McLaren MCL39 Speculation Thread

[CjC]

Side pods seem big to me…. Making the sidepod undercuts smaller?

[f1rules]

borrowed a picture from racecar ehgineering

[f1316]

https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/upl ... tled-6.jpg

Is it me or is there something interesting going on with the rear suspension? Seems like the upper part (which I presume is part of the top wishbone? Edit: maybe that’s actually the pushrod) is kinda curved or something. I had a brief glimpse at the old car and it seems more conventional to my eyes but curious what folks think.

[Emag]

https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/upl ... tled-6.jpg

Is it me or is there something interesting going on with the rear suspension? Seems like the upper part (which I presume is part of the top wishbone? Edit: maybe that’s actually the pushrod) is kinda curved or something. I had a brief glimpse at the old car and it seems more conventional to my eyes but curious what folks think.

We don't have good enough shots to properly compare yet, but yes, I noticed one of the arms seems slightly curved too.

[.poz]

RB style rear end, the channel between rear wheel and engine cover is bigger

Ferrari style (more or less) inlet, P shaped to clear the boundary layer

[Macklaren]

Given this melding of ideas, I think the top3 cars are all going to look pretty identical

[f1rules]

Sarah Merritt
@Sareyware

[continuum16]

Those sidepod inlets look like they came straight off the Lotus E22 or Renault R26. Maybe it’s just the camo livery making it hard to tell but it seems like the lower part of the P is wider than we have seen on other cars.

[CjC]

Sarah Merritt
@Sareyware
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjrNbXrW0AI ... name=large

Does this suggest the mid wing infront of the sidepod inlet now extends forward along the tub to finish in line with the front of the halo?

[F1NAC]

https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/upl ... tled-6.jpg

Is it me or is there something interesting going on with the rear suspension? Seems like the upper part (which I presume is part of the top wishbone? Edit: maybe that’s actually the pushrod) is kinda curved or something. I had a brief glimpse at the old car and it seems more conventional to my eyes but curious what folks think.

We don't have good enough shots to properly compare yet, but yes, I noticed one of the arms seems slightly curved too.

Wouldn’t that be illegal? I mean i doubt that the pushrod itself (rod actually) is bent. That would look like they made carbon shroud a bit curved? Shouldn’t rod covering be aero neutral?

[f1rules]

Im going out on a limp here, going against what most say but, i think they kept the same sidepod inlet shape.
With the more agressive anti dive with the rear attachment a lot lower, there is no way the are giving up that nice clean flow between the front suspension arms, for more cooling and a p shaped sidepod inlet.

[organic]

Recent post by McLaren Instagram shows the mcl38 rather than mcl39, just to get ahead of anyone confused about why the inlets are different in this shot

Im going out on a limp here, going against what most say but, i think they kept the same sidepod inlet shape.
With the more agressive anti dive with the rear attachment a lot lower, there is no way the are giving up that nice clean flow between the front suspension arms, for more cooling and a p shaped sidepod inlet.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjrjgCfWsAA ... name=large

The p shaped inlet is about removing the messy boundary layer that has built up along the entire side of the chassis nose. You want to prevent the lossy air from entering the undercut and the p shaped inlet cleans it up. McLaren were the only top team not to have adopted some form of p shaped inlet last season, and from most angles it's quite clear the shape of the inlet.

[deadhead]

[organic]

https://ibb.co/LzPtHZ7P

That's the mcl38. No cobra halo winglets, mcl38 shape SP inlets.

https://x.com/tgruener/status/189007681 ... DzN9w&s=19

[f1rules]

does it say somewhere its the 38? and why bother dressing up a 38, this would exactly show that im right, they kept the original inlet

Recent post by McLaren Instagram shows the mcl38 rather than mcl39, just to get ahead of anyone confused about why the inlets are different in this shot

Im going out on a limp here, going against what most say but, i think they kept the same sidepod inlet shape.
With the more agressive anti dive with the rear attachment a lot lower, there is no way the are giving up that nice clean flow between the front suspension arms, for more cooling and a p shaped sidepod inlet.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjrjgCfWsAA ... name=large

The p shaped inlet is about removing the messy boundary layer that has built up along the entire side of the chassis nose. You want to prevent the lossy air from entering the undercut and the p shaped inlet cleans it up. McLaren were the only top team not to have adopted some form of p shaped inlet last season, and from most angles it's quite clear the shape of the inlet.

https://i.imgur.com/XfawcqK.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/nfjKRk2.jpeg