Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2013

[Manoah2u]

Looks great, but i think the Airbox design will stay like it is now.

yeah i came across this 'photoshop' and immediately realised......man, F1 looks totally wrong. how gorgeous would the cars be with that design. To be honest, i didn't really enjoy the 2008 cars either. too crowded, too busy. like crazy wildgrow everywhere on the chassis.

[mclaren_mircea]

Accourding to Omnicorsef1.it, Mclaren next year's car will have at the front a push rod suspension, but at the back at the car they will have something very innovative:"Stando alle indiscrezioni, se la McLaren tornerà alla sospensione anteriore push rod, non è detto che non punti su qualcosa di molto innovativo nel retrotreno. Si parla di una sospensione posteriore che è diversa dal solito: la macchina, pare che venga presentata intorno al 20 gennaio, nella configurazione più ardita, ma è dato per scontato che la prima sessione di prove a Jerez verrà già svolta con un retrotreno più tradizionale per un test comparativo. "

[stefan_]

2013 end of the season team photo.
Autódromo José Carlos Pace

[Manoah2u]

corrected that for you.........

[mclaren_mircea]

Toto Wolff said that Honda is poaching Mercedes and Ferrari engineers. It's Mclaren's revange over Mercedes. Honda has a lot more money than Daimler, and we know that between 2007- 2008, the japanese Toyota and Honda were spending more money than Ferrari and Mclaren, even if they did that without a clear head. Mercedes are known not to be big big spenders. Between 2010-2012, Mercedes were spending lesser than Red Bull, Ferrari and Mclaren. This year they took some money from their DTM programe to F1, but it's not enought to compete on the long term with Ferrari, Materchitz and Honda.

[Pup]

Toto Wolff said that Honda is poaching Mercedes and Ferrari engineers.

Ah, but he says that they're only taking the engineers he didn't want, and I'm sure it's not a case of sour grapes.

Just like Dennis saying that he didn't really want to resign Hamilton anyway.

Or that those Nurburgring times really aren't important after all.

[astracrazy]

I see on twitter rumours of Sony being the title sponsor

[Thunder]

So i just listened to this Interview with Martin Whitmarsh :

https://soundcloud.com/jamesallenonf1/m ... marsh-full

The Interesting Part starts at 4:56

He states that besides Peter Prodromou they recruited another Aerodynamic Guy from Red Bull (that was known), but also 1 from Ferrari and 1 from Lotus. Who are they?

[mclaren_mircea]

@Thunders

The other guy from Red Bull is Dan Fallows.

They guy that Mclaren took from Ferrari this year is Matteo Sansavini (he started working for Mclaren by october 2013. Actually, they took another engineer from Ferrari in may 2013 (Jakob Mercanti).

From Lotus it is known that after the summer break, signed for Mclaren a former graduate engineer, Jarrod Murphy's right hand. They took this young talent a month before Murphy was rumoured to be signed by Mercedes.

But there are another people coming in Mclaren, and something that a lot of people don't know (there are another two people with Ferrari background which were taken via Torro Rosso and Sauber).

The newspapers are talking only about Fry's defection to Ferrari, but more people came to Mclaren from Ferrari. I think that Honda's money are already coming, I can't explain by other reason, how Mclaren can make such an aggresive recruitment campaign, they are beating Ferrari and Mercedes on recruitment power from may 2013 (even hiring Matt Morttis was announced at the beginning of July) which is exactly they month when was officially announced the Mclaren-Honda partnership. Even Totto Wolff, said that Honda started to poach on Mercedes engineers, and that he expect that campaign to become very aggressive in the next months.

There are creditable sources that Honda is not only giving them the engines for 2015, but that they started to invest heavily in Mclaren's racing organisation. (nothing of the group or automotive division, only in the racing division, but they are doing it in a very intensive way). That's the only explanation that they took two senior engineers from Red Bull in such a short time, a thing that Ferrari couldn't do in all this years, because they tried not only for Newey, but also for other engineers. Honda has so much power when it comes to money, even after the crisis and 2011 tragedy, they had more money that Daimler and Fiat group together.

[Thunder]

Thank you for the wirte up. Good Information.

Now i'm even more excited for McLaren-Honda.

