Mclaren Mercedes MP4-25

[Confused_Andy]

is it my eyes or are all the edges like this:

__|=|__|=|__

not smooth in other words, especially around the exhaust body work and top of the rear wing.... its a massive update anyway, interesting to see if it'll work.

edit: ignore me, my work computer monitor is ---.

[autogyro]

Another new idea or perhaps they had to cut a bit off for the regulations?

[horse]

The cooling vents are huge! Perhaps bar555 was right about them having cooling issues?

[i70q7m7ghw]

The cooling vents are huge! Perhaps bar555 was right about them having cooling issues?

Don't forget this is the car they are taking to Bahrain, so it would make sense to see additional cooling capacity.

[marcush.]

The cooling vents are huge! Perhaps bar555 was right about them having cooling issues?

Don't forget this is the car they are taking to Bahrain, so it would make sense to see additional cooling capacity.

it is only logical to prepare for this .You want to know what is the tradeoff in terms cooling vs performance.they surely will not have cooling issues in the current conditions, would they?

[horse]

The cooling vents are huge! Perhaps bar555 was right about them having cooling issues?

Don't forget this is the car they are taking to Bahrain, so it would make sense to see additional cooling capacity.

it is only logical to prepare for this .You want to know what is the tradeoff in terms cooling vs performance.they surely will not have cooling issues in the current conditions, would they?

Agreed, McLaren made it clear that they would be testing the Bahrain spec car here. My only issue with that is that if you're not actually in those sort of ambient conditions, do you know that it's working?

Did people also notice that the top of the diffuser has an extra slot in it? More boundary layer energising similar to red bull feeding hot air into theirs (allegedly).

[raymondu999]

I still think their newer endplates look sexier. And is it just me or does that diffuser just get bigger everytime I see it?

Maybe those snorkels will become 2 snorkels and become a new generation of nose ridges?

[horse]

[Pup]

Note the slot now visible in the lower element...



And they've smoothed out the transition from the fin to the wing...

[meves]

As mentioned above a new diffuser. Sorry for hte por quality of the image, blame the rain. Left is the 10th Feb, right is today;



From what I can see

1. Single step instead of the launch dounble step
2. Floor of the second level is now flat
3. Additional slot
4. Additional slot
5. Additional vane at the bottom of the wing

[horse]

From what I can see

1. Single step instead of the launch dounble step
2. Floor of the second level is now flat
3. Additional slot
4. Additional slot
5. Additional vane at the bottom of the wing

I think, in addition, the parallel arced vanes internal to the diffuser have now gone.

[horse]

Note the slot now visible in the lower element...

I'd like to believe that was another slot, but where would they feed it from? It doesn't look like the shark fin is connected to the main element, so it would have to come up the centre post. Is that feasible?

[Pup]

Note the slot now visible in the lower element...

I'd like to believe that was another slot, but where would they feed it from? It doesn't look like the shark fin is connected to the main element, so it would have to come up the centre post. Is that feasible?

Only way possible. I suspect it was there before, only never in the right light to see. That, or it's been moved rearward.

[Pup]

Horse, it looks like the vertical elements forward of the wishbone are still there, barely visible here just to the left of the light.

The center section definitely seems more open than before. Which kind of puts a dent in Brawn's comment about them never being able to find enough air to feed it.

Though I think that's the only real change to the diffuser. I think the fact that they've connected the gurney flap all the way across makes it look like a more substantial change than it really is.

[horse]

Horse, it looks like the vertical elements forward of the wishbone are still there, barely visible here just to the left of the light.

Quite possibly. I just couldn't make out the mounts at the top of the diffuser where these vanes connected - they were pretty obvious on the older one. Possibly we're just lacking a good enough picture to make them out.

Though I think that's the only real change to the diffuser. I think the fact that they've turned the gurney flap down, and extended it to the middle, that it looks like a more substantial change than it really is.

I think that the "bridge" may be reducing, or concentrating, the airflow a bit more than the older one. Also the additional slot + vane seem to be there to encourage better airflow through the top section. Perhaps they were not getting enough previously.