Mclaren MP4-29 Pre-launch Speculation

[trinidefender]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

[adrianjordan]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

[turbof1]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

I don't think you can pull that one off with a head sponsor. The colors and patterns still have to resemble the logo of the sponsor. Of course within those boundaries you still have quite some artistic freedom, but there are boundaries.

[Manoah2u]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

I don't think you can pull that one off with a head sponsor. The colors and patterns still have to resemble the logo of the sponsor. Of course within those boundaries you still have quite some artistic freedom, but there are boundaries.

True. Mclaren was Red/White because of Marlboro since 1974 through 1996. That's 22 years. They turned grey because of the West sponsorship. Lotus [the original one], had the red-white-gold colourscheme due to the GoldLeaf sponsorship. they turned black-gold due to the JPS sponsorship. They turned yellow due to the Camel sponsorship.
Williams used to be white-green early 80's. slowly they became white-blue-yellow due to the sponsors.
All blue due to the Rothmans sponsorship. Turned Red when Winfield became their sponsor.

And these aren't 'small' teams.

Let's see what happens though.

[trinidefender]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

Normally in past seasons they weren't as strapped for cash as they are now. Remember that this was the last year that they got mercedes engines for free. Now a large portion will have to go into engines for e 2014 season. This means they will want to please sponsors as much as they can to get as much money as possible. 2015 might be a different story as they will pretty much be the de facto works Honda team.

I believe they are getting the honda engines for free but I am really not sure. Can anybody fill me in? Source?

[adrianjordan]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

Normally in past seasons they weren't as strapped for cash as they are now. Remember that this was the last year that they got mercedes engines for free. Now a large portion will have to go into engines for e 2014 season. This means they will want to please sponsors as much as they can to get as much money as possible. 2015 might be a different story as they will pretty much be the de facto works Honda team.

I believe they are getting the honda engines for free but I am really not sure. Can anybody fill me in? Source?

I don't have a source, but I thought I'd heard that Honda were providing far more than just free engines - that it would be a proper full-blown partnership with Honda also fronting up money for the team to secure the resources they need to win again.

[adrianjordan]

Personally I would like to see white and red return. Especially with Honda coming into the mix in 2015. All in all though it will probably be decided by the major sponsors as to what colour scheme they run.

While normally I would agree with this if it were most teams, but I honestly think that McLaren, along with Ferrari, are in a position to dictate to their sponsors what the colour scheme will be and not the other way around...

I don't think you can pull that one off with a head sponsor. The colors and patterns still have to resemble the logo of the sponsor. Of course within those boundaries you still have quite some artistic freedom, but there are boundaries.

You're suggesting that Ferrari would have a car that wasn't red to please a sponsor?

Lest we forget, Ron Dennis wants to position McLaren as the British Ferrari...I wouldn't rule out that including dictating the colour of the car to sponsors...

[turbof1]

You're suggesting that Ferrari would have a car that wasn't red to please a sponsor?

Lest we forget, Ron Dennis wants to position McLaren as the British Ferrari...I wouldn't rule out that including dictating the colour of the car to sponsors...

In the case of Ferrari, a deal will simply not be made. In the case of Mclaren: they don't have a traditional color which they cling on to and will change their colors for the head sponsor A minor sponsor will of course be content with just having its name on the car, but a head sponsor will want it's full logo theme integrated, including colors. Just take this, unlikely, case that British Petroleum wants to become a head sponsor of either Ferrari or McLaren. Ferrari will not bend due they don't want green on their car. Fair enough, but BP would look silly to have their traditional green company colors turn red. They aren't going to do that, so they leave ferrari for what it is and will turn to mclaren.

Of course any company which is a potentional sponsor and doesn't have a traditional non red/white/black color will still suit ferrari. Santander is red and white, and Ferrari actually went from 2009 full typical ferrari red to 2010 white accents and santander red. There is room for negotiating, but colors that are way off will never get much room on a ferrari, if any. And no sponsor which is unmistakingly associated with a very specific color will sponsor a project that is a total mismatch.

