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[Miguel]

The question should be: will fisichella do enough to score some points to prevent Mclaren from finishing third?
Even if Mclaren are under par at suzuka, which i don't think will happen, Heiki and hamilton is should be able to make up some points on kimi. And we all know kimi is not winning that race against the likes of Brawn, RBR, williams and even Toyota.

The truth is, with Brawn and RBR, getting anything better than 5th in Suzuka will be tough for the rest. I don't think Ferrari will be any slower than McLaren here. Furthermore, Kovalainen is not scoring a lot. Lewis and Kimi will find it tough to score 5 points here, so I fear both Fisi and Heikki will not be a factor there.

Interlagos may be strong for McLaren, so it may all depend on how the teams adapt to our new season finale.

[wesley123]

Really, what you saying aint true, McLaren has a even chance as brawn and RB to finsih on the podium, also do not exclude toyota, williams and renault, they all seem to be going better and better so it can be a exciting race.

[Miguel]

Really, what you saying aint true, McLaren has a even chance as brawn and RB to finsih on the podium, also do not exclude toyota, williams and renault, they all seem to be going better and better so it can be a exciting race.

I gather from your answer that you find these cars are more or less equal on a high speed high downforce track. Is this right? I believe McLaren still lacks some downforce, although Pedro Mtz de la Rosa said the new diffuser they got at Singapore really helped. Well, let's see.

[Richard]

According to formula1.com McLaren used a new symmetrical diffuser in Singapore.

That V shaped deck makes it seem less cavernous than the previous version. Is that an illusion? Is it a lower volume but more effective design?

[ISLAMATRON]

According to formula1.com McLaren used a new symmetrical diffuser in Singapore.

That V shaped deck makes it seem less cavernous than the previous version. Is that an illusion? Is it a lower volume but more effective design?

I think that was about sacrificing efficiency for maximum downforce... it seemed like they "closed" off the trailing edge of the DDD with gurney flaps, and those give some serious DF... but increase drag tremendously... but not something they are too worried bout at Singapore or Monaco.

[vasia]

Interesting-looking diffuser McLaren is running.

[Richard]

I think that was about sacrificing efficiency for maximum downforce... it seemed like they "closed" off the trailing edge of the DDD with gurney flaps, and those give some serious DF... but increase drag tremendously... but not something they are too worried bout at Singapore or Monaco.

So back to the cavern for suzuka?

[di44ety]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=263VXC6SJrU[/youtube]

[ISLAMATRON]

I think that was about sacrificing efficiency for maximum downforce... it seemed like they "closed" off the trailing edge of the DDD with gurney flaps, and those give some serious DF... but increase drag tremendously... but not something they are too worried bout at Singapore or Monaco.

So back to the cavern for suzuka?

Or maybe smaller gurney tabs/flaps.

[mx_tifoso]

McLaren wheels in Japan.

[Michiba]

McLaren wheels in Japan.

wow, nice pic. Is that melted tire from the brake heat streaming down?

also, what is that thing attached to the rim? Pressure gauge? temp sensor?

[mx_tifoso]

I have no idea what that brown stuff is to be honest. Maybe some wheel pro's could chime in here. Although it may be from the exterior wheel paint?

I thought that this pic was cool too, hence why I bothered to post it . It's not that common to see wheels without tyres mounted on.

[Ray]

I heard before that they bonded wet tires to the rims with some sort of adhesive, maybe that's the adhesive from them heating up the previous set of tires for removal?

[outer_bongolia]

McLaren wheels in Japan.

Motorsport.com has removed the pictures, but I found a totally unrelated picture of the front wheel cover:

http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/photos/popu ... po_187.jpg

I wonder why they have that curved section sticking out in the back sidecof the wheel cover. It looks like if anything, that section will create a turbulent air flow on the outside of the car while increasing drag for no reason. Do any of the more experienced people can shed some light on this?

[BreezyRacer]

Those look almost exactly like the Red Bull wheel covers. BTW the wheel covers are primarily for controlling the wake airflow behind the front wheels.