2025 McLaren F1 Team

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mwillems
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Joined: 04 Sep 2016, 22:11

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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I reiterate my point at the top of the page. Max and George know they need to try everything to stop us getting a big lead like Max did last year, and they will turn the screws anywhere they can to try and impede us.
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

CjC
CjC
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Joined: 03 Jul 2012, 20:13

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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Yea definitely it is.
They know they can get into Landos head but in reality they are slightly envious of the car he’s been driving for the last 11 months :twisted:
Just a fan's point of view

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mwillems
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Joined: 04 Sep 2016, 22:11

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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Bang on.

The team are in a war.
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

AR3-GP
AR3-GP
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Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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mwillems wrote:
17 Apr 2025, 23:35
Bang on.

The team are in a war.

With this car at the moment, the only war is internal.
A lion must kill its prey.

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mwillems
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Joined: 04 Sep 2016, 22:11

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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AR3-GP wrote:
18 Apr 2025, 00:38
mwillems wrote:
17 Apr 2025, 23:35
Bang on.

The team are in a war.

With this car at the moment, the only war is internal.
I'm not sure how. Everyone is gunning for them, that's not internal.
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

venkyhere
venkyhere
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Joined: 10 Feb 2024, 06:17

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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CjC wrote:
17 Apr 2025, 20:20
However I like Stella’s response regarding the rear wing flex, he said something that I had never considered before that a flexing rear wing won’t offer the same amount of load as a ‘stiff’ rear wing.
mwillems wrote:
17 Apr 2025, 22:14
It's not been dealt with great so far, but his response on flexi wings was brilliant.
Not following Stella (or you guys who understood what he meant). The 'flex' of the rear wing in non-DRS state, helps reduce drag at 300+ speeds in a straight line by reducing the effective profile as well as the AoA. At the time when 'load' is required (100 kph < speed < 300 kph) the material science used to weave the carbon fibres of the structure ensures that the 'flex' is minimal, thereby not sacrificing load. Why is this not desirable ? It's very much desirable, IMHO.

Pray help me understand what is the brilliance in that response from Stella ?

CjC wrote:
17 Apr 2025, 23:06
So why aren’t Red Bull using a rear wing with more flex that it currently has then?
Simple - they didn't pay attention to rear wings as a 'development item' at all. They thought only the floor is worth investing. Haven't we seen how they always had the smallest 'pool' of different wings across teams for 2022, 2023 and when it got to 2024, realized their folly and started using scissors in the garage to create new lowDF wings ?

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mwillems
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Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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They didn't forget the wings. If there was time in it, they'd bring it, is the crux of Stella's point. In a nicely worded way Stella diffused the nonsense that RB are feeding the media and the media run with.

The nonsense being that RB don't push the limits of flexing because they have too much respect for the rules and other teams are naughty wing flexers and should be punished :D

The wing conversations are a Media and PR battle trying to influence the FIAs approach.

There are technical reasons why RB don't bring it to the car. Like any team they will push boundaries anywhere they think they can. Since they can't bring it to the car they instead try and attack those that can. As Stella pointed out, they are well within the rules and after the FIA clamped down further on rear wing testing, Mclaren changed precisely nothing. And as Lando said more bluntly, instead of whining about others, focus on doing a better job with your car.
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

AR3-GP
AR3-GP
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Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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mwillems wrote:
18 Apr 2025, 07:55
They didn't forget the wings. If there was time in it, they'd bring it, is the crux of Stella's point. In a nicely worded way Stella diffused the nonsense that RB are feeding the media and the media run with.

The nonsense being that RB don't push the limits of flexing because they have too much respect for the rules and other teams are naughty wing flexers and should be punished :D

The wing conversations are a Media and PR battle trying to influence the FIAs approach.

There are technical reasons why RB don't bring it to the car. Like any team they will push boundaries anywhere they think they can. Since they can't bring it to the car they instead try and attack those that can. As Stella pointed out, they are well within the rules and after the FIA clamped down further on rear wing testing, Mclaren changed precisely nothing. And as Lando said more bluntly, instead of whining about others, focus on doing a better job with your car.
Whether or not there are technical reasons for any other team to not have a flexing wing, Mclaren have one and it's being reined it, as is typical for excessively flexing wings. The spirit of the regulations is to limit movable aerodynamic devices and over time, the FIA continues to upgrade the test to enforce that spirit. So I don't understand the new narrative cooked up by Andrea that stiff wings have advantages. This is not a counterargument. Stella doesn't have any point. Stiff wings have never been against the rules and however they may be advantageous is irrelevant. Meanwhile, flexible wings have always been viewed negatively. Stella said it doesn't affect Mclaren in spain. So what are we really talking about?

The truth? It will also cost some laptime, as Stella clearly said why in the same interview
“In our case, we want to shed a little bit of drag and a little bit of load, but as long as you do it within the regulations, and that’s the case, then it’s more of a technical point rather than a legality point, if that makes sense.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclaren-f ... n-red-bull

So Mclaren will be shedding a little bit less drag from Spain onwards and a little bit less load. So they will have to study the impact of increasing the drag and losing the dynamic balancing effect of the excessively mobile front wing. I don't understand how anyone can say it won't affect anything. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't be doing it.
A lion must kill its prey.

