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I agree it's not just "we don't know what we're doing with the deployment because we're just a customer". They set short gear ratios because the car is draggy. Gear ratio is always tuned to the aero top speed. This is an energy efficiency formula. That drag is energy that cannot be recovered so you clip earlier and can't harvest as much. It snowballs.Emag wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 09:22McLaren have a huge efficiency problem. The shorter gear ratios might have been the wrong call too, it will leave them vulnerable on tracks with long straights like this one.
But I am sure McLaren are not happy at all looking at the traces against Mercedes this session. They might be decent in some corners, but it doesn't matter in this formula. You need efficiency and battery management.
To clip more and have less overall deployment time with the same PU is a kick in the face.
They will have to pull another 2023-like mid-season upgrade to get this car into a position where they can win.
Engine and battery is not what's making the difference with Mercedes so I don't know what made you arrive to this conclusion
I think this is mostly it as well. It was probably not just the deg that was killing them in Bahrain, but they had less and less total energy remaining with each lap of a long stint until they couldn't deploy enough in a lap anymore.AR3-GP wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 09:24That's also why (imo) Mclaren is even slower in race trim. The recovery limit increases to 8 MJ which hurts them even more because you use more energy than you can harvest if the car is not aero efficient. Remember we were having that discussion on test 2 night sesion with the PIA vs VER long runs where Mclaren had no top speed. It is because of the snow ball effect in the long runs.
Because the car is quite clearly very draggy. A trait they have carried over from the last two years, which unfortunately for them is a really big problem for this regulation set. Mercedes are forced, by regulation, to provide the same power unit to their customers as the one they use themselves. Any difference you see in deployment and top-end performance is all down to chassis efficiency. It doesn't matter how fast you are in the corners if you deplete the battery halfway down the straight.Darth-Piekus wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 09:36Why do you think the concept is wrong aerowise? Both Mclaren seemed to have had problems unrelated to aero all tied to engine and battery deployment.
They initially removed the zone but then put it back in place because the teams protested.
I don't understand why you constantly criticize McLaren when they're not living up to your high expectations. The team is starting the season with the most significant changes in F1 history, and they have the fewest resources at their disposal. They clearly need time to optimize everything and catch up with the leaders. The worst thing is that you have a large following, but you don't feel responsible for your words.Emag wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 10:02Because the car is quite clearly very draggy. A trait they have carried over from the last two years, which unfortunately for them is a really big problem for this regulation set. Mercedes are forced, by regulation, to provide the same power unit to their customers as the one they use themselves. Any difference you see in deployment and top-end performance is all down to chassis efficiency. It doesn't matter how fast you are in the corners if you deplete the battery halfway down the straight.
Think of it this way. The battery power required to accelerate from 250 to 300 kmh (for example) is way way higher than 100 to 150 only because of drag. Drag "wastes" energy. If you are 5% more efficient, it makes a big difference in how much total power you have through the lap. It could easily be half a second if you can deploy for 1-2 seconds more throughout a lap.
All Emag states is mostly factual. "Amazing" response._cerber1 wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 10:35I don't understand why you constantly criticize McLaren when they're not living up to your high expectations. The team is starting the season with the most significant changes in F1 history, and they have the fewest resources at their disposal. They clearly need time to optimize everything and catch up with the leaders. The worst thing is that you have a large following, but you don't feel responsible for your words.Emag wrote: ↑07 Mar 2026, 10:02Because the car is quite clearly very draggy. A trait they have carried over from the last two years, which unfortunately for them is a really big problem for this regulation set. Mercedes are forced, by regulation, to provide the same power unit to their customers as the one they use themselves. Any difference you see in deployment and top-end performance is all down to chassis efficiency. It doesn't matter how fast you are in the corners if you deplete the battery halfway down the straight.
Think of it this way. The battery power required to accelerate from 250 to 300 kmh (for example) is way way higher than 100 to 150 only because of drag. Drag "wastes" energy. If you are 5% more efficient, it makes a big difference in how much total power you have through the lap. It could easily be half a second if you can deploy for 1-2 seconds more throughout a lap.