[Gridlock]

Wasn't the whole point of going pullrod in 2013 to get it out of the way before 2014? I seem to recall a lot of McLaren (and pundit) feedback along those lines, ie "let's take the pain on learning the suspension this year so we only have to worry about engines in 2014, because the new regs mean everyone will go pullrod then but only 2 teams will have experience"?

[mclaren_mircea]

@Gridlock

Actually the 2014 regs which includes a low nose design will push everyone for the push rod suspension
It's to complicated and to sensitive to insist with the pull rod suspension on a 2014 car. While this year's cars and last year's cars may have advantages by adopting a front pull rod suspension, next year everyone will be on front push rod suspension. Even Ferrari opted for the push rod suspension.

I'm following Craigh Scarbough on F1 tech news and he thinks that next year, everyone will be on push rod.
Look: "Craig Scarborough ‏@ScarbsF1 28 Jan
@calum643 Don't forget for 2014 low noses will penalise front pull rod.

[Coefficient]

@Gridlock

Actually the 2014 regs which includes a low nose design will push everyone for the push rod suspension
It's to complicated and to sensitive to insist with the pull rod suspension on a 2014 car. While this year's cars and last year's cars may have advantages by adopting a front pull rod suspension, next year everyone will be on front push rod suspension. Even Ferrari opted for the push rod suspension.

I'm following Craigh Scarbough on F1 tech news and he thinks that next year, everyone will be on push rod.
Look: "Craig Scarborough ‏@ScarbsF1 28 Jan
@calum643 Don't forget for 2014 low noses will penalise front pull rod.

No, the pull rod is easier to fit in a low nose configuration and would have been the way to go if the FIA had managed to mandate a smooth transition from cockpit bulkhead to nose tip but the change was rejected by the team's so they could use stepped chassis/nose transition in order to retain adequate space for push rod.

[mclaren_mircea]

Mclaren mp4-29 will have a fron push rod suspension, according to majority of the sources. Altough there are advantages for a continuity with the pull rod suspension, but it's more safe to revert to push rod. Even Ferrari, the team who introduced this kind of suspension before Mclaren will revert to push rod suspension acording to AMUS, Omnicorse, Autosprint, Gazzetta dello Sport, f1analisitecnica.
On AMUS we have an explanation about why the 2014 cars will have push rod suspension. Even if it's about Ferrari's next year car, certainly it's in place for Mclaren mp4-29.
"The change could have its basis in the new regulations. 2014, the chassis is lowered at the front by 10 centimeters. With the pushrod variant in the lower part of the chassis is more free space because it focuses on the upper part of the cockpit tube. The air can thus flow in the important lower zone cleaner backwards".

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Piola on McLaren't 2014 "Innovative Rear Suspension".

[mclaren_mircea]

Omnicorsef1: "LA MP4-29 E’ MOLTO IN RITARDO La scommessa della McLaren potrebbe dare dei vantaggi di natura aerodinamica, ma pare abbia effetti marcati sulla rigidezza della sospensione. Si tratta di una mossa ardita che si vedrà alla presentazione della macchina, ma che potrebbe già essere sostituita da una soluzione più tradizionale nei primi test di Jerez, dove ci sarà l’assoluta esigenza di percorrere dei chilometri. Il montaggio della prima monoposto pare sia in grave ritardo rispetto ai piani, per cui anche la data della presentazione della vettura potrebbe subire dei sostanziali cambiamenti, tanto che c’è chi non esclude che si possa vedere direttamente in Andalusia… "

According to Omnicorse they are late with the planned phases of the mp4-29. Please Mclaren, no more revolutions (in design, suspension etc), go for a much more simplistic and and efficient vision of the car. During the last years, I was enthusiastic about Mclaren's innovative concepts (f-duct, octopus-exhaust, , "mp4-28") , but the only year when Mclaren had a quick car from the very begining of the season was in 2012, when they were a bit more conservative in their's design approach, and it was a succesful and efficient car. This kind of suspension can waste a lot of resources (which Mclaren unfortunatelly no longer has: Daimler's support is gone, Vodafone is gone, redirected resources for Mclaren Automotive).

[FrukostScones]

so McLaren is trying to build a "shutter" rear suspension where the suspension arms together with pull rod and driveshaft fairing will act as beam wing?
Also it is apparently behind schedule, first test most probably with "normal" rear suspension...