McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes (pre-launch speculation)

[thestig84]

I spoke to the same person that told me about the L shaped sidepods earlier than anyone last year. Not much info this year but seems the sidepods are back to normal. More like the 25.

Maybe answers the question I have seen about here. Will the new exhaust regs not work with the L/U shaped pods....no if what he has seen is correct.

[Owen.C93]

I spoke to the same person that told me about the L shaped sidepods earlier than anyone last year. Not much info this year but seems the sidepods are back to normal. More like the 25.

Maybe answers the question I have seen about here. Will the new exhaust regs not work with the L/U shaped pods....no if what he has seen is correct.

That's a shame but I guess the new exhaust position would be right in the way making the L pods a bit useless.

[bonjon1979]

I spoke to the same person that told me about the L shaped sidepods earlier than anyone last year. Not much info this year but seems the sidepods are back to normal. More like the 25.

Maybe answers the question I have seen about here. Will the new exhaust regs not work with the L/U shaped pods....no if what he has seen is correct.

Yep, I think it was Ross Brawn who said that the U-shaped sidepods were designed to interact with the 'octo-exhaust'. So last years car was far from the optimal, it'd be interesting to know what sort of times they thought the car would do had the exhaust worked as they hoped.

[Richard]

If so, MacLaren add to their unfortunate record of developing single season technology:

2009 - KERS
2010 - F duct
2011 - U Pod

[Boost]

Why is KERS on that list? It was back in use last year.

[Schulteiss]

Why is KERS on that list? It was back in use last year.

Plus they did not even develop it. It is Merc's KERS unit.

[beelsebob]

Why is KERS on that list? It was back in use last year.

Plus they did not even develop it. It is Merc's KERS unit.

Actually, no, McLaren developed a KERS unit in 2007-8, took it to the FIA and said "hey, wouldn't this be a cool addition to the rules". This is why McLaren's KERS has been so much more advanced than anyone else's – because they had a year or two's head start on everyone else.

[beelsebob]

If so, MacLaren add to their unfortunate record of developing single season technology:

2009 - KERS
2010 - F duct
2011 - U Pod

To be fair, the only reason these ended up being single season techs is because every time McLaren do something clever, someone find a way of banning it/making it not work very well any more.

KERS – banned by FOTA for a year
F-Duct – banned by the FIA
U-pods – effectively banned because the new exhaust rules make them inefficient.

It's not like McLaren are coming up with techs that are inherently gimmicks – other people are making them gimmicks by banning their use.

[Schulteiss]

Why is KERS on that list? It was back in use last year.

Plus they did not even develop it. It is Merc's KERS unit.

Actually, no, McLaren developed a KERS unit in 2007-8, took it to the FIA and said "hey, wouldn't this be a cool addition to the rules". This is why McLaren's KERS has been so much more advanced than anyone else's – because they had a year or two's head start on everyone else.

I beg to differ. The KERS unit Mc had and has is/was developed by Mercedes. It is supplied with the Mercedes powertrain to Mc and to FI too, I think.

edit: Originally, I think it was a Zytek+Merc HP engine collaboration(Brixworth), but I don't see Zytek's name mentioned for some year's now. Maybe what is confusing is that Merc was at the time a McLaren shareholder, so it was considered to be an in-house job.

[raymondu999]

I beg to differ. The KERS unit Mc had and has is/was developed by Mercedes. It is supplied with the Mercedes powertrain to Mc and to FI too, I think.

edit: Originally, I think it was a Zytek+Merc HP engine collaboration(Brixworth), but I don't see Zytek's name mentioned for some year's now. Maybe what is confusing is that Merc was at the time a McLaren shareholder, so it was considered to be an in-house job.

The 2009 KERS unit wasZytek. It's now Merc (Brixworth/Ilmor). The two units are different. Or so Scarbs says.

[Javert]

It's not like McLaren are coming up with techs that are inherently gimmicks – other people are making them gimmicks by banning their use.

Not sure if we would have seen U pods again even with EBD

Look like that if they made -26 with normal sidepods and put beam wing in a better way, they could have won easily both titles. The season's over so it's speculation but

[astracrazy]

i don't know how you can make that comment

The whole car would have been based on them. just changing them for normal pods would surely change the whole way the car works and such effect other parts of the car in a negative way? I was under the impression the u-pods gave better flow to the beam wing?

[raymondu999]

That was the general idea. You would have unimpeded; "raw" flow onto the beam wing as the air didn't have to go up or around anything.

[Javert]

I was under the impression the u-pods gave better flow to the beam wing?

Yes U-pods gave better flow to the beam wing
But the Octopus exhaust meant that the beam wing had to be built in a particular way (there was a pipe going in it) which eventually killed the efficiency gains U pods gave, this with the deficits in diffuser efficiency without EBD, U-pods have.
Seen how much has done McL with such an handicappated car, we can just wonder ...

[yace]

2009 - KERS
2010 - F duct
2011 - U Pod

I would say :

2009: double diffusers
2010: f-duct - blown diffusers
2011: blown floors - sidepots