McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[PlatinumZealot]

I think the octobox was there.. but it wasn't an octo-box.

The version shoots infront of the wheels. Check to see if the Ceramic was in the diffuser on that one scarbs.

[imightbewrong]

Thanks Scarbs! Please don't stop bringing us information snippets like these just because some don't believe you!

[bot6]

Sidenote: The fact that Mike Gascoyne and Sam Michael - and Ross Brawn when not on a plane - actually bother to try to clarify information like this for the fans through Scarbs is pretty amazing considering their workload, so thanks to them and to you Scarbs for bringing this info to us.

Back to the octopus thing, the distinction between bodywork and exhaust seems to be really tenuous. If you look at the Renault exhaust for example, the floor splits the exhaust flow in two, with some passing above it and some below it. So the floor directs exhaust gasses in some way, but is not considered an exhaust...

So if you push this thinking in the case of the octopus, any "normal" bit of the car could be used to direct the exhaust, like a piece of bodywork or a special gearbox housing. So I'm guessing the final appreciation is going to be up to Charlie Whiting, because there really is a grey area there.

[hollus]

I would think that the definition of open surface is going to be made upwards or downwards or sideways. That's how most rules are written. When viewed from below... when viewed from behind... the lateral cross section... that seems to be the spirit of the rules. But I agree, in the end, the rules say what Charlie says that the rules say...
In the Renault exhaust, the air is divided in two. Part above the floor, and there is only air above it at all times (or is there actually a bit of sidepod above?). The other part is directed below the floor (is it considered bodywork at that exact point?), and there is no car under it. The gas has more than one exit route, or so it looks intuitively. I would see the reanult as open and the octopus as ducting (but with a yummy name).
But hell, it is going to be a can of worms.

[scarbs]

You're right several teams, Sauber and possibly Ferrari duct some exhaust flow through the rear crash structure. This could be construed to "duct" exhaust gas contrary to the interpretation raised with the alledged McLaren system.

[ESPImperium]

If you are ducting exaust flow, shurly the Renault system could be illegal as well.

Scarabs, i know there is a loophone in the outer extremities of the diffuser, could flow be piped to the loop hole area and then ran under and over the diffuser, but under the diffuser it is guided th othe diffuser.

Infact, scratch that, what im thinking of is what Red Bull already have in my brain, just they dont really show it, convienently.

IOts difficult without a picture or diagram to show what im thinking.

[marcush.]

Mclaren are the ones to get slapped just because they are Mclaren..nothing new .In case it won´t be deemed illegal it will be banned for safety reasons.

[scarbs]

I dont know the exact wording of the clarification, but I would say anything that blowing exhaust onto exterior bodywork surfaces would be legal, as per Renault, Red Bull or any other system 'seen' so far.

Enclosing or ducting exhaust gas 'inside' bodywork is not. So routing into a ceramic chamber or inside the crash structure would be illegal.

[scarbs]

Mclaren are the ones to get slapped just because they are Mclaren..nothing new .In case it won´t be deemed illegal it will be banned for safety reasons.

Nothing in the rules highlighted here is new, McLaren (if they have gone down this route)knew of the rules beforehand. It's a risk that they take, if the FIA now take a different view. The FIAs view of a development may and often does change, in between the teams first enquiry and the subsequent appearance of a finished part.

[vall]

Mclaren are the ones to get slapped just because they are Mclaren..nothing new .In case it won´t be deemed illegal it will be banned for safety reasons.

Nothing in the rules highlighted here is new, McLaren (if they have gone down this route)knew of the rules beforehand. It's a risk that they take, if the FIA now take a different view. The FIAs view of a development may and often does change, in between the teams first enquiry and the subsequent appearance of a finished part.

Indeed, this part of the regulations has been stable for quite some time and McLaren knew it. From what I read, if true at all, they tried to be on the edge of the regulations and got caught. What leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth is that sometimes the regulations interpretation by FIA is driven by the politics, the DDDs and the mass-dumper being the prime examples IMO.

[donskar]

Thanks, scarbs; your posts help make this the forum I visit most often.

McL is to be commended for trying new ideas, even if they ultimately fail. (But where do they find one second!?)

[ringo]

If you are ducting exaust flow, shurly the Renault system could be illegal as well.

Scarabs, i know there is a loophone in the outer extremities of the diffuser, could flow be piped to the loop hole area and then ran under and over the diffuser, but under the diffuser it is guided th othe diffuser.

Infact, scratch that, what im thinking of is what Red Bull already have in my brain, just they dont really show it, convienently.

IOts difficult without a picture or diagram to show what im thinking.

I am not sure if there is a loop hole concerning that region.
Redbull simply have a narrower floor around the back.
It's not mandatory to have full width diffuser.

i think mclaren's problem is that the floor box is not connected to the exhuasts. It would be illegal to conect them to the exhuast.
I think the floor ports are aligned to the pipe exits, but whenever there is relative motion between the 2, the gases probably go else where, probably on unprotected parts?
Or maybe there are so many bends in the pipe and diameter changes, a lot of stress points are setup in the pipes and they fail by fatigue.

[PlatinumZealot]

Thanks, scarbs; your posts help make this the forum I visit most often.

McL is to be commended for trying new ideas, even if they ultimately fail. (But where do they find one second!?)

Copying RedBull Or at least that's what I believe.

[ringo]

floor is probably molded with chanels in it. I don't think it's blowing through the step plane; just pointing gas at strategic points.

[OO7]

floor is probably molded with chanels in it. I don't think it's blowing through the step plane; just pointing gas at strategic points.

Hi Ringo

This is something I have mentioned also. I initially thought Renault were blowing their exhausts throught the vertical walls of the stepped bottom, before the forward exhausts were finally revealed. I think there maybe a problem with throttle sensitively in this position however. The stepped area is also very narrow, so the exhausts would have to brought inwards and downwards after leaving the collector, in a similar fashion to the MP4-15, before splaying outwards.

I still can't fathom the purpose of the U-bend in the exhaust of the McLaren. One would assume that with better packaging the U-bend could be avoided.