Mclaren Mercedes MP4-25

[ringo]

Enforced revisions to Front Wing Endplates (re: formula1.com )

Much too subtle to notice at the time, but following requests from stewards, top and rear edge-profiles rounded-off.

Bahrain:


Australia:

There is a minimum edge radius rule in the regulations. It's evident the team had to increas the edge radius of the endplates. It's funny they overlooked than in developement.

[volarchico]

This might have been answered previously, because I remember seeing something crude like duct tape during testing splitting this part of the brake ducts. But in this picture, why is there a splitter? You can just see it running nearly vertically at the left side of the duct.

[feynman]

Depending on ambient temperature and how hard the brakes are being worked, if you don't need quite so much brake-cooling, you can reduce the effective size of the duct, and thereby reduce drag.

A bit of tape does the job, and can be removed quickly in a routine pitstop if track or brake conditions have significantly changed.




EDIT:
Sorry, totally misunderstood your question for a minute there. Yes you are right there is a splitter in there.


But I'd be guessing, apart from the obvious channelling role to disc and caliper, about it's exact purpose.

[marcush.]

This might have been answered previously, because I remember seeing something crude like duct tape during testing splitting this part of the brake ducts. But in this picture, why is there a splitter? You can just see it running nearly vertically at the left side of the duct.

they use the duct to cool the discs and the caliper(pads) the small part of the scoop should be for cooling the caliper ,I´d say.

[kalinka]

I guess the stewards are afraid that those endplates could become potential tyre-shredders, no?

Probably saved Massa's rear tire when Lewis grazed it on the straight when he tried to pass him....

Maybe the driver even can't see the end of his front wing. I was wondering when I first saw this long cars, that maybe they'll have difficulties in first corner at race starts, becase they can hardly see the fornt wing. the driver is now too far away from the front, and with those raised nosecones, it's even harder to see the front wing than previous years. I can't find now a good picture of drivers view from cockpit to prove this. Just thinking.

[HungryHebbo]

I guess the stewards are afraid that those endplates could become potential tyre-shredders, no?

Probably saved Massa's rear tire when Lewis grazed it on the straight when he tried to pass him....

Maybe the driver even can't see the end of his front wing. I was wondering when I first saw this long cars, that maybe they'll have difficulties in first corner at race starts, becase they can hardly see the fornt wing. the driver is now too far away from the front, and with those raised nosecones, it's even harder to see the front wing than previous years. I can't find now a good picture of drivers view from cockpit to prove this. Just thinking.

I don't think that they can see the wing, you're right. Schumacher said (when asked if his front wing was broken in Melbourne over the radio) that he couldn't see it. I seem to remember drivers saying at the beginning of last year that they couldn't see them either.

[RacingManiac]

I think their visibility below the top of the front tires is very limited. Consider how high the nose have become and how low they sit. And current iteration of the F1 car have much more extreme front wing width to track ratio than probably any other openwheel car....

TBH I was really surprised we did not see as much broken front wing in 2009....

[raceman]

I am having some problems with image hosting, so providing URL here instead.

mclaren's devices


they are trying all sorts of equipments on their car.....

[Blackout]

There are little tweaks on the diffuser. The gurney flaps are thinner and the liitle high horizontal winglets of the diffuser have a different shape.

[Pandamasque]

mclaren's devices


they are trying all sorts of equipments on their car.....

WTF is that?

[Blackout]

A cooler for the brakes

[Poleman]

Cooler?Odd place for a cooler ...Seems like a measuring device.As far as i can understand its mounted on the horizontial upper flap in the front wing close to the endplate.Its right in front of the tyre...No clue what it could me measuring though...

[Blackout]

That#s a cooler. Many teams fix their co0ler in that place. It's strange you never seen that before...

[jason.parker.86]

Ive never seen that either; usually the pit crew put hair dryer devices on the wings, not seen anything like that before.

[Blackout]

Exactly; on the wings. Many teams fix their cooler on the wings or on the winglets. The mecanics are too busy, I think, to carry the coolers on their hands all the time...