Traction comparison between Ferrari and McLaren

[WhiteBlue]

Lewis Hamilton after the Turkish GP about the slow twisty last sector

The first two sectors were very strong. We need to figure out exactly how we can improve our last sectors because that's where we are losing. If we didn't have the problem in the last sector then we would be winning, so that's something that we need to fix.

Another hint to better traction for Ferrari is the use of softer tyres. If the car can run softer tyres it usually is better in terms of rear traction. what is it that Ferrari have got better than McLaren at the moment? It surely isn't some aero tweak. there is something in the suspension that is superior. I assume that both teams are using 3rd J-dampers with rotating masses at the rear for some time, but is that true? or have Ferrari build a shorter wheel base? or have they simply found a better tuning for the mass dampers? superior traction usually comes from better understanding of the tyres. Renault did that with Michies and Ferrari did it with Bridgestones in the past. fascinating topic with Monaco coming up fast. if McLaren indeed can catch up as Whitmarsh suggests then it could be just a tuning issue. if Ferrari have superior traction at Monaco they have found something substantial.

It could also be a different level of application of the J-damper technology. Scarb has hinted in his J-damper piece that Ferrari have been actively developing rear J-dampers as early as mid 2007 and opined that Kimi's crash in Monza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g95zxNLqvfI could have been related to a malfunction. So perhaps Ferrari have been more agressive and McLaren have been hesitant to fit a J-damper at the rear?

edited for typos

[Jersey Tom]

It could very well be an aero difference. It could be more rear weight bias on the Ferrari, or more front for that matter depending on what the issue is. It could be as simple as Kimi and Felipe are cleaner drivers and take care of their tires better. Lewis is fairly aggressive on them. And while that's fine to a degree, if you're too aggressive right off the bat you'll just grain the hell out of a soft set.

[mep]

Third sector is maybe more aero/top speed related than the mote twisty first
and second sector.

But again the Ferraris had a much better start than the other ones.

[WhiteBlue]

Third sector is maybe more aero/top speed related than the mote twisty first and second sector...

this is not true. the third sector has the most slow corners. it is the traction sector and not the aero sector.



look how McLaren have bulges for the main dampers only.



Ferrari have a bigger single hump that allows for a third big damper in the middle.

[HKS]

Let me know if I'm mistaken. Isn't that MP$-22? As it has the Viking Horns on it?

[Scotracer]

look how McLaren have bulges for the main dampers only.

Let me know if I'm mistaken. Isn't that MP$-22? As it has the Viking Horns on it?

You can't see the viking horns from that picture, even if it had them as they are forward of the Mobil 1 livery on the engine cover. Those horizontal wings have always been there.

[WhiteBlue]

sorry guys thats definetely marked as 2008
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/downloads/im ... 2008_2.jpg
I have saved some bandwidth and cropped the relevant part

[WhiteBlue]

I was amazed that ther isn't a single pic in the McLaren file showing the rear suspension and the gear box clearly.

[scarbs]

McLaren have told me they run the J-damper front and rear. The layout of their rear damper\rocker arrangement hasn’t changed in years, it pretty much follows what every other team does with their rear end. Longitudinal inclined torsion bars operating on rockers, with the heave (J) damper slung over the top and the individual wheel dampers set in side the gear casing (curiously only Renault don’t follow this arrangement) .
In the pic if you look where the McLaren pushrods go, the gearbox fairing does have a bulge just as Ferrari does.

Mac have accepted they are struggling with grip on the softer tyres and in slow speed corners. They are clearly producing lots of efficient aero at higher speeds (as shown by the turkey tyre problems). While Ferrari seem to have found a better mix of aero\mech grip to improve on last year, McLaren seem to have done a 2007 Ferrari and lost their mech grip along the way.

[WhiteBlue]

I understand that Scarb. Ferrari must have found something in the suspension. Its a pitty that we don't have a pic of the McLaren gear box in the same view that we have from the Ferrari. The outer contour looks different to me. It could mean that Ferrari are doing something special there. perhaps they simply have a much bigger weight spinning. on the other hand it could also be wheelbase and weight distribution. are there any information on that?



found something at last. ok, I can see they are similar.