Thought the quote from Key was interesting, so here is the whole article:
McLaren is one of the big winners of the 2021 season. But did the team accept losses with the new car for 2022 for the quick success? auto motor und sport asked technical director James Key for an interview.
McLaren has chosen the path of holding on a little longer to the development of the 2021 car, rather than pooling all resources early on for next year's car. Why?
Key: There are different ways to interpret the transition. The timing of updates at the track says nothing about how long you've actually been developing the car. We have only recently introduced upgrades, but they were approved by the aerodynamicists and designers some time ago. We put them through the system while we were already working on next year's car. It was hard to predict where the teams would be this year because there were hard cuts in aerodynamics. We are talking about a loss of one second per lap. There was a big risk of falling behind if you didn't react to it directly. In a situation like that, you don't just give away a season - even if there is such a huge task waiting afterwards. We wanted to make sure we got to a reasonable level that we considered competitive.
How did you manage that?
Key: It requires a lot of forward planning. A lot of the projects that made it to the car in the first half of the season were planned before Christmas. That's quite a big time lag. I guess we probably dedicated a bit more time to this year's car to get our projects through than maybe some other teams. But what is the right balance between two seasons? What makes this season less important than another? I don't think it affects us particularly for 2022 at the moment. We have been focusing on the next car for a long time.
McLaren currently wants to be third in the world championship, on the other hand you want to catch up with the top in the future. New rules are a stepping stone. Aren't you in danger of being left behind for a long time?
Key: It was very difficult to find the right balance. The 2022 car is created on a blank sheet. Of course, you take with you the knowledge of how to design a car. The knowledge that you think makes a car fast. But when it comes to the mechanical layout of the car, the aerodynamic tools, it will be completely different in 2022 than what we are used to.
If you were in the luxurious position that you could just write off this season and invest 100 per cent in next year and the future, then of course that would be great.
But?
Key: But if you're sitting on the pit wall and you get knocked out in the first qualifying part of the first race, that would be hard to swallow. Then you might think: we should have put more time into this car. At the end of the day, we are all racers. We've tried to get the balance right so that we're racing at a reasonable level this season, but not giving too much away in 2022. There are also the constraints on aerodynamics with less time in the wind tunnel and less CFD. And the budget cap in general. You have to properly weight the resources and budgets between the projects. We won't know what the right way is until 2022. Each team has to follow the approach that they themselves think is right.
You talk about a blank sheet. Is there anything you can transfer from this year's car to 2022. Or was the development work for the dustbin?
Key: What you take across the most is your understanding. You just have to apply it in a new environment. In terms of parts, you can't take anything across for the most part because the new rules are so different that it needs new designs. Different layouts. The tyres are completely different and require new suspensions. The set-ups you have worked out won't be worth anything in 2022. But we have accumulated a lot of knowledge in different areas. Of course, every Formula One team has done that over the years. How to approach the design of an underbody. How to set up the layout of the radiators. How to design the gearbox.
Meaning?
Key: We have accumulated a lot of expertise in these areas. What makes a car fast now will make it fast in 2022. It's just about adapting to the rules and the new toolbox you get. We have to relearn what is the best, what is the optimum for the 2022 car. This knowledge helps us to design a completely new car. You also have an understanding of what characteristics you want to give the new car. What handling it should have.
How much does the budget cap affect your development work?
Key: It has an impact. And that's the way it should be. We have always said that the cost cap is the right way to go for this sport. Formula 1 has needed it for a long time. Not only to make the competition more balanced. But also because Formula 1 cannot be as expensive as it was to be viable in the climate that exists in the world. We are living through a pandemic. That has economic implications, which is why the budget cap was lowered further last year. We are a team that is maxing out the budget. So we have to be careful how we spend our money.
Meaning?
Key: It guides you to a more efficient way of thinking. You don't put everything you could do into every project anymore if the budget wasn't limited. We prioritise more. You look more at the longevity of the parts. You look at what you can take from one year to the next. It's hard with 2021 to 2022, but it becomes an issue again after 2022. There may be certain areas of the car that stay similar in terms of design. Often these are areas underneath the fairing that you don't see. For example, we have homologated the gearbox. So it will be a fixed component after 2022. All this influences our approach. Of course, we regularly review how we are doing with these prioritisations.
How much did you have to rebuild the engineering department to operate within the ceiling?