[mclaren_mircea]

@Thunders

I'm excited too about 2015, but equally excited about 2014. Despite the much talked advantage of the factory team, Andy Cowell said that there won't be a big difference with the integration of the engine with the client teams like Forcea India, Mclaren and Williams.

The information that Mclaren need to design the car it's not the secret philosophy of the internal part of the engine. They can't open the engine and everything wrong with the engine is reported to Mercedes and taken to Brixworth. Mercedes secrets are deep in the internal parts of the engine, and all that details which are refined by the manufacturer. The contract between Mclaren and Mercedes prohibts Mclaren to have acces at this sensizive data. But from Mclaren's tehnical department point of view they don't need such specific kind of engine data. The information which Mclaren's designers need for the chassis has anything in common with this kind of information. Mclaren needs to integrate the engine in their chassis and know how to deal with the engine, and not that core information.

That's why I'm very opptimistic for 2014, because despite the mp4-28 weakness, I firmly believe that Mclaren's engineers and aerodynamicists can make a better car than Mercedes technical department. Mercedes are too far away with their facilities, engineering brain (Costa, Willis and Bell, can't match all Mclaren's engineers who made fast cars during all these years (Totto Wolf admited after the signature of Lowe that "everyone is welcomed if you consider from where this team came"). Remember that Lowe's technical visions represents the basics of mp4-28. Jonathan Nealse said that are in excees 200 people in Mclaren Racing most of them young engineers developed by Mclaren, something unique that Mercedes doesn't have. Apart from their FRIC system, that car would have no aerodynamic chance againts a highly developed version of Mp4-27. (Remember Hamilton's statements in February 2013 when he publicy said that mp4-27 had so much downforce compared to his new W04)

And the people is forgetting something very important. Mclaren switched all their resources to mp4-29 by late June 2013. At the Young Driver Test, in mid July, when Mercedes was not present, and Ferrari was desperately trying parts to keep with the Red Bull, Oliver Turvey and Gary Paffet were already testing 2014 concepts and components. By the end of july, mp4-28 didn't have any contact with the wind tunnel, all their facilities were used at full capacity for Mclaren's next year car. Be aware, that in all this time Mercedes and Ferrari were diluting their efforts in their fight with Red Bull and than in their fight for the second position in the constructors standing.

[adrianjordan]

Completely off topic, but couldn't think where else to post it. Just had a great evening in Frome watching (and meeting) Jenson Button as he was switching on the Christmas Lights and driving an MP4-26 through the streets of Frome.

[astracrazy]

I don't understand, so Mclaren aren't paying a thing for the engines - in fact Honda is paying them? I'm not sure. I don't know why Honda would want to go into something making a huge loss like that? Unless they have brought shares in the team of course like Merc had? That would explain the large investments.

[mclaren_mircea]

Honda is not paying Mclaren's 2014 engines. It is Mclaren's business. Honda is strenghtening Mclaren's racing division for a strong start in 2015. Honda's president said that "they want to exceed the expectations, and they want to win from the very begining, and from the very first year. That's why we need beforet the winter of 2015, two good drivers, a good engine, but a very good organisation". All this big investment in technical staff, refining Mclaren facilities and lots of cash that Mclaren can have at disposion even in 2014, are gradual steps for a solid foundation at the start of 2015.

[mclaren_mircea]

"Pirelli will get the opportunity to test its 2014 tyres on current-spec cars after the FIA agreed it would be beneficial for the sport, considering their last attempt during Brazil's free practice was rained off. Only a handful of laps were completed on the prototype tyres, leaving Pirelli will insufficient data to aid development of the new compounds which will have to cope with a massive increase in torque thanks to the new engines. The details of the test have been kept private, but it will take place within the next two weeks at the Bahrain International Circuit and 2013 cars will be used. Pirelli has, as per the FIA's request, invited all the teams to participate, but only Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes have agreed due to the costs associated with running a car during what is thought to be a three-day test. - See more at: http://www.f1times.co.uk/news/display/0 ... ikGUc.dpuf"

What is Mclaren doing? I don't think that they don't have the money for a 3 day test with Pirelli? What reasons can they have not to participate? Are they to sure on their simulator?