McLaren MCL33

[M840TR]

What on Earth is going on here? will they do back to back testing to see how the flaps effect the car?
Also, the old Barcelona style turning vanes underneath are back.

[M840TR]

They need more ellipse shaped bits.

Not this again....wasn't this being thrown around 2 years ago or something?

I'll never forget that post. One of my all time favorites! It was a few years back further, when the Red Bull was dominating.

As to the woes of the MCL33, I wonder if they are having issues with the new nose's interaction with the front wing vortexes?

This is very plausible. The y250 merges with the cascade and endplate vortexes to keep turbulent air from the tyre away from the diffuser. Given how much they've been testing with the front end (look at above image), it's not far fetched to assume the vortexes created by the new nose are merging with the y250 and the diffuser is getting stalled by the tyre wake. They said they'l gain chunks of lap-time if they solve their problems and it makes sense if this was the case. The tyre wake doesn't stall the diffuser anymore and the nose vortexes energize it even more. A double whammy. This probably why they have less downforce this year.

[PhillipM]

What on Earth is going on here? will they do back to back testing to see how the flaps effect the car?
Also, the old Barcelona style turning vanes underneath are back.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhXZ1haXkAAL9Hb.jpg:large

Probably just haven't been fitted since the wings will still be warm out of the autoclave, they'll be lucky if they manage to get some spares in time for Q.

Turning vanes is a good sign, they were the ones meant to work with the nose, so maybe they've ruled out them as a problem.

[M840TR]

What on Earth is going on here? will they do back to back testing to see how the flaps effect the car?
Also, the old Barcelona style turning vanes underneath are back.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhXZ1haXkAAL9Hb.jpg:large

Probably just haven't been fitted since the wings will still be warm out of the autoclave, they'll be lucky if they manage to get some spares in time for Q.

Turning vanes is a good sign, they were the ones meant to work with the nose, so maybe they've ruled out them as a problem.

That's a 2017 front wing apparently. Turning vanes are part of the problem if the y250 is merging with the nose vortex. I think they'l do back to back tests to see the flaps' effect on the car.

[diffuser]

I know that we learned of the aero issues after the new nose was introduced. I wonder if they knew before and the new nose is them starting over? Generally when you go back to the nose and you make as big a change to it as McLaren have, everything else that follows the car's nose needs to be changed/adjusted. You start to tweak the FW, T-tray and that area then the midwing, bargeboards, sidepods, etc.

What strikes me as odd about the nose is why?

We have these new regulations that have opened the bargeboads/mid-wing area, yet they spend all this effort on a new nose? Why the new nose if they're not starting over?

[M840TR]

I know that we learned of the aero issues after the new nose was introduced. I wonder if they knew before and the new nose is them starting over? Generally when you go back to the nose and you make as big a change to it as McLaren have, everything else that follows the car's nose needs to be changed/adjusted. You start to tweak the FW, T-tray and that area then the midwing, bargeboards, sidepods, etc.

What strikes me as odd about the nose is why?

We have these new regulations that have opened the bargeboads/mid-wing area, yet they spend all this effort on a new nose? Why the new nose if they're not starting over?

Like I said before, they don't have good leadership in the technical department. They've been changing concepts since 2011. In theory it's a brilliant idea but not in practice. Now they've spent too much time and resources and can't just ditch it so they'l spend even more to make it work; and I'm not against that but they're a day late and a dollar short.

[M840TR]

Mclaren and Rebdull are using old spec Renault Mgu-K due to packaging and cooling issues.

Packaging issues meant that McLaren opted for fresh versions of the old spec.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/rena ... 56122/?s=1

[M840TR]

Tea tray

[rgava]

I don't buy that "less downforce than last year" argument.
I've been calculating average qualy laptime improvement for all teams and the following table is the result:
Renault: -1.700
Red Bull Racing: -1.528
McLaren: -1.499
Haas: -1.474
Sauber: -1.372
Ferrari: -1.093
Force India: -1.083
Mercedes: -0.835
Toro Rosso: -0.489
Williams: -0.196
They are on the top three and their laptime improvement is 80% better than Mercedes.
If it's true Mercedes has fully compensated the negative effects of the Halo, T-wing and Sharkfin, then why they have improve so little in comparison?

[ollandos]

I don't buy that "less downforce than last year" argument.
I've been calculating average qualy laptime improvement for all teams and the following table is the result:
Renault: -1.700
Red Bull Racing: -1.528
McLaren: -1.499
Haas: -1.474
Sauber: -1.372
Ferrari: -1.093
Force India: -1.083
Mercedes: -0.835
Toro Rosso: -0.489
Williams: -0.196
They are on the top three and their laptime improvement is 80% better than Mercedes.
If it's true Mercedes has fully compensated the negative effects of the Halo, T-wing and Sharkfin, then why they have improve so little in comparison?

mclaren 2017 car have suspension trick ...with 0.4-0.5 or even more time gains ...the ban of this looks like cost a lot for all others parts of the car this year ..

[M840TR]

The suspension maybe adds 0.3 sec per lap if we’re being generous. If you see the photos above it clearly shows them struggling with the y250 and nose vortex which is why they’ve cut almost entire section of the inner flaps to test this weekend.

[Dipesh1995]

Asked what was needed to turn the situation around, Alonso made it clear that some updates for the MCL33 have not worked as planned.

"Some of them work fine, some of them maybe you need more time or you find a nice surprise, a bad surprise that gives you some directions to go. It's probably our biggest weakness now, our biggest issue.

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/alon ... s-1056462/

Hints of correlation issues.

Interestingly, he also says McLaren lost out due to tech reg changes where they lost some "devices" at the back of the car such as monkey seat and exhaust blowing (presumably to the rear wing). Imo, I don't think the loss of them will have made a substantial difference. Renault have an exhaust blown rear wing that no one yet has copied which suggests the benefits are largely minimal.

[Sevach]

Another look at the new wing

[f1rules]

i think new breakduct being tested

[diffuser]

Did anyone ever answer if they can still trade a straight line test day for a full scale tunnel day?

Would be top of my list if still allowed.

I read your post, I acknowledge that but have no clue.