CjC
CjC
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Joined: 03 Jul 2012, 20:13

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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Before we debate about the rear wings too much. I thought we clarified that the stricter rule over rear wing flexing is already in place?
https://www.planetf1.com/news/red-bull- ... ule-change
Just a fan's point of view

CjC
CjC
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Joined: 03 Jul 2012, 20:13

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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Ok, just wanted to check because the last quote of Stella’s you posted was his response to flexi rear wings.

When @mwillems said Stella’s response to flexi wings was brilliant that too was regarding the rear wing flex.

Regarding the front wings… I’m just as keen as everyone else to see the effect of the new front wing tests in Spain. The only crumb of comfort was Oscars response… I think at the last race. He said as a team they are hardly talking about it. This could just be bravado but I’m also wondering if either Mclarens current front wing does this or they have a wing in development which only flex’s to the new 10mm tolerance at the new FIA load and then flex’s beyond 10mm at higher speed.
OR
Mclaren are currently working within the 10mm tolerance already and don’t need any extra flex beyond 10mm to give them their current car balance. I have no evidence for this though.
Just a fan's point of view

AR3-GP
AR3-GP
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Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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I also see how that is confusing. I think the effect described is applicable to all flexible wings.
A lion must kill its prey.

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mwillems
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Joined: 04 Sep 2016, 22:11

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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AR3-GP wrote:
18 Apr 2025, 08:05
mwillems wrote:
18 Apr 2025, 07:55
They didn't forget the wings. If there was time in it, they'd bring it, is the crux of Stella's point. In a nicely worded way Stella diffused the nonsense that RB are feeding the media and the media run with.

The nonsense being that RB don't push the limits of flexing because they have too much respect for the rules and other teams are naughty wing flexers and should be punished :D

The wing conversations are a Media and PR battle trying to influence the FIAs approach.

There are technical reasons why RB don't bring it to the car. Like any team they will push boundaries anywhere they think they can. Since they can't bring it to the car they instead try and attack those that can. As Stella pointed out, they are well within the rules and after the FIA clamped down further on rear wing testing, Mclaren changed precisely nothing. And as Lando said more bluntly, instead of whining about others, focus on doing a better job with your car.
Whether or not there are technical reasons for any other team to not have a flexing wing, Mclaren have one and it's being reined it, as is typical for excessively flexing wings. The spirit of the regulations is to limit movable aerodynamic devices and over time, the FIA continues to upgrade the test to enforce that spirit. So I don't understand the new narrative cooked up by Andrea that stiff wings have advantages. This is not a counterargument. Stella doesn't have any point. Stiff wings have never been against the rules and however they may be advantageous is irrelevant. Meanwhile, flexible wings have always been viewed negatively. Stella said it doesn't affect Mclaren in spain. So what are we really talking about?

The truth? It will also cost some laptime, as Stella clearly said why in the same interview
“In our case, we want to shed a little bit of drag and a little bit of load, but as long as you do it within the regulations, and that’s the case, then it’s more of a technical point rather than a legality point, if that makes sense.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/mclaren-f ... n-red-bull

So Mclaren will be shedding a little bit less drag from Spain onwards and a little bit less load. So they will have to study the impact of increasing the drag and losing the dynamic balancing effect of the excessively mobile front wing. I don't understand how anyone can say it won't affect anything. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't be doing it.
The rear wings aren't being reined in any more yet.

Unless Red Bull can lobby or pressure the FIA into doing so.

I never questioned the rear wing is flexing. But it's fine and its legal and it's not Mclarens issue that RB can't implement it, sure as hell they would if it worked on their car as is, and offered more time benefits than other upgrades.

Either it's not important or they can't do it, but let's not pretend it's because RB are so determined to be in the rules.

I think most people have an opinion on which team can be the most aggressive on and off track...
I'm not taking advice from a cartoon dog

-Bandit

FittingMechanics
FittingMechanics
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Joined: 19 Feb 2019, 12:10

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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It's interesting to see the amount of FIA lobbying this year. Did it happen in 2023?

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Darth-Piekus
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Joined: 28 Apr 2018, 15:27
Location: Greece

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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FittingMechanics wrote:
18 Apr 2025, 12:39
It's interesting to see the amount of FIA lobbying this year. Did it happen in 2023?
It didnt happen either in 2022 or 2023 when Red Bull carried all the advantages from overspending in 2021, or having an illegal asymmetrical braking and a front bib that could change car height during parc ferme. These championships have an big questionmark.

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BMMR61
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Joined: 25 May 2021, 13:02
Location: Australia.

Re: 2025 McLaren F1 Team

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It's just normal business at F1 (the piranha club). Horner always stirs the pot, is economical with the truth, and makes accusations about things they themselves have done. It should be seen as a compliment that they are throwing all this at McLaren. I have no evidence to put but I'm fairly confident that Spain won't be major turning point in the F1 pecking order fro 2025. So much effort is being expended talking about a non-issue spread by a team that are sliding into mediocrity.