Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24

[ben_watkins]

I think that the Macca has a fundamental problem at the rear of the car..

They've been running the '08 rear wing in the tests until just recently, even doing back to back runs with '08 and '09 rear wing for comparison.

Now this new floor cut out seems to be a potential stab in the dark to cure the problem they seem to have at the rear?

Only time will tell and we're not going to have to wait too long to find out!

[scarbs]

Perhaps this is what mac have been waiting for all along? they always test with a load of fuel and wouldnt divert effort into 2010 testing if they were in the borwn stuff....

[kilcoo316]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/73642

I dunno, I really dunno if I'd agree with that much tbh.

The leading edge of the diffuser (where the flat floor disappears) isn't moving... the leading edge of the venturi duct effective entry is. Even picture aerodynamicists know about Bernoulli's law... and while it doesn't apply a lot of the time in aerodynamics, it actually does for F1 cars most of the time. Its a well established routine that longer wheelbase = more downforce, precisely because of the greater floor area & Bernoulli. Hell, teams even employ small wings ahead of the sidepod to try and induce a longitudinal vortex down the side of the car to try and stop flow getting in under the car from the side.


By leaking the floor you probably will move the floor aero centre back - but I feel your losing out on downforce overall. I'm not even sure if it will make the local diffuser perform better, you've probably got air with a higher turbulence level coming in now as it has relatively little path length to travel before being at the diffuser.


It could be that this is a band aid fix to move the aero centre back - particularly the ride height sensitive aero centre. But, I'm somewhat dubious as to whether it improves overall L/D ratios.

The only area I see it doing something else is the rear wheel stagnation point. It could be positively influencing it (somehow) in a way I don't yet know. Totally turbulent area of the car - guesstimating what is happening there is very much impossible.


But my gut instinct says this isn't going to be a feature seen on many other cars through the year. However, I've been wrong before....

[MustGoFaster]

The only possible explanation for McL is that they are totally concentrating on race conditions, with long runs on tyre and fuel, and counting on having a race pace better than the rest, nad tursting that in "Q" mode the car will be the required amount quicker. A very calculating approach, if correct, otherwise they're toast....

Interesting theory. Last year from what I recall they tended to be better in Q mode than in race form. So maybe they are looking to strike more of a balance.

[wesley123]

We all can agree that the new floor is ment to move the enter of the forces back.

In my idea this cutout feeds the floor with fresh air or reduces the effect of the wheels.
The idea is pretty hard to understand as why should you make a cutout in the middle of the underbody? The pressure that is build up under the floor will get lost there i guess. We dont know any of the details about it, so this is jsut a guess in the wild about it, maube there are alot of fins around it?

[Roger the knife]

Something else to consider, McL seem to be having a lot of trouble with the rear tyres, so one of the alternate ways to fix this if you can't get anymore rear DF, is to increase the load on the front by moving ballast forward, ala Renault???

[kilcoo316]

The thing is, there are an awful lot of design touches on that car I like, and things I would have put on a car - so I'm somewhat disappointed to see it doing so keek at the moment.


But... since that arrogant little --- Hamilton is driving it... heres hoping its an absolute dog and his proclamation about 'back of the grid monkeys' really comes back to bite him in the arse!!!

[timbo]

But... since that arrogant little --- Hamilton is driving it... heres hoping its an absolute dog and his proclamation about 'back of the grid monkeys' really comes back to bite him in the arse!!!

Well, OTOH depending on how he behaves it may help him to establish himself as truly top-class driver that can push his team, just like Alonso did last year.

[kilcoo316]

Well, OTOH depending on how he behaves it may help him to establish himself as truly top-class driver that can push his team, just like Alonso did last year.

I'm not convinced he is even half the leader Alonso is - but, that statement is there to be proven wrong - if Hamilton is up to it.

[Rikhart]

a "leader" does not wreck a team from within, like alonso did in his short stint with mclaren.

Pardon the offtopic.

[jddh1]

Kova had his quickest lap on the 85th lap (of 90), so I think it was a low fuel one. they're in deep poop imo.

[nudger]

Kova had his quickest lap on the 85th lap (of 90), so I think it was a low fuel one. they're in deep poop imo.

they might be, but i dont think today tells you that. there is no way that floor is an act of desperation... it takes a hell of a lot of design and production time to make a new floor. I have no idea where they will be at the end of the week, but i am pretty sure we are seeing their planned aero package

[kilcoo316]

it takes a hell of a lot of design and production time to make a new floor.

That part of the floor is not a (highly) loaded structure... if need be you probably could take a water cutter to a previous floor and do it instantly.


Within a week I'd reckon.

[wesley123]

But... since that arrogant little --- Hamilton is driving it... heres hoping its an absolute dog and his proclamation about 'back of the grid monkeys' really comes back to bite him in the arse!!!

I still dont understand why hamilton is arrogant, because he's the only one in the whole field who dares to overtake? Because he's black? Because he started his f1 caareer in a mclaren? I dunno, but its funny to see how the one and only arrogant Schumacher never got such comments on himself.

Be real, since Hamilton is in F1 everybody is blaming him for things(see the safetycar in fuji 2007, Monza, Belgium, Fuji 2008) where he didnt do anything wrong(in my opinion)

[Roland Ehnström]

I'm with you wesley123, well said. =D>