McLaren MP4-28 (pre-launch speculation)

[Nando]

New front suspension i think

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Gary has been obsessed with McLaren's low nose since before this season. He declared it the wrong solution before the season started, and I think he's been proven wrong over the course of the season where McLaren have had the fastest car (on balance).

Think I'm quoting right person here, but the comment above is not to be taken seriously correct?? I mean really. Yes Anderson was all over McLaren at the MP4-27 launch about the low nose and that he thought it would eventually hinder their development alongside not getting enough air to the rest of the car like the higher noses do. What do McLaren do next? They raise the nose! Exactly what Anderson said they needed to do. Anderson even mentioned in AutoSport Magazine that after the Mugello tests how much crap he got from the McLaren guys at launch. But it's obvious he was right from the beginning, I must say. And I'm not necessarily a fan of the guy.

Part of me wonders how MaCa would do with a higher nose like Ferrari for instance, but I don't see them going any higher than what we saw from Mugello forwards. Why fix something that isn't broke? It will be interesting to see if they try the RB style tunnel or somehow update their existing solution. And I don't think they go pull rod front.

Edit: spelling. Damn iPhone auto-correct.

[KATO]

New front suspension i think

I read an article where indeed they are said to be looking into the same suspension type Ferrari have. My guess is they will run tests and if it looks good they use it if not no loss bus aside from that I think McLaren would be best served by fixing all the bugs and then improving in different areas.

If all McLaren can do over the winter is Fix their gearbox and other problems IDE consider that a good winter break.. Some have Allready noted they are quite fast as is now if the car could just be reliable.... IDE be proud of my work if I was them..

[Nando]

Yea reliability is what cost them the championship,

I think i read something about the roll hoop as well being out of steel and that they over-estimated the forces needed to pass the test, maybe someone remembers that a little bit better.
If true it should mean they loose some weight that up high which should help with CoG.

I´m hoping we see a new front suspension, i think there will be a few teams going that route as i think Ferrari have proven that it´s not bad at all.

[Coefficient]

Anybody heard of any launch dates yet?

[Banki]

I don't unterstand why McLaren would change their front suspension to pull rod. Ferrari was very slow. Maybe because of the pull rod front suspension. Because if you see their development, they made a lot of developments on the car except for front suspension... but they were much more slower than the Red Bull's and McLaren's on qualifying and sometimes on race too

[Nando]

Maybe because of the pull rod front suspension.

This sounds so familiar....

[McMrocks]

I don't unterstand why McLaren would change their front suspension to pull rod. Ferrari was very slow. Maybe because of the pull rod front suspension. Because if you see their development, they made a lot of developments on the car except for front suspension... but they were much more slower than the Red Bull's and McLaren's on qualifying and sometimes on race too

Well, according to Gary Anderson the Quali problems were caused by the DRS and the stall of the diffuser

The big mystery of this season has been how the Ferrari can be a second off the pace in qualifying and only a tenth of a second or two off it in the race. I think I've figured out what the problem is.
[...]
As the car goes faster, the rear gets closer to the ground and that 'stalls' the diffuser, which is the underfloor which curves upwards at the back of the car. 'Stalling' means the airflow is not attached to it any more, and that reduces the downforce it produces.

(Don't ask me why the rear gets closer to the ground if the DRS is activated. For me DRS means less downforce -> higher rear)
Edit: I allways buy a new paper with analysis of GA and I can read every time the same: "diffuser, which is the underfloor which curves upwards".

Back to McLaren:
They really don't need a pull rod suspension even if it works. They were very competitive without the pull rod suspension. Important is if the suspension is easy to understand. There will be no benefit if they need the half year to understand the new suspension. I wonder if the benefit from a pull rod suspension is that big, because if I understood the experts correctly it gives a slightly lower CoG and a very small aero benefit.
Correct me if I'm wrong

[raymondu999]

Given the strength of the season ending MP4-27, I don't think we'd see anything radical on the MP4-28 to be honest. It's the last year the car is probably going to be the same concept, and if they have to spend time understanding a new concept, overall that would probably be a big minus to them.

[Javert]

Given the strength of the season ending MP4-27, I don't think we'd see anything radical on the MP4-28 to be honest. It's the last year the car is probably going to be the same concept, and if they have to spend time understanding a new concept, overall that would probably be a big minus to them.

New project has been "decided" earlier this season, probably before Hockenheim

[FrukostScones]

Given the strength of the season ending MP4-27, I don't think we'd see anything radical on the MP4-28 to be honest. It's the last year the car is probably going to be the same concept, and if they have to spend time understanding a new concept, overall that would probably be a big minus to them.

...but maybe the 28 is the one with the "no side pods as such ( we know them)"....

[raymondu999]

Hmm? No sidepods as we know them? How do you mean? I'm quite sure that was the -26

[FrukostScones]

Hmm? No sidepods as we know them? How do you mean? I'm quite sure that was the -26

yeah that 26 was special, no i meant that "jump jet" story from member conni. remember?

[raymondu999]

The one with the tight sidepods, and these "midwings" attached to the side pods like a biplane?

[FrukostScones]

The one with the tight sidepods, and these "midwings" attached to the side pods like a biplane?

yep, but I don't think it will come true