2023 - McLaren Formula 1 Team

[_cerber1]

Most likely, before Baku, we can expect a second day of shooting somewhere in Barcelona to check for updates, because the track in Azerbaijan is not very suitable for analyzing and understanding the new package.

[McFAN]

McLaren sets June date for using new F1 wind tunnel

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says construction of the team's much-awaited new wind tunnel has now been completed, with the team aiming to have it running in June.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclar ... /10441990/

[McFAN]

McLaren sets June date for using new F1 wind tunnel

McLaren Formula 1 team principal Andrea Stella says construction of the team's much-awaited new wind tunnel has now been completed, with the team aiming to have it running in June.

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/mclar ... /10441990/

From the interview.



"When we have a design, we produce the parts for the model, then there's a van that drives to Cologne and we lose a couple of days," Stella explained. "Formula 1 is such a fast business, you can't have this way of operating.

"I don't want to mention the wind tunnel too much because it sounds like an excuse, but it's definitely a deficit in the quality and in the speed of the development because of all these slow operations that you have to do to just get the parts tested in the wind tunnel."

"The wind tunnel alone is not enough to justify the fact that the car is where it is," Stella said. "We could have done a better job independently of the wind tunnel. Now, this is something we are reviewing. Very honestly, I think this is acknowledged and this has actually given us good learning throughout the group for future developments.

"That's why you see me a little committed in terms of I think we see the car very alive in terms of development."

[Motörhead]

Everyone is forgetting about Sanchez’s gardening leave.
By the time he gets to McLaren, the 2024 concept will be finalized and new facilities and existing staff will be well underway on existing projects.
It’ll be a long while until he has an effect.

[Macklaren]

It will be interesting to see if Sanchez is replacing Prodromou or taking Stella's now vacant role

[MTudor]

Aero department is not one man show so Sanchez and Prodromou can work togheter just fine.
It would be a fight for the title head of....

[organic]

Everyone is forgetting about Sanchez’s gardening leave.
By the time he gets to McLaren, the 2024 concept will be finalized and new facilities and existing staff will be well underway on existing projects.
It’ll be a long while until he has an effect.

Nobody's forgetting about gardening leave but nothing in F1 happens instantly...

Usually when someone as high up as Sanchez moves there will also be some other engineers that move with him; the same was the case with Fallows and those engineers that moved with Fallows didn't have as much gardening leave and they consequently were able to affect development earlier on. Plus, we don't know how long gardening leave would be so it's entirely possible Sanchez could be working on the 2024 car before the end of this season.

As I said before nothing happens instantly in F1, so as long as this is taking McLaren in the right direction I think everyone has the right to be positive about it, even if those positive effects won't be felt immediately. People have been happy about the new wind tunnel for years even though it's only now becoming operational.

[taperoo2k]

Everyone is forgetting about Sanchez’s gardening leave.
By the time he gets to McLaren, the 2024 concept will be finalized and new facilities and existing staff will be well underway on existing projects.
It’ll be a long while until he has an effect.

F1 staff change all the time, go on gardening leave and have to slot into a new team's dynamic. It's nothing new and tbh McLaren hiring new staff now and getting the infrastructure up and running, means they'll be able to iron out any issues and be ready to hit the ground running when it comes time to design a car for the 2026 regulations. 2026 is 3 years away for fans, but for the teams it's not that far off in terms of the design and adapting to whatever changes (if any) are required with synthetic fuels and cooling systems etc.

I'm hopeful that McLaren can build a car that can be successful under the current regulations.

[PhillipM]

New floor (no longer need the skate you can run on the floor edge where the bend is for the same effect so long as you treat the floor edge properly ahead of it), diffuser, front wing, rear brake winglets. Possibly refined sidepods after that to suit the floor.

Please bear in mind that's from one source and it's the same guys that were winding us up with the blurred out floor edges in the testing video so take it with a pinch of salt, until someone else can corroborate it here.

[MrGapes]

New floor (no longer need the skate you can run on the floor edge where the bend is for the same effect so long as you treat the floor edge properly ahead of it), diffuser, front wing, rear brake winglets. Possibly refined sidepods after that to suit the floor.

Please bear in mind that's from one source and it's the same guys that were winding us up with the blurred out floor edges in the testing video so take it with a pinch of salt, until someone else can corroborate it here.

Very different floor direction, exciting! could it be what they ran in Abu Dhabi fp1 last year?

[organic]

Thank you for the details, sounds good!

I'm glad they realized the development direction was wrong as early as they did. It could be a lot worse if they didn't realize until Bahrain (like Merc).

[MrGapes]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/stell ... /10439934/

“For us, that is the ambition, we want to be able to do what McLaren was able to do in 2009, I remember they recovered a lot of performance, and in 2012 as well.

“If I look at the potential in development, I think we have the potential to out develop competitors, so hopefully we can add 2023 to this list.”

Quite ambitious considering 2009 they went from barely getting points to winning by mid season, lets see where they end up by the end of the season.

[Mostlyeels]

https://www.racefans.net/2023/03/11/rac ... p-11-03-6/

The team are working on major upgrades to their factory facilities, including a new simulator and wind tunnel, which Stella says is in the process of calibration.

“We are hopeful to have the car in the wind tunnel – which should be at that stage the new car – in June,” Stella said.

“Once the tunnel is going through this calibration process, and we have done this coordination exercise with the same model in the two wind tunnels, I would hope that in the space of a couple of weeks, we are ready to go for development. Like I say, the plan is to have development starting in June.”

[mwillems]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/stell ... /10439934/

“For us, that is the ambition, we want to be able to do what McLaren was able to do in 2009, I remember they recovered a lot of performance, and in 2012 as well.

“If I look at the potential in development, I think we have the potential to out develop competitors, so hopefully we can add 2023 to this list.”

Quite ambitious considering 2009 they went from barely getting points to winning by mid season, lets see where they end up by the end of the season.

Everything remains to be seen, but the team seem confident that they can push this car on with a target of ending the season as a top 4 team. Problem is that we don't know just how much other teams development paths have opened up to them too.

[McL-H]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/stell ... /10439934/

“For us, that is the ambition, we want to be able to do what McLaren was able to do in 2009, I remember they recovered a lot of performance, and in 2012 as well.

“If I look at the potential in development, I think we have the potential to out develop competitors, so hopefully we can add 2023 to this list.”

Quite ambitious considering 2009 they went from barely getting points to winning by mid season, lets see where they end up by the end of the season.

This shows they are really confident about the B car. So maybe it really is worth a lot of time then! It explains all the happy faces despite the Bahrain result. Looking forward to Baku. Although it will probably take a couple of races for the team to get to know the new car. Realistically I think RB are too far off. But maybe the team can bring the fight to AM and Ferrari. That would be great.