Vodafone McLaren MP4-27 Mercedes

[raymondu999]

Changed 15 times.

Simple arithmetic: 32 wing levels, 2 drivers. That's 16 per driver, for 2 sessions - 8 per driver per session. 90 minutes per session.

Over the two of them they did a total of 139 laps on Friday. 33 and 31 for FP1, 35 and 40 for FP2 respectively.

Doable, but very tight.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Gary Anderson Analysis of McLaren RW choices


Via AutoSport

[techF1LES]

Source: F1 Sokuho

[scarbs]

you're investment in a japanese mag is paying off! here's my analysis.


Nice view of the Mac carbon gearbox and damper arrangement. I never got to see the gearcase with the suspension elements in place, as the team need to remove the dampers and heave element to get to the gear cluster. Something the ferrari engined teams have now got around, as these are separate assemblies to the gearbox.

1: Input shaft from clutch, which is mounted to the engine
2: Side dampers, these link from the rocker to this middle mounting point
3: (inside the case) the pull rod rocker, the top of which can be seen as the gold part above and inside the case.
4: Heave bump rubber
5: Spacer to limit free movement of heave element before the rubber comes into play
6: Heave element assembly (linked to both rockers)
7: Top of torsion bar, these do not mount directly to the gearbox, but instead react against each other to reduce side spring effect on roll stiffness
8: Inerter\linked heave element, this is linked to the front heave element to limit front ride height changes

Not visible:
The anti roll bar, which is operated by levers at the top of the rocker. Then links lead backward into the gearcase, you can just see the black opening to the left at the top of the rocker.
Not pointed out:
The gear selection actuators, one of which is on the gearbox plate just to the left of "6". you can see the hydraulic pipes that operate the actuator to shift the selector drum. Some teams now operate their seamless selection from a single actuator and selector drum. McLaren still use two selectors for alternate gears.

No separate roll damper is employed

[PlatinumZealot]

How do you do Scarbs?
I bet you are itching for the car unveilings.

Any body here speaks Japanese?

[aterren]

On Friday in Brazil McLaren tried two different rear wings to better evaluate the 2013 Pirelli tyres, using no less than 32 different levels of downforce. Jenson Button used the wing the team ran at Spa (inset), whilst team mate Lewis Hamilton used the one the team ran in Singapore (main drawing). For qualifying and the race at Interlagos both men used the team's higher downforce wing.

they may have run the two different wings, but they wouldn't of run 32 different levels of downforce - theres simply not enough time. That means each driver changed there downforce levels 16 times?

Did they count DRS open and closed as 2 down force levels?

[wesley123]

they may have run the two different wings, but they wouldn't of run 32 different levels of downforce - theres simply not enough time. That means each driver changed there downforce levels 16 times?

Did they count DRS open and closed as 2 down force levels?

Nope since it isnt a setup. They did change the setup 16 times on downforce levels. Doubt they even used the DRS while going through these 32 different options

[beelsebob]

they may have run the two different wings, but they wouldn't of run 32 different levels of downforce - theres simply not enough time. That means each driver changed there downforce levels 16 times?

Did they count DRS open and closed as 2 down force levels?

Nope since it isnt a setup. They did change the setup 16 times on downforce levels. Doubt they even used the DRS while going through these 32 different options

Remember when you consider how fast they did this, McLaren have their cunning multi-hole system for setting up the rear wing.

To set up 32 downforce levels, all they need do is set up 2 cars, that gets you down to 16 settings... Each car then gets the rear wing positioned in 16 different places, which means probably that each car gets in turn... 4 different positions for the middle attachment point, combined with 4 different positions for either the rear or the front attachment point. That means essentially 16 out laps, 16 in laps... Most likely they didn't even do quick laps, as what they care about sensor values at set speeds through set corners. Each of those changes to the rear wing probably requires little more than wheeling it back into the garage and 20 seconds with a tool to move the pins either side of the wing plane. Most likely the time in the garage is dominated by how long it takes to get the car back to the same weight of fuel as before.

I don't really see why it's surprising that they can get through this many combos.

[wesley123]

I dont said it is surprising. It is however very interresting to see.

Teams most of the time show up with a setup that is, according to their simulator, pretty much perfect. Once they are on track there isnt much change, some small changes to cope with different weather than expected. How much they change also shows the difference between what their simulator knows about the track, and how far it can simulate it to reality.

Teams pretty much stick with what they got out of the simulator, and if that is nothing, they most likely just pick the other driver his setup with a few small tweaks.

Interlagos is quite difficult on downforce levels, low downforce, you gain on the straights, but you lose in the infield, with high downforce it is otherwise. So testing 32 different levels of downforce is quite interresting to do in getting the sweet spot.

Not surprising that they are able to do 32 different levels, but still interresting since it is never done, I believe Ferrari tested 2 different levels of df in Turkey last year, but nothing on the scale of what was done here.

[wesley123]

Teams pretty much stick with what they got out of the simulator, and if that is nothing, they most likely just pick the other driver his setup with a few small tweaks.

Right but they weren't looking for "a" fastest setup, they were simply gathering tire data to build up the 2013 simulator. (edit- and the 2013 car, while they can still make some changes.)

Agreed, there is no use in only an out and inlap to use an actual setup change. Didnt both drivers stick with the max df setup they had bought?

[KATO]

I posted some articles on the MP4-28 on the MP4-28 thread.. Just saying...

[aral]

I posted some articles on the MP4-28 on the MP4-28 thread.. Just saying...

WOWWWW.

[wesley123]

I posted some articles on the MP4-28 on the MP4-28 thread.. Just saying...

And here I am entering the MP4-27 thread hoping to read about the -28, do I have to go to the MP4-28 thread!

[aral]

I posted some articles on the MP4-28 on the MP4-28 thread.. Just saying...

And here I am entering the MP4-27 thread hoping to read about the -28, do I have to go to the MP4-28 thread!

Only go there if you want to read about Lotus and Red Bull!

[KATO]

Hummmmm............. I'm trying to keep myself from being Amercian right now.. Il hold back..


Wow it was a RB8-9 and Lotus 2012-2013 thread when I went in. I didn't want to read any of it tho just to let them hopefully take it to their threads-? But how would they-? How do they' decide which thread to argue about their cars in.....
I mean ones a Lotus ones a RedBull BOTH have Renault engines...... BOTH have their own threads..... AH YES-!! The McLaren thread it was the obvious choice.. Silly me why with their Mercedes engines and what not-..