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GoranF1 wrote:2 rumors i heard today (cant confirm any of it)

1. Honda now has qualifying mode
2. gap to Mercedes reduced from cca 100bhp to cca 60BHP

i also read somewhere (may be rumor) that quali mode is capable of shelling extra 30 bhp for short span of time

I was very skeptical after the 1st test last week, even if other McL fans here were surprisingly, very confident.
But, based on comments from Eric, JB & Alo yesterday, the McL car is indeed improving all the time.....

MP4-31 potential should be clearer once we hear their comments again this late Friday/Saturday.

vantage87 wrote:http://oi68.tinypic.com/2wgu8hd.jpg

DRS?!

but I think detuned engine mode today AMUS

Slipstream. Same for Ricciardo.

PU is definetly showing improvements on reliability side:

Albert Fabrega ES
‏@AlbertFabrega

El motor Honda q lleva hoy Button es el mismo q han utilizado los tres primeros dias. Lleva ya 330v.

Honda engine being used today by JB is the same used for the past three days. It has a total of 330 laps.

Good news, even tho its being ran in "conservative mode"

It's more than 1500 km at the moment.

Will they run engine in full or that quli mode until the end of the test? I guess it would be good to know if engine can run at full power at all before Melbourne.... ? Or it is just our/jurno hopes that Honda is in detuned mode?

I think its crucial to know if this PU is detuned or not....if this is all its got the gap actually might of got bigger than in 2015.....

With the new qualifying, all qualifying modes will be useless, or am i wrong?

No, you still only need to do one fast lap.

Found this Tweet in the Car Thread. https://twitter.com/Albrodpul/status/705738057954271233 Is it possible they are deliberately trying to increase Exhaust backpressure? Would that make any sense?

Or they're trying to use the vortex shedding from the support pylon in the fast exhaust flow for something, but I can't see how it would be a big enough effect to do anything?

Unless it lets the flow attach to the sideplates of the monkey seat, but it seems a bit far fetched?

They still have a lot of volume left and the aero effects seem marginal.

erlik wrote:Will they run engine in full or that quli mode until the end of the test? I guess it would be good to know if engine can run at full power at all before Melbourne.... ? Or it is just our/jurno hopes that Honda is in detuned mode?

They might turn the power up before the test ends, though tbh it probably won't happen until the Free practise sessions in Melbourne. That's assuming they've run the power unit detuned to give McLaren a chance to get the chassis sorted for the first race. Could be that Honda and McLaren are keeping the powder dry for now, so that when they do run the PU in anger it will either be a PR triumph (after last year) or a PR nightmare (if the PU turns into shrapnel).