BAE systems fuels McLaren

BAE Systems, the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company, has helped Formula 1 Team McLaren Mercedes prepare for the 2006 Formula 1 season by improving fuel management in its cars via Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) - a technique that can simulate the movement of fluids in containers and pipes, first applied to the management of fuel in aircraft tanks.

As part of its technology partnership with Team McLaren Mercedes – which is celebrating its tenth year in 2006 – the BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre has supplied computer modelling which enabled a redesign of Team McLaren Mercedes’ fuel tanks, leading to more accurate determination of the fuel remaining and improvements to the car’s centre of gravity. These advances have already enhanced track performance as the redesigned fuel tank was used on the Team McLaren Mercedes 2005 car – the MP4-20, the fastest on the grid throughout the season.

Dr Robert Banim, Principal Engineer at the BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, said: “We were able to change the way Team McLaren Mercedes measures and visualises fuel slosh. The fuel tank redesign based on the simulation results had a direct, positive impact on last year’s car.”

A similar technique is now being used to assist the design of the gearbox by modelling the movement of oil through the connecting pipes, the gearbox enclosure and the rotating gears. This test programme started in January 2005 with the results being fed into the design of the 2006 car.

BAE Systems and Team McLaren Mercedes are currently working on technologies with the aim of enhancing performance and McLaren’s chance of track success, with recent notable advances in carbon fibre techniques and wireless systems. BAE Systems aims to take as much from Team McLaren Mercedes as it gives, particularly when it comes to studying the speed of the build and operations processes in Formula 1.

Ron Dennis, Chairman and CEO of McLaren Group said: “By anybody’s standards, BAE Systems is a technology power house. It provides us with great technology at all levels, whether it be aerodynamics, simulation, mechanical design or IT. We share the same commitment to innovation and the pursuit of excellence through leading edge technology and we both have world-class aspirations. It is a true partnership in every sense.”

Memorable events during the decade long partnership include Mika Hakkinen and David Coulthard testing their handling skills in a Eurofighter Typhoon flight simulator, Ron Dennis officially opening the BAE Systems led Systems Engineering Innovation Centre (SEIC) at Loughborough University, and a Eurofighter Typhoon racing a Team McLaren Mercedes F1 car.

About McLaren Racing:

McLaren Racing, the company behind Team McLaren Mercedes team, formed in September 1980 as a result of a merger between Team McLaren and Project Four, a British company owned by Ron Dennis, now Chairman and CEO of the McLaren Group. McLaren has competed in Formula One since 1966 and since then is the most successful Formula One team with 148 Grands Prix wins. The team has also claimed eleven Formula One Drivers’ World Championships and eight Formula One World Constructors’ Championship and to date, McLaren has raced in 596 Grands Prix.

The McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England, the McLaren Group’s headquarters, has been developed on a 50 hectare site. The facility includes design studios, laboratories, research and testing facilities, electronics development, machine shops and production facilities for the McLaren Mercedes Formula One cars and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

About BAE Systems:

BAE Systems is the premier transatlantic defence and aerospace company delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services. With more than 100,000 employees worldwide, BAE Systems’ sales exceeded GB £15.4 billion (US$28 billion) in 2005.