2024 Mclaren Formula 1 Team

[willmesquita]

Hoping for the best tomorrow but I have a feeling McLaren won’t break past the 200 point threshold tomorrow.
It’s probably going to be chaos. Safety cars (one or both of the Mclarens being the reason for said safety car[s]) numerous showers and pit stops etc

[LionsHeart]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?

[MrGapes]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?
https://i.ibb.co/tDJpGC7/55064-A13-F188 ... 1-EE58.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/16SCrSy/AEFC8484-28-DA ... 82-B72.jpg

yes they are running the higher df bahrain spec wing, while most of the other teams have retained the imola spec with trimmed beamwings.

[mwillems]

[FittingMechanics]

I think that Mercedes used tyre was just a scrubbed one. I remember that the someone said Mercedes stayed out on a single set very long.

I doubt they would be that good if it was a proper used set (like McLarens). This is the same reason why VER did good on his used set, he had a single fast lap on them.

[BMMR61]

Looking like McLaren have opted for higher downforce on both cars for a wet/changeable race. I'm expecting Russell to struggle to keep the tyres alive if it's dry so will opt for the stacking approach until it's time to find a pitstop window. That still requires building a pitstop window somewhere so this race is likely to be very strategic. Having two cars in the top 4 should be useful.

[LionsHeart]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?
https://i.ibb.co/tDJpGC7/55064-A13-F188 ... 1-EE58.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/16SCrSy/AEFC8484-28-DA ... 82-B72.jpg

yes they are running the higher df bahrain spec wing, while most of the other teams have retained the imola spec with trimmed beamwings.

Well, the size of the rear wing is still understandable. But there is a thought that even in this specification they deliberately went for increasing the downforce in order to be able to hold on braking and acceleration. I noticed that the junior RB has a smaller wing. But the other teams have a wing of a more comparable size. Or, others managed to use the slipstream better. Oh well. The main thing is that the car has speed. And this is in dry conditions. If the race has changing conditions, then this should work. This version of the rear wing was used in Shanghai too and there was also a deficit in maximum speed. Then we can assume that the rear wing creates enough downforce and that this allows using a smaller beam wing.

[search]

I think that Mercedes used tyre was just a scrubbed one. I remember that the someone said Mercedes stayed out on a single set very long.

it was 3 laps old (one hot lap). Same set as used in the end of Q2.

[SilviuAgo]

I am happy with P3 and P4 here in Canada. I see now a lot of McLaren "reactivated" fans complaining about not taking the Pole, about Name the Driver toe for Max or Russell or Leclerc, that today McLaren cars will bring a SC and other crazy stuff that you may read on an ordinary forum. But I hope this forum is not the case and if we get hot from one session or the race we are able to chill down and to see that those +0.021 of Lando is "way more" than that +0.000 of Max. So I only could imagine what were the posts if that happened with Lando ))
On the short side, well done to the team, happy they tried the push-slow-push approach on last minutes of Q3, that they start to think out of the box and like a winning team, not a miedfield one, and let's bring on Canadian GP!
Have a nice show folks! Let's gooo

[Vanja #66]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?
https://i.ibb.co/tDJpGC7/55064-A13-F188 ... 1-EE58.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/16SCrSy/AEFC8484-28-DA ... 82-B72.jpg

They changed something, most likely deployment strategy, between Q2 and Q3 since both cars were at 327-328kmh in Q2

[CjC]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?
https://i.ibb.co/tDJpGC7/55064-A13-F188 ... 1-EE58.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/16SCrSy/AEFC8484-28-DA ... 82-B72.jpg

They changed something, most likely deployment strategy, between Q2 and Q3 since both cars were at 327-328kmh in Q2

The McLaren cars?

[Vanja #66]

The McLaren cars?

Yes, here are Q2 laps. I also checked other cars in case the wind changed direction between Q2 and Q3, but only McLaren went down on Top Speed.

[CjC]

The McLaren cars?

Yes, here are Q2 laps. I also checked other cars in case the wind changed direction between Q2 and Q3, but only McLaren went down on Top Speed.

https://i.ibb.co/gjWN0RW/can-q2-24.jpg

Thanks. That’s interesting. According to Mark Hughes the wind changed direction to a head wind for Q3. Although this would effect all the teams top speed- perhaps it effected McLaren more with their slightly bigger wing?

[mwillems]

Low top speed. Does this mean the team decided to load up on downforce, expecting rain conditions?
https://i.ibb.co/tDJpGC7/55064-A13-F188 ... 1-EE58.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/16SCrSy/AEFC8484-28-DA ... 82-B72.jpg

They changed something, most likely deployment strategy, between Q2 and Q3 since both cars were at 327-328kmh in Q2

We did 2 fast laps compared to others doing one, so weight will likely be a very small factor. We also set our fast laps in the latter part of Q3 and not at the start of Q3 like others, so conditions may have also been turning by then, towards the conditions that prevented cars going faster at the end of the session.

Without a tow, Russel's fast speed in Q3 was actually 324, for instance.
Verstappen's fastest lap was also 2kph slower than his lap at the start of Q3, Ham got 1kph more in his first lap of Q3 versus his second.

There was a drop off at some point in the session and I think deployment may be something to do with it, but doing our fast laps later and carrying more fuel could well be the answer too.

I'd also be curious to see who got tows in those numbers and to get the fastest laps without a tow.

[mwillems]

I'm also going to say my usual., it's the speed across the whole of the straight that counts and not the headline number at the very end.

Piastri was faster for the whole of the big straight bar the final few seconds where he was eclipsed by his previous lap. So speed can better if you can pull yourself away from the big shiny top speed in neon lights

This is consistent with a better exit meeting a stronger headwind or deployment, but I'm not sure they did anything with deployment.