McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes (pre-launch speculation)

[Coefficient]

... McLaren aren't stupid enough to launch a car with legality issues if they haven't had it confirmed as legal yet. Surely??

Perhaps this is what the article is eluding to. I think that perhaps McLaren are confident that their car is 100% legal, and maybe they have had sign-off from the FIA / Charlie. As such, this press release (or PR stunt, whatever) is a challenge to the other teams.

It's no coincidence that such a statement is coming from the first major team to release!

Haven't they learned from the F-duct to just shut their pie holes when you have a innovative device that nobody even notices or cares to ask about?
That was half a second advantage in the bag given away to the whole field! Can't stand Mclaren sometimes.

Well, if the Mclaren innovations fall under the homologation rules the other teams won't be able to copy them because they've already had their cars homologated for the season ahead. With F duct, people could copy the idea but couldn't refine it as well as Mclaren because it was part of the chassis, others had to retrofit it. Same with U pods.

Lets wait and see before we start slating this consistently great team!

[raymondu999]

To be fair if anyone else had adopted the U-sidepods they would have had to rework the entire aero concept anyways, no?

[Shakeman]

You see, for those who are sneaky of mind, it is obvious that saying Vettel was the secret to the RB7's speed is a sarcastic way of saying "we found out your secrets!"



I can't believe you guys didn't read it like that.[/quote]

I too did think it sounded a bit like..."JB & LH are better than Vettel. The RB has a (naughty?) secret to it's pace and we've found it. Look out RBR"

Is the Newey era over

Believe me, I hope you're both right. It just seems a clumsy way of letting RB know they're onto them.

I'm pretty sure the RB has a naughty secret and have thought so for a long time, Newey has form...

[ajdavison2]

Unfortunately I'm at work during the launch tomorrow, will be looking forward to reading the next 40 pages on launch day

[Shakeman]

To be fair if anyone else had adopted the U-sidepods they would have had to rework the entire aero concept anyways, no?

Isn't that more or less true for a lot of aero parts, particularly the front wing? A trick piece of aero on Team A's car wouldn't necessarily be suitable for Team B's car due to differing concepts?

[raymondu999]

Yes; but other things can be to an extent treated as "bolt-ons." Things work as a package and you won't get the full benefit of things without reworking others, but you will get some benefit.

Remodeling the chassis and side pods though is a pretty fundamental change.

[Gridlock]

So, roughly 18 hours to go, time for a roundup/formal prediction?

1) No L-pods, more of a traditional approach (insider tip?)
2) Something illegal-ish which will be immediately obvious (MAT man)
3) Possible adoption of a Q3-focused strategy (where strategy might be euphemism for tech; 'we're onto you, Adrian' (Is Nigel Stepney at RBR these days? )
4) 26's nose has been shown to be almost compliant with 2012 regs so unless the removal of EBDs required a ground-up redesign around the keel/front wing (entirely possible) or their secret tech is nose-related we could see a very slight evolution here
5) This is the first car (I think?) which started development after Jenson joined, not to mention The Maranello Emigration. So can conclusions be drawn from the make-up of the design team?

Any other logical conclusions which we can draw, to make us look clever tomorrow?

[adrianjordan]

Unfortunately I'm at work during the launch tomorrow, will be looking forward to reading the next 40 pages on launch day

Why only the next 40? What about the other 60?

[N12ck]

So, roughly 18 hours to go, time for a roundup/formal prediction?

1) No L-pods, more of a traditional approach (insider tip?)
2) Something illegal-ish which will be immediately obvious (MAT man)
3) Possible adoption of a Q3-focused strategy (where strategy might be euphemism for tech; 'we're onto you, Adrian' (Is Nigel Stepney at RBR these days? )
4) 26's nose has been shown to be almost compliant with 2012 regs so unless the removal of EBDs required a ground-up redesign around the keel/front wing (entirely possible) or their secret tech is nose-related we could see a very slight evolution here
5) This is the first car (I think?) which started development after Jenson joined, not to mention The Maranello Emigration. So can conclusions be drawn from the make-up of the design team?

Any other logical conclusions which we can draw, to make us look clever tomorrow?

MP4-26 started development after Jenson joined (mid 2010)

[Gridlock]

I thought that because of the alternating design teams it would have been started prior to that.

[raymondu999]

The design lead used to alternate; but they still were on a normal design cycle

[King Six]

There's "yes we think it's ok" kind of legal, and then there's "some of the teams don't like it, it has to go" kind of legal. McLaren haven't got anything rock solid, something will be banned by the time we reach Australia if McLaren can't keep it under wraps, even if the FIA already know about it.

[bhall]

So I'm calling this one complete and utter BS - which is probably why it was pulled from Autosport lickety split.

Agreed. It looks like someone was pulling the author's chain, and no one bothered to verify anything until after the article was published.

[yace]

Some alternitive liveries:

White:

(Looks like a Hispania)

i love this one, it looks like marlboro livery before the mercedes gray

good job ESPImperium!

[Crucial_Xtreme]

So I'm calling this one complete and utter BS - which is probably why it was pulled from Autosport lickety split.

Agreed. It looks like someone was pulling the author's chain, and no one bothered to verify anything until after the article was published.

I don't agree. I believe the article was spot on aside from the fact he claimed the MP4-26 was faster than the RB7 towards the end of the year. I would reckon the reason it was pulled is someone from McLaren saw the quotes about the drivers getting "whupped". That wouldn't make either driver happy. Furthermore what does it say about said drivers if they truly believe they had the fastest car?

I do believe the '27 will be radical. We'll find out in a little over 12 hours.