Vodafone McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes

[Gridlock]

The complex surfaces of the cars can lead to all sorts of illusions on 2D photos - especially when they paint most of it in chrome!

Every year I await the rollout of a car at the tests covered in http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=dazzle+camo

That's just a fat bit of FW I think, has to be a continuous radius in the language of the FIA.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

This is ultimately a rumor, but it comes from a credible source(ATM_Andy). McLaren have changed their wheel nut design. We should see it in Montmelo.

[ajdavison2]

Montmelo?

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Montmelo?

Spanish Grand Prix. This weekend. The Catalunya Circuit is actually in a city called Montmelo which is basically a suburb of Barcelona.

[ajdavison2]

Learn something every day haha. Sounds Italian to me

[gray41]

Love dazzle camo!

[Pierce89]

Love dazzle camo!

huh?

[jordangp]

Love dazzle camo!

huh?

Check Gridlock's post...

[Shrieker]

Well isn't the force india nose different?

Also wouldn't this nose create lift? ^^^

Well, design is always a compromise anyway, but I guess this is exactly why other teams with high nose cars also have a high tub, resulting in a stepped nose. McLaren don't have the ugly step, but now that they've decided to have a higher nose, the drawback is most probably lower aero efficiency at the front compared to other cars with high noses+tubs.

[PlatinumZealot]

The aero efficiency of the FW is actually a little bit better since the nose is further away from the front wing.

The efficiency of the nose itself might be less, but that must be something minuscule compared to the other benefits touted by Gary anderson.

[gray41]

Any differences here?

[axle]

Brakes are track dependent so from 1 race to another you have variations in cooling etc. Only think you can look for is philisophy changes, like the Williams' intake solution which has no "scoop".

[axle]

The aero efficiency of the FW is actually a little bit better since the nose is further away from the front wing.

The efficiency of the nose itself might be less, but that must be something minuscule compared to the other benefits touted by Gary anderson.

I might be wrong but I think Jenson was quoted as saying that understeer was a really bad attribute at Barca so maybe they are prioritising effort into nailing the front end to the track, hence this update and it's timing, with a nod to your comment about aero efficiency.

[madly]

Scarbs on Twitter: Mclaren sidepods bared, the radiators are clear of the floor like the FEE 2011 Renault. Whats packaged beneath them?

[munudeges]

No surprise they're going to raise the height of the nose as a few of us predicted. This is to give them a greater volume of air to work with over the course of the season to create more downforce. I think the general relative performance decline in comparison to other teams over the past few races has made this clear.

The question will be whether they can do this efficiently or whether the chassis will always compromise them, since they nailed their colours very clearly to the low nose mast when the season started.