Vodafone McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes

[Nando]

Could be checking to see how low they can get the drivers in comparison with the highest point of the chassis for center of gravity reasons.

Button didn't seem to be happy with the visibility. Don't know Hamiltons opinion.

Martin Whitmarsh actually said it was for visibility for next year if they will run a higher nose.

[Owen.C93]

Not sure if it´s been posted but i´m watching P1 right now so i thought i´d mention it.

Button stopped in the pits, changed nose then took off.
I managed to see some very interesting vents, much like the ones you see on the rear wing.

[img]http://quikk.se/?c0d84e[img]

they were not on the wing they replaced and it´s not Hamilton´s car in a picture above or on the former page.

Yes it's an old wing with the raised nose. I think.

Yeah here's one they ran in Aus, I think that this flap profile is high DF. Because we've seen a flat profile flap on this wing as well. http://www.formula1.com/wi/sutton/2011/d12aus1521.jpg And flat profile: http://www.formula1.com/wi/sutton/2011/d12aus3153.jpg

[Nando]

Both pictures looks like they have the slot :S Could be reflection though on second pic?

But only one slot on the first picture and not many like on buttons.

But thanks for the info Owen!

[Owen.C93]

Both pictures looks like they have the slot :S Could be reflection though on second pic?

But only one slot on the first picture and not many like on buttons.

But thanks for the info Owen!

Yes both wings have the slot, I was comparing the main flap profiles. The slot in the cascade was removed during China I think.

[hardingfv32]

You should be able to spot the brake caliber adjuster in that shot as well.

Roughly where?

Brian

[scarbs]

You should be able to spot the brake caliber adjuster in that shot as well.

Roughly where?

Brian

I was guessing the alloy knurled knob near the fuel filler

[Neno]

I heard on team-radio from Hamilton's car, that his gears are "too long", that when he shifting gears he losing acceleration. I know teams even before grand prix starting, they choose gear ratios for next weekend, and i know they can't in one day change ratios. How much times over the lap they can loose, specialy on heavy long runs?

[techF1LES]

I heard on team-radio from Hamilton's car, that his gears are "too long", that when he shifting gears he losing acceleration. I know teams even before grand prix starting, they choose gear ratios for next weekend, and i know they can't in one day change ratios. How much times over the lap they can loose, specialy on heavy long runs?

Gear ratios can be changed during Free Practices and before Parc Ferme, so I don't see any problem. Teams just have to choose from the sets of gears they estimated before season opening.

[Nando]

Last year he chose to short gears which ment he could not get past Vettel.

[AnthonyG]

I heard on team-radio from Hamilton's car, that his gears are "too long", that when he shifting gears he losing acceleration. I know teams even before grand prix starting, they choose gear ratios for next weekend, and i know they can't in one day change ratios. How much times over the lap they can loose, specialy on heavy long runs?

Gears in an F1 (and many other race cars) are mounted after one-another. (dogbox)
In real life this means, it's quite easy to change the ratios in a short time.

[ringo]

Possibly, simply because the old nose on its own provided a lot of angle of attack.

The new nose now has almost the same angle going over the top and bottom with more pressure underneath it, which is going to cause lift and probably contribute to the "unbelievable understeer" than Button is talking about.

Not necessarily the case. The pressure will be lower underneath due to the higher speed of air under the nose.
If your theory was correct the sauber would take off in flight, looking on their nose.

[Nando]

Hamilton seemed to not lack any understeer. More like a tiny bit of oversteer twice on his pole lap.

Button and his team probably got lost in the setup.

[ringo]

Surely it's the nose to front wing rather than nose to the ground?

nose to ground. And also underside of cockpit to top of splitter.
The front wing chord is too short for the relative distance to the nose to be significant.
flow to the floor and through the barge boards ahead of the radiator is what they are improving.

[Owen.C93]

Possibly, simply because the old nose on its own provided a lot of angle of attack.

The new nose now has almost the same angle going over the top and bottom with more pressure underneath it, which is going to cause lift and probably contribute to the "unbelievable understeer" than Button is talking about.

Not necessarily the case. The pressure will be lower underneath due to the higher speed of air under the nose.
If your theory was correct the sauber would take off in flight, looking on their nose.

Why would the air under the nose be faster?

[GrizzleBoy]

Possibly, simply because the old nose on its own provided a lot of angle of attack.

The new nose now has almost the same angle going over the top and bottom with more pressure underneath it, which is going to cause lift and probably contribute to the "unbelievable understeer" than Button is talking about.

Not necessarily the case. The pressure will be lower underneath due to the higher speed of air under the nose.
If your theory was correct the sauber would take off in flight, looking on their nose.

Aeroplanes use higher air speed underneath the wing than above, plus an angle of attack that forces the air downwards under the wing to create lift.

The old McLaren nose was like an aeroplane wing with its front edge pointed downwards (for example, when an aircraft is braking hard and its nose dives, the wings poing towards the floor), which would create:

-higher pressure on top of the wing
-lower pressure underneath (drag)
-therfore, downforce.

The new McLaren nose now has a more neutral/balanced profile, more airspeed underneath it than it did before and the underside of the nose has more air pushing against it, where as there was more air pushing against the top of the nose before.

Considerably less downward angle of attack on the nose compared to before, plus more air speed and higher pressure underneath it than before.


You say that pressure will be lower under the nose due to higher flow of air under the nose, but you miss out the fact that the old nose created a higher pressure area at the upper front of the nose due to its downward angle of attack.

With that angle of attack almost made neutral, there is now less pressure on top than before and more pressure hitting the bottom of the nose that slopes downwards than before.

Less pressure on top surface of the nose than before + more air pressure on lower nose surface than before + considerably less (almost neutralised) downward angle of attack = Lift, surely?

Lift isn't going to be the net effect on the car for obvious reasons, but I don't see why the new nose wouldn't be creating more lift and therefore less downforce, than before.