Mc Laren MP4/23 aero-mech development in 2008

[WhiteBlue]

Mclaren's dumbo wings are not that good to look at, but at least they are being more playful with their car development now than before

I'm glad all that crap will go next year. Its ugly.

[shotzski]

How drastic will the aerodynamics be next season? I'm thinking F1 cars will look more like gp2 cars. Not that familiar with the changes next year.

[Michiba]

Perhaps this has been discussed elsewhere, and if so, could someone please direct me to it,

but is it possible that this 'development' from mclaren is just a distraction? We've seen them test the shark fin engine cover but then they didn't use it in the race. I'm thinking that they're just using this as a decoy for other more subtle developments that they don't want other teams to look at.

Is this a common practice in F1?

[kekekeke]

You can see Honda mechanics having a laugh in the background.

[crbassassin]

[quote="pliskinrob"]



the center of the front wing extends backwards further than the old one

[axle]

the center of the front wing extends backwards further than the old one

That will be due to testing the aero setup for Hungary, they'll fit pretty much the biggest front wing they can.

[Conceptual]

the center of the front wing extends backwards further than the old one

You would think that they would have started with endplates on these new wings. Didnt we see Honda's start similar to this, and then end up with endplates?

And BTW: These would be PERFECT for mounting front fenders. Maybe you could get one on the road as street legal with that mod?

Anthony Hamilton needs to go crash another playground... LMAO

Anyways, decoy or not, they need endplates on those wings.

Chris

[bazanaius]

why do you think they need endplates? I know that Honda have ended up with them, but does that definitely mean they need them? Maybe the application is different (maybe they are just a decoy!) - could the sharp tips be used to develop vortices to increase the airflow into the rads (and help them close them off even more), or seal the floor, like the ferrari daggers?

I'm wondering if these are purely flow conditioners - McL havn't semeed to have any problems with this before.

[wesley123]

As i can see with their angle and setup they are needed to guide the airflow over the sidepods and to the chimneys, so the t-wings can generate downforce of it and the rest goes to the rear wing. This will decrease the nose efficiency(i think) and increases the overal downforce and efficiency.

[f1italia]

I love Mclaren. I think what they have been doing lately with the aerodynamics this year just shows how far they have come. I think Ferrari has fallen behind this year and they are no longer the team to be beat.

[DaveKillens]

Development is a race, contested, won or lost on an almost daily basis right now. It appears that McLaren are dedicating tremendous resources to improving the current car. Probably more than Ferrari.
I doubt we shall see endplates added. The new .. umm.. "eyebrows?" appear to be beautifully constructed. A lot of thought, work, and development went into them. And the taper at the end isn't an afterthought, it was well thought out. The story of the Honda's is different. They first appeared in testing, then disappeared from sight for quite a while. When they finally were put on a car to race, they had been modified to suit what had been learned.

[Birel99]

We know you love MacMerc and LH F1italia, but Ferrari is leading the WCC and thus they are the team to beat! Currently they may not have the fastest car but we all know how fast things change in F1.

[McMacca]

I see Macca are using fully open side pods again at this weeks test, any ideas what they are up to with these changes?

This Week



Germany

[timbo]

Because it is Jerez. South of Spain. >40 degrees.
As simple as that.

[McMacca]

Because it is Jerez. South of Spain. >40 degrees.
As simple as that.

Ok So maybe i was too vague for some of you, what is the advantage of closing up only one of the side pods, does this suggest one side for engine cooling and one for oil etc, why not close up both sides, will this lack of symetry affect the handling of the car (obvoiusly not if Germany is anything to go by) etc.

We already know the Merc is really good with its cooling, could this lead to a dramatic design change in 09, with a car with much smaller pods than this year, maybe a more aerodynamic shape to the pods.