McLaren MP4-26 Mercedes

[Tamburello]

It's the forum traffic. Happens every time there is a car launch

Let alone a McLaren one.

[tarzoon]

nah, to me more like that ugly ferrari from the mid nineties. The macca doesn't look ugly though.

So what do people think, is this sidepod thing going to work? And if so, why didn't anyone else come close to designing it?

Guess you're talking about the 1996 F310

[luca]

So:
- L-shaped sidepods (although McLaren engineers are calling them "U-shaped" in various interviews)
- long wheelbase
- low nose (compared to other cars)
- double floor (similar to Toro Rosso)
- pull-rod rear suspension

And I also guess front exit exhausts similar to Lotus Renault, since the ones showed during the car launch were clearly dummy (as confirmed by Scarbs on Twitter); also you can clearly see some sort of rectangular opening under each sidepod.

[myurr]

It's there. The pipe is an ovalled rectangle.
Turning vanes also there on top the floor

Not seeing it.... Unless you mean that there's a hole ready for one to be fitted that's currently blanked off?

[gibells]

Sidepods remind me of the Benetton B195 on steroids...

nah, to me more like that ugly ferrari from the mid nineties. The macca doesn't look ugly though.

So what do people think, is this sidepod thing going to work? And if so, why didn't anyone else come close to designing it?

I think thats the beauty of it- that it doesn't follow. Also they've come up with an element of design that can't really be copied (I don't think) which is good for them. But like Whitmarsh said, there's plenty more to come. Bahrain awaits...

[luca]

Just out of curiosity, can the L-shaped sidepods be copied by other teams, or would that require changing some homologated component?

[forty-two]

I'm not sure it has a "double floor" as such, or at least I have not yet seen any images to say that it does.

[ringo]

It's there. The pipe is an ovalled rectangle.
Turning vanes also there on top the floor

Not seeing it.... Unless you mean that there's a hole ready for one to be fitted that's currently blanked off?

Ah, i didn't have any photo editing tools at my disposal. I stand corrected. Lighting was playing tricks on me.

[Just_a_fan]

The wheels will have Ferrari style discs on them too. Note the small knobs on the spokes...

Am I the only one who fails to see the front exhaust? I can see the starter hole is like a letterbox, though, which looks designed to harness exhaust 'blow' and the diffuser appears to be quite simple. Which suggests that there will be a more involved one on the car when it runs.

[ringo]

Just out of curiosity, can the L-shaped sidepods be copied by other teams, or would that require changing some homologated component?

Yeah the side impact structure has to be lower for other teams to do it.
The only team that can so far are Mercedes. Their impact structures are very low as well.

[Poleman]

well spotted the exhausts... but makes me think. would they go thru all that trouble to add some mikey mouse exhausts at the rear if they was going to have a pipe at the front?

If what Ringo spotted is indeed the front exit i think its fairly easy for McLaren to swap some dummy manifolds in there just for the presentation...I dont think anyone in team would want their competitors to have a peek at their configuration would they?

[timbo]

And what, no comments on the front wing? looks extraordinary to me...

It's last year wing.

[Tamburello]

Just out of curiosity, can the L-shaped sidepods be copied by other teams, or would that require changing some homologated component?

I don't see why not? I don't think the sidepod shapes or packaging under them and engine cover are homologated.

[Just_a_fan]

No obvious signs of rear wing activation either. There is no central pillar and the sideplates look quite thin.

Do the teams have to run the rear wing device or is it just a case of being allowed to run it if they want?

[NaZzO]

Is it just me or it looks like the car has a REALLY long wheel base?

they're not scaled the same. But yes, I suspect that it is on the long side.

I thought the mclaren's wheel looked bigger than the ferraris until I made this direct comparison. Turns out they are very closely scaled and the Mp4-26 is 1 rim radius longer than the F150.