Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes MP4-24

[Conceptual]

Looks very good. And if the launch-race evolution that we see every year continues, it is only going to look better.

1. Is anyone really surprised by the sidepod inlets? This is something that I actually expected last year after Silverstone.

2. Odd, but I wonder why only Ferrari paint their rim shields like the rims with sponsor logos. With sponsorship area on an F1 car at a premium, I dont understand why they are still blank.

3. This is by far the best looking of the three launched so far. If McLaren dug into their deep engineering history looking for old things to make new again, I am SERIOUSLY excited about the RB5 and what Mr. Newey will present.

Looks slick, tyres look great, the wing shapes are growing on me as well.

I just hope 2009 gives us a great show, but no matter the changes introduced, it is going to be tough to beat the excitement of 2007/08.

Bring on the rest, and lets light this candle!

[Shaddock]

The front wing looks very underdeveloped and looks as if McLaren are keeping their cards very close to their chest for the first race. Crude would be an understatement.



Love the airbox

[myurr]

The front wing looks very underdeveloped and looks as if McLaren are keeping their cards very close to their chest for the first race. Crude would be an understatement.

Would agree with you about the end plates, but on the other side it's the only multi-element wing out there, so if anything it's more highly developed. Expect the end plates to evolve somewhat before the first race.

[Shaddock]

The front wing looks very underdeveloped and looks as if McLaren are keeping their cards very close to their chest for the first race. Crude would be an understatement.

Would agree with you about the end plates, but on the other side it's the only multi-element wing out there, so if anything it's more highly developed. Expect the end plates to evolve somewhat before the first race.

Nothing seems to have changed much to the front wing since before christmas during initial testing. It may be multi-element but its still a crude first attempt.




At Jerez

[architect]

STUNNING REARWING,BT UGLY DESIGN [-X

[wesley123]

McLaren didnt show anything on the car, expect the car to be very different in Australia. The car looks to 'basic' the front wing looks to easy and its just simple done to test all the things. That mclaren dont have any shields at the sidepod shocked me as it can gain much downforce.
In my idea it is that mclaren found something really good tat they dont want to show, or this is the real car they will race.

[Gaara]

a thinner car is better for aerodynamics? because Mclaren looks thinner than Ferrari - toyota

[natef1]

The front wing looks very underdeveloped and looks as if McLaren are keeping their cards very close to their chest for the first race. Crude would be an understatement.

Would agree with you about the end plates, but on the other side it's the only multi-element wing out there, so if anything it's more highly developed. Expect the end plates to evolve somewhat before the first race.

Nothing seems to have changed much to the front wing since before christmas during initial testing. It may be multi-element but its still a crude first attempt.




At Jerez

I'm pretty new to car aero and design, so forgive me for being ignorant here (I try to learn as much as I can, honest )

But what are the small teardrop shaped pieces on the nose for? Simply aero? You can see them on the new car but in the picture from Jerez they're not there. They look too small to be part of improving crash structure..

[WhiteBlue]

they are cameras for FOM

[natef1]

they are cameras for FOM

Just the holdings for the camera, or the camera themselves? Where abouts would the lens be?

[ESPImperium]

Im gonna ask a question about those Multi-Element front wings. Is it legal to dial in the bottom element to have a steeper profile to give more downforce in the more slow to medium sections of a cource, but the upper profile to have a less steep profile so to not give away too much in the mid to high speed sections.

What im thinking is like this:

[donskar]

Great looking car. As expected from Mclaren.

Is it just me misinterpreting the photos or have McL done a (seemingly) more effective job than Ferrari in incorporating the exhaust into the aero package?

This should be the car to beat this season (I say with regret!)

Looking forward to what Newey comes up with.

[xpensive]

That scoop/engine air-intake on the McLaren, which looks neat and optimized for this year's lower revs, reminds me of the thread I started on the subject back in Nov or December.

[crbassassin]

Also there is a odd looking thing on the floor infront of the rear wheel Any ideas?

Tire temperature sensor

[shir0]

they are cameras for FOM

Just the holdings for the camera, or the camera themselves? Where abouts would the lens be?

lookie here...can't find any pictures quickly so I've posted one from our galleries here...sorry if this is out of topic but just trying to help natef1 out.

Look at the right (CAR's LEFT) of the nose... the "tear drop-shaped" housing for the mandatory FOM camera is in a black housing in this MP4-23 picture...just slightly higher than (and rearwards of) the front wing bridge



here's an old pic where a technician is tinkering with the camera and with the camera housing removed...this a Ferrari nose obviously:



also...check this thread out...

Mc Laren MP4/23 aero-mech development in 2008

bar555 has done some great compilation of the MP4-23's development in pictures. And it has (you guessed it!) cameras. Enjoy