Key: We don't talk about the details in public, of course. We've had to do some minor reallocations, which we were going to do anyway, so that we have a more efficient structure. So we put together a few groups that are pursuing the same subject and the same goals. So there was some restructuring in the background, but nothing really dramatic. It hasn't had a substantial impact on us. It's still pretty much the team I joined a few years ago.
The 2022 rules are written very restrictively. Will all the cars look the same because of that or is there enough scope for ten different cars?
Key: I think they will probably look more similar than we are used to at the moment. It was interesting when we came up with these rules with Formula 1 and the FIA. A lot of good work went into it. I remember a picture with the 2020 cars at the time, but without the livery. It wasn't even easy to find your own car. So you could argue that there are similarities between the cars either way, even today. If you look closer, you notice the differences, but from a distance and without the colours, it's quite difficult to name them. So I don't think it's a problem if the cars look more alike.
How does that affect your work?
Key: The rules are more restrictive. But it's not that we fall into depression because we have less freedom. It's more that it creates a spirit of innovation. People want to find out what they can do within the rules. You get all kinds of ideas that you might not have had with freer rules. So there is a chance to see differences in the nuances. I don't think the scope with these cars will be exhausted quickly and everyone will be at the same performance level. We will get to a point where there will be new, fresh approaches in areas that may have stayed the same for years. For me, it's exciting times because it emphasises the engineering side. If you just think about how you approach developing a car in this environment, you come up with different ideas and ways of thinking.
The learning curve for the engineers is getting steep, and on the other hand, the budget ceiling is dropping even further. What do you expect in terms of the development rate? New parts every race or more distance in between?
Key: The approach to development depends on how much potential you see in your car for big steps. And we don't know that at the moment. We are curious to see how it will come. At the moment we are on a journey of discovery with the new cars. We are still at an early stage. We are still wondering what the possibilities are. If you feel there's still a lot of potential, that tends to lead to a more extensive upgrade package. A few more development loops with a component, for example the underbody, can lead to greater progress. So why not wait, and put together an appropriate package? But if you can develop something that works independently of the rest of the car, for example a front wing or the diffuser, then you can allow yourself to bring it in small sub-steps. As for the cost cap, we'll have to wait and see. It will have an impact because you can't do everything anymore. The development rate will be quite high next year. Especially when everyone knows where they stand and when everyone has learned more about correlating their cars with expectations. Of course, then you will also see what the others have done. I expect a lot of action next year.
They say the cars will be three seconds slower than the current ones. Does a loss apply to all types of corners? Or will the new cars perhaps be faster in certain sections due to the ground effect?
Key: It's still too early to say exactly how the performance delta will turn out. We also don't know how the tyres will behave, which will be very different. What their grip level will be. There is still development going on. Pirelli is very active with the teams in testing. So we should wait to make a judgement on performance. The cars are getting heavier. That will have an effect especially in fast corners with high g-forces. The cars will generate downforce in a different way.
The goal is to have the cars emit less turbulence to the rear so that overtaking is easier. From what you see so far: Will Formula 1 achieve its goal?
Key: In the first race, we'll see how it works with overtaking behind. It's been a refreshing process, how the new cars and the rules came about. A lot of development, a lot of design work, a lot of CFD simulation went into it. Formula 1 and the FIA have worked very closely together to define rules, to create surfaces that emit less turbulence. It's not easy. As soon as you create a lot of downforce, there will always be turbulent air behind a car. Because you force the air to do incredible things. There are high forces at work. The new rules should make it easier to follow another car. I would be surprised if it was as hard as it is today. I'm sure it will be better. If that happens, and the teams are also closer together, that should produce better racing. That's what we need. We need more teams at the front. And cars that make it easier to get behind. That leads to more entertaining Sundays. But maybe the opposite will happen and the teams will be further apart.
The minimum weight increases to 790 kilograms. Is that the maximum a Formula 1 car should weigh?
Key: That's a tricky thing. Of course we want a lighter car because it's faster, it puts less stress on the tyres and it's more agile in the hands of the drivers. But we have a hybrid powertrain that adds a lot of weight. And for all the right reasons. It is a highly complex system that is developed every year. We are at a weight level that we didn't know with the old V8 engines. The safety precautions also play their part. They have been further developed for 2022. Reinforced constructions lead to more weight. But that is also absolutely the right way to go. The tyres are getting heavier. The weight should always be compatible with the regulations. If we simply lower the minimum weight, it would be incredibly difficult to achieve with these rules on the one hand and incredibly expensive and costly on the other. It is very expensive if you are over the weight and have to go down.
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