey, it is Formula 1. What are your ideas about it? *out of the box thinking perhaps*

Greettzz

[Thunder]

@ noxroxafox: This Thread might be interesting for you: http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... =6&t=16877

[noxroxafox]

Ah thank you for that one!

So it seems, it has to dump into the exhaust only. I'm not sure if regs really state that the turbo has to dump into the exhaust (doe anyone can confirm that, i don't saw that in the thread), and therefore maybe used in the innovative rear suspension? You can generate downforce from the suspension, of course not as much as a rear beam or any wing for that matter.

I personally would find it genius if Mclaren (or Newey, or any great brain) would find a gap in the regs to use the turbo dump to generate downforce, of course the normal turbo dump is not enough to keep a F1 car stick to the ground, but if they would make a turbo dump that would work something alike the engine mapping, then it would be great. Since " engine mapping" is forbidden, I believe that nothing states that a turbo-dump-mapping is illegal, am i right?

Greettzz!