McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[MikeFromCanada]

I think that's the 4th year in a row Lewis has said that. Even for the MP4-24

And for the most part he's been proven to be correct (aside from the 24, and whether he did or did not say it isn't too important).

The fact is driver's can only be so politically correct when it comes to describing a car. if something is inherently wrong they do come out and say it, with how directly they actually say it varying from case to case. In the end they don't appear to be too overly concerned about the 26 from an outright pace perspective, rather you get the sense they are more disappointed than anything else. In the end it just seems very odd that McLaren would bring about such a solution and spend countless hours fine tuning it, without getting some kind of assurance from the FIA deeming it okay. I'm sure we will hear more and more of this as the week goes on.

On a side note, I do like the Cthulhu reference rather than the octopus

[raymondu999]

I think that's the 4th year in a row Lewis has said that. Even for the MP4-24

And for the most part he's been proven to be correct (aside from the 24, and whether he did or did not say it isn't too important).

My point is, that it has become a routine, and not necessarily a reflection of reality. He says it every year. I fully expect him to say the MP4-27 feels better than the MP4-26 this time next year, even if it's the 12th fastest car.

Even if they were meant honestly, such comments reflect the driver's perception and not reality. Perception ≠ reality.As I always say, the map is not the territory (those who also work in my industry will no doubt recognize this phrase )

[Just_a_fan]

Oh, and the diffuser was running without its vanes after all!

Check Scarbs pictures:

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/1322/

I see diffuser vanes in those pictures...

[Callum]

Somebody previously stated that the teams were allowed to use up to 0.8mm of this fancy material as a coating.

What stops them from layering it up, with something in-between the layers. i.e:

fancy material\ carbon fibre sheet\ fancy material\ carbon fibre sheet\ fancy material.... etc

so really it would be a coating of a coating of a coating...

Maybe the sheet material could melt away, leaving a solid piece of the fancy material?

Just an idea...

[sAx]

I think that's the 4th year in a row Lewis has said that. Even for the MP4-24

And for the most part he's been proven to be correct (aside from the 24, and whether he did or did not say it isn't too important).

My point is, that it has become a routine, and not necessarily a reflection of reality. He says it every year. I fully expect him to say the MP4-27 feels better than the MP4-26 this time next year, even if it's the 12th fastest car.

Even if they were meant honestly, such comments reflect the driver's perception and not reality. Perception ≠ reality.As I always say, the map is not the territory (those who also work in my industry will no doubt recognize this phrase )

He?? Maybe you should review the imparted wisdom of F1 drivers when standing in contemplation of the new seasons' model. It was ever thus!


sAx

[vall]

Somebody previously stated that the teams were allowed to use up to 0.8mm of this fancy material as a coating.

What stops them from layering it up, with something in-between the layers. i.e:

fancy material\ carbon fibre sheet\ fancy material\ carbon fibre sheet\ fancy material.... etc

so really it would be a coating of a coating of a coating...

Maybe the sheet material could melt away, leaving a solid piece of the fancy material?

Just an idea...

This would be a very cheap trick that would not fly. Coating means the last layer, something on top of something else. You cannot create the multilayer you describe.

[Ratatouille]

Oh, and the diffuser was running without its vanes after all!

Check Scarbs pictures:

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/1322/

I see diffuser vanes in those pictures...

Really? I don't. Check the left side of the floor in the image, no vanes in there whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I remember Mclaren blocking the diffuser before, I think they did that when they initially tested the MP4-24, only this time they block only one half.

[raymondu999]

There is one vane on the left. In the illustration PoV, it's just in line with the extended endplates. However, that's still 1 vs 3 vanes

[segedunum]

Still waiting for you to provide any evidence for your "theory" other than your continual "it's obvious" rubbish...

I'm afraid we both know nothing will satisfy you, and wanting to try and get someone to continually 'provide evidence' for something is always a convenient way of trying to brush something aside. It's the easiest thing to do, and I'm waiting to see counter arguments as to why yaw isn't a problem here other than one sentence responses.

We've certainly managed to at least establish that yaw is a major problem for a Formula 1 car from someone who really does know, despite your best efforts to tell us that it magically isn't. Tilt the McLaren round and ask yourself what happens when you start blowing air over the car from your line of sight, when that air will hit the sidpods, engine cover, the rear wing or the shallow valley in those sidepods first. Like Willem Toet said - "Can't do that in a wind tunnel" and "Always understand the limitations of you tools".

Mind you, if everyone could do that then Newey wouldn't be paid as much as he is so I understand your confusion to an extent.

[myurr]

@segedunum - so I'll repeat my request to you once again.

If you're so confident that McLaren have gone in completely the wrong direction and that the car is fundamentally flawed, will you back this with a testable prediction that a car with L shaped side pods will not win a race this year?

[myoozikk]

from James Allen's twitter...

Martin Whitmarsh has just said that radical changes to McLaren should make it 1 sec faster than during testing!

McLaren has new floor and new exhaust system, apparently

The exhaust system on the McLaren is less complex than before. Other "risky" things that didn't work have been taken off car

[Shakeman]

Could someone explain/confirm if McLaren's sidepod design is potentially more slippery than conventional design.

Obviously KERS and the DRS are key components to this year's racing so I'm wondering if the L shaped side pods will assist Vmax and give McLaren an advantage here?

[vall]

from James Allen's twitter...

Martin Whitmarsh has just said that radical changes to McLaren should make it 1 sec faster than during testing!

McLaren has new floor and new exhaust system, apparently

The exhaust system on the McLaren is less complex than before. Other "risky" things that didn't work have been taken off car

if it will be 1sec faster remains to be seen. I find it hard to believe they will find 1sec that fast and without any testing. Will see

[gibells]

Wouldnt the connected sharkfins a la RB5/6, or the old scoops, shovels and blades cause as many, if not more yaw problems than McLaren's sidepods?

[chepoi]

from James Allen's twitter...

Martin Whitmarsh has just said that radical changes to McLaren should make it 1 sec faster than during testing!

McLaren has new floor and new exhaust system, apparently

The exhaust system on the McLaren is less complex than before. Other "risky" things that didn't work have been taken off car

if it will be 1sec faster remains to be seen. I find it hard to believe they will find 1sec that fast and without any testing. Will see

next to McLaren Technology centre @woking is a runaway of the airport. Don't you ever think that that can do a "test" there?

it just my assumptions.. not more than that after seing the McLaren technology centre through google earth
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source= ... 7&t=h&z=15