2026 McLaren Mastercard F1 Team

[FittingMechanics]

Under Parc ferme conditions can engine maps and electrical software management be changed?

That was my question as well.

If they figure out better energy usage pattern after quali, can you make these changes? Is this changeable over the steering wheel during a session? Between laps?

Stella said that they needed qualifying to see what can be done by Mercedes.

He may simply mean he needed to see them use the engine in anger to figure out their deployment and harvesting strategy.

Yeah, makes sense. Can't hide it in qualifying and now McLaren can learn from it. In theory, maybe Mercedes wasn't very forward with saying what is the optimum way to harvest, what rpm range etc.

I'm wondering if we'll see some benefit in the race already or if they can't make any changes.

[bluechris]

Mercedes is demonstrating what complete chassis, powertrain, and software integration can be worth. When the engine fits into the envelope of the car like a glove suddenly it looks like they are driving with a different spec PU compared to their customers.

Their chassis is the strongest point in this equation.

You continue posting in all threads the same narrative of better aero. MB downforce is much stronger because they can have more because something is happening from the engine side. See Russell lap and then watch everyone else, the car is planted with more downforce turning with higher speed not touching most of the curbs. No other car can do that and it's the better engine that permits this higher downforce. We all watched all the years from 2014 and forth that a huge engine advantage gives you the ability to bolt barn doors for wings and call it a day.
McLaren eventually will become lighter and will also find the way to optimize the software. There is also big difference in gear ratios between MB that must plays a role.
I read also rumors that the software that is on the engine is not the spec that the factory team using but i don't know yet for certain.

[Seanspeed]

Mercedes is demonstrating what complete chassis, powertrain, and software integration can be worth. When the engine fits into the envelope of the car like a glove suddenly it looks like they are driving with a different spec PU compared to their customers.

Their chassis is the strongest point in this equation.

You continue posting in all threads the same narrative of better aero. MB downforce is much stronger because they can have more because something is happening from the engine side. See Russell lap and then watch everyone else, the car is planted with more downforce turning with higher speed not touching most of the curbs. No other car can do that and it's the better engine that permits this higher downforce. We all watched all the years from 2014 and forth that a huge engine advantage gives you the ability to bolt barn doors for wings and call it a day.
McLaren eventually will become lighter and will also find the way to optimize the software. There is also big difference in gear ratios between MB that must plays a role.
I read also rumors that the software that is on the engine is not the spec that the factory team using but i don't know yet for certain.

This excuse doesn't really fly with these regs, cuz everybody is going to run comparatively high AoA since they can use active aero straight mode on basically any straight of significance, meaning there's almost no consideration for aero setup anymore. It's one of the things that suck about the new regulations.

If a team has a clear downforce advantage now, it's gonna come almost purely from the aero platform as a whole.

Secondly, the Merc engine advantage isn't nearly as big as it was in 2014. And certainly Mclaren have no such disadvantage to excuse anything. Even if you argue that Mercedes specifically designed their whole aero package with extra drag penalty to increase downforce, a bit of extra power is probably not gonna get your downforce ceiling much higher at all before it just starts to hurt you.

[FittingMechanics]

I've been watching McLaren onboards and you can just about see the state of charge they have. Norris lap last lap had about this kind of deployment.
This is my rough eye estimate based on the SoC bar on the right.
They start the lap on full SoC.
Up to T1 - 30% spent - 30% recharged in T1 (to full)
On T2 exit - 40% spent - 40% recharged (to full)
T4 exit - 20% spent - 20% recharged (to full)
T6-T9 - 100% spent - 40% recharged (to 40%
T11 - 40% spent - 20 recharged? (to 20%)
last corner SoC recharge to 50% and spent all

Corner numbers may be wrong, I did this quickly but it's roughly like that. When you add up all the "spending" events you get 280% - which roughly fits with full usage of allowed energy. 11MJ/2.8= 3.9 MJ for 100% SoC. I was wondering if McLaren uses full amount allowed and this guesstimate would point toward yes (I could be wrong though).

So eyeballing it seems to be a viable way to determine the recharge and deployment amounts. At least for McLaren. I did a quick look at Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes and I couldn't figure it out, for some the helmets obscure the screen and for others it is either too dim or maybe not a bar at all.

Thought I'd share, I know some people here are much more capable in figuring these things out.

[FittingMechanics]

Looking at cross comparison with Russell - it almost looks like he doesn't deploy much/at all up to T1 - McLaren gains some here. This is interesting because if McLaren is able to recharge to 100% in T1/T2 while still gaining time on Russell, this is a deliberate choice by Mercedes to not use as much energy on this straight to preserve energy budget for somewhere else.

On the next straight, to T3 - Mercedes uses more. Thinking about it (and if my guesstimates are roughly accurate), why would McLaren use 30% on the short main straight and then use only 40% on the longer T2-T3. The timed area on T3-T4 is about two times as long as the area on the main straight. If this is accurate, this "mistake" could explain why McLaren gains here on Mercedes. Rest of the lap I can't figure out. Both laps I watch (Piastri and Norris fastest ones) look bad, corrections, etc.

[upsidedowntoast]

Arrogance has a new name: GR

Don't understand why this would be arrogant. After the pitiful ground-effect Mercs, they're back to having good aero regs that they actually understand. They didn't put an OP engine in a cardboard box. He's acknowledging the entire car is good not just the PU.

This isn't 2014 where they can sell customer teams worse engines anymore -- Mclaren, Alpine, and Williams also have the same exact engine, and Alpine and Williams are at the back of the midfield. In addition Williams was in 3rd place in 2014 despite having a middling car because the Mercedes PU of that era was just that strong.

Arrogance would be "yeah our car is actually mid, I'm just that amazing of a driver".

[Darth-Piekus]

Goodnight from me. Its gonna be impossible for me to see the race tomorrow as its very early. I will see the highlights later.

[AR3-GP]

Piastri has spun and hit the wall at T5 on the recce laps to the grid. He's out of the GP.

[edu2703]

Piastri has spun and hit the wall at T5 on the recce laps to the grid. He's out of the GP.

Unbelievable...

[Macklaren]

Lando's driver procession car failed too. Let's just get all the bad luck out of the way here

[AR3-GP]

Mclaren didn't have any spare front wings yesterday. Will be tight for China.

[edu2703]

[FittingMechanics]

Notes so far:

Norris had a great launch, similar to Ferrari but didn't really capitalize on it.
Race pace of McLaren doesn't look stellar, he can be close to the car in front but didn't overtake VCARB - maybe top speed issue?

Happy with how decisive McLaren was with the VSC. A shame VSC was long.

[FittingMechanics]

Pace on hards looks better. Lando in free air is running similar 2-3 tenths slower than Mercedes. Or at least he used to run. Seems his pace is dropping off somewhat. Could be only P6 at the end. Max seems to be catching.

[AR3-GP]

Pace on hards looks better. Lando in free air is running similar 2-3 tenths slower than Mercedes. Or at least he used to run. Seems his pace is dropping off somewhat. Could be only P6 at the end. Max seems to be catching.

Lando is 1 second a lap slower than the Mercs since the pitstops.