Mclaren MCL40

[FittingMechanics]

There does seem to be more detail in the bargeboard area than on the render, from what I can see it looks like it does have some kind of horizontal gaps (unlike some teams which have vertical gaps) but it also looks like the bargeboard extends higher than for example Mercedes. Maybe because of the undercut/slim sidepod?

The horizontal gap at bargeboard foot is in the render

I do think it looks different in these spy shots, maybe even multiple openings. Hard to tell though because the quality of the photo is not that good.

[_cerber1]

[Owen.C93]

Looks like maybe a cover has come off the end plate and part of the mechanism is visible?

Before:

[Lasssept]

[ClassicLivery]

So that ^ pretty much confirms no slotted diffuser?!

[Emag]

The diffuser sidewall doesn't seem to have a slot like Ferrari and Mercedes (RedBull looks like it doesn't even have a sidewall at all by the way, too extreme).

As suspected from the blury images, the bottom bit of the "bargeboard" is segmented and curled. It's interesting that they only deemed it worth it to have this bottom half like this, whereas Ferrari, Mercedes and RedBull have all opted for horizontal cuts along the entire height.



At the moment this car is not doing anything peculiar with the areas we deemed interesting in the other top 3 revealed so far. Overall sidepod philosophy is also nothing crazy, just very well executed for what it is. (Cadillac and VCARB are basically the same, but not as tight).

In short, there's not much that draws attention to my eyes in a way that says "people will copy that". Time will tell how much this seemingly "simple" interpretation will pay off for them.

[_cerber1]

[GrizzleBoy]

Those front winglets are going to make some lift once the front wing goes into low downforce mode wont they?

Each one seems to have almost as much surface area as the active flaps (bit of an exaggeration).

The low angle slow motion gif in the Red Bull thread shows the nose/front of the floor jumping up a little when the front wing elements drop down.

Would a (more) significantly lifted floor make much of a difference in terms of shedding drag on straights?

[matt_s]

So McLaren are the only team other than Cadillac not to have the out/up-washing bargeboards. They also don't have the diffuser holes.

Obviously they had to concentrate on '25 longer than most teams, so this could be down to lead times on parts. Anything on the car now had to be signed-off in time to be integrated and manufactured for the shakedown. And we also know that McLaren themselves said they wanted to extend development time as far as they could.

It's going to be fascinating to see if these things appear on the car for Bahrain, or whether they have just gone down a slightly different conceptual path to others.

EDIT: That FWEP is pretty wild though.

[Seerix]

[Xero]

Obviously they had to concentrate on '25 longer than most teams, so this could be down to lead times on parts.

I think it's widely accepted that McLaren switched focus earlier than the other top teams. McLaren abandoned development on the MCL39 mid-season due to their obvious advantage (gambled!), which was why Red Bull and Mercedes were able to catch up.

It's going to be fascinating to see if these things appear on the car for Bahrain, or whether they have just gone down a slightly different conceptual path to others.

EDIT: That FWEP is pretty wild though.

I think they have just gone down a different path as you say. I would not be surprised to see bits added to the car over the next couple of days - the floor edge and bargeboards especially. The whole FW stands out to me, looks very well sculpted.

[SB15]

Obviously they had to concentrate on '25 longer than most teams, so this could be down to lead times on parts.

I think it's widely accepted that McLaren switched focus earlier than the other top teams. McLaren abandoned development on the MCL39 mid-season due to their obvious advantage (gambled!), which was why Red Bull and Mercedes were able to catch up.

It's going to be fascinating to see if these things appear on the car for Bahrain, or whether they have just gone down a slightly different conceptual path to others.

EDIT: That FWEP is pretty wild though.

I think they have just gone down a different path as you say. I would not be surprised to see bits added to the car over the next couple of days - the floor edge and bargeboards especially. The whole FW stands out to me, looks very well sculpted.

I don't know because the Redbull's and Ferrari front wing looks more refined to me. The only detail that stands out to me is the bargeboard setup because no other has that type of interpretation.

It doesn't matter if you stopped or started development earlier than other teams, what matters is your understanding of the regulations. Big example is Williams, where they started back in 2023.

The car overall looks like a very earlier version especially if you compare it to the Mercedes, so we'll wait until Bahrain to see the "Real" car.

[Emag]

Brightened :

[pronopheus]

Obviously they had to concentrate on '25 longer than most teams, so this could be down to lead times on parts.

I think it's widely accepted that McLaren switched focus earlier than the other top teams. McLaren abandoned development on the MCL39 mid-season due to their obvious advantage (gambled!), which was why Red Bull and Mercedes were able to catch up.

It's going to be fascinating to see if these things appear on the car for Bahrain, or whether they have just gone down a slightly different conceptual path to others.

EDIT: That FWEP is pretty wild though.

I think they have just gone down a different path as you say. I would not be surprised to see bits added to the car over the next couple of days - the floor edge and bargeboards especially. The whole FW stands out to me, looks very well sculpted.

I don't know because the Redbull's and Ferrari front wing looks more refined to me. The only detail that stands out to me is the bargeboard setup because no other has that type of interpretation.

It doesn't matter if you stopped or started development earlier than other teams, what matters is your understanding of the regulations. Big example is Williams, where they started back in 2023.

The car overall looks like a very earlier version especially if you compare it to the Mercedes, so we'll wait until Bahrain to see the "Real" car.

In what way does the FW of RB and Ferrari look more refined. I see it exactly the other way around.

[Xero]

Obviously they had to concentrate on '25 longer than most teams, so this could be down to lead times on parts.

I think it's widely accepted that McLaren switched focus earlier than the other top teams. McLaren abandoned development on the MCL39 mid-season due to their obvious advantage (gambled!), which was why Red Bull and Mercedes were able to catch up.

It's going to be fascinating to see if these things appear on the car for Bahrain, or whether they have just gone down a slightly different conceptual path to others.

EDIT: That FWEP is pretty wild though.

I think they have just gone down a different path as you say. I would not be surprised to see bits added to the car over the next couple of days - the floor edge and bargeboards especially. The whole FW stands out to me, looks very well sculpted.

I don't know because the Redbull's and Ferrari front wing looks more refined to me. The only detail that stands out to me is the bargeboard setup because no other has that type of interpretation.

It doesn't matter if you stopped or started development earlier than other teams, what matters is your understanding of the regulations. Big example is Williams, where they started back in 2023.

The car overall looks like a very earlier version especially if you compare it to the Mercedes, so we'll wait until Bahrain to see the "Real" car.

I'm not so sure, now we've seen some decent fresh photos it's looking a lot more developed than first thought.

The bargeboards look well cooked to me now. Nice detail in the lower horizontal strakes to seal the floor, and a vertical strake to cleanly manage the tyre wake without the drag penalty. Definitely not as busy looking, but it looks refined.