McLaren MCL33

[DiogoBrand]

Pardon me if I'm way wrong. Fluid dynamics is not my forte.

However, the sidepod shape looks like those coanda exhaust Red Bulls from 2012 and 2013.

Plus the vortex generators seem to be directing a big vortex down the sidepod to the edge of the diffuser.

Can a more educated person confirm or deny my suspicions?

The vortex generators and the shape is that way to energize the flow over the sidepods and prevent separation. The sidepods do influence flow over the diffuser, but they won't act to create vortices specifically to seal the edges. That could only be done by Red Bull with the aid of the exhaust gases.

[Morteza]

It's a nice succession of photos

[Just_a_fan]

They're certainly putting in a good bid for ugliest nose in 2018.

Hopefully we'll see some flow viz on it at some point. Would be good to see what those long slots are doing in conjunction with the odd cape thing.

[Morteza]

Also some close-up shots of the front wing

[makecry]

Is there any change to the engine cover? Look same as it was in Baku for me but I might be wrong.

[shady]

so i thought there was a cross sectional requirement for the nose.. which is why the FI holes, arent.

[Zynerji]

Just wait until the cape sprouts feathers like the barge boards...

[PhillipM]

I expect a little more shape to arrive at some point, given the evolution the Merc one went through, but I suspect they've deliberately kept it simple at the moment because it affects the front suspension setup/ride height control required.

[Zynerji]

I think it comes down to a single vortex. It makes sense to use a single powerful one there to feed the feathers that make the dozen that are stretched across the floor...

[PhillipM]

Well, with the turning vanes either side of the nose, their cape should be driven harder than the Merc one from the outset, hopefully.

[godlameroso]

My main man PP, he works like I do, steady and methodical, good validation practices if you ask me. It's just good practice to measure 4x cut 1x. The side pod end plates have grown, like some wings, bigger and more defined with each iteration.

[PlatinumZealot]

Some points to discuss.

I am still struggling to understand the role of the slots on the side of the nosecone since they end up right before the upper wishbone.

Also why retain the 9 slotted FW on a draggy car? To be honest I was expecting more focus on the sidepod/bargeboard area

McLaren has finally accepted their life in the midefield you see. The nose guide vane's primary role is to clean up dirty air following in the wake of another midfield car.

[Flying JPS Lotus]

I find it very interesting how the updated MCL33 nose seems to incorporate a lot of different nose design philosophies into one. While being very unique at first glance I think the new nose shows what McLaren have learned from their competition. Convergent evolution in F1 is very interesting.

[604gtir]

I find it very interesting how the updated MCL33 nose seems to incorporate a lot of different nose design philosophies into one. While being very unique at first glance I think the new nose shows what McLaren has learned from their competition.

https://i.imgur.com/PWpi0hv.png

the time required to design develop crash test the nose, they would not have picked up on the sauber design, they just happened to converge on a similar idea. but yes on the rb/merc

[makecry]

Very interesting nose!

That will improve downforce by a hefty amount of points, looking at the amount of (horizontal) surface on it, and the clever way of using 'ducting' surely will heavily improve flow all the way to the back too, which will further improve the car's aerodynamics. Also looking at the as it seems improved bodywork (slimmed down) there's more area to use for aerodynamic purposes - seems like the renault engine needs less cooling, or at the very least, Mclaren now dares to slim down as they trust it won't have similar overheating issues as in testing.

i wouldn't be surprised that the engine updates from Renault after the testing, AND the improved fuels that will bring more power will have much benefits for the overall package.

Pretty good amount of updates there, AND the mirrors are still the same as before, i'm wondering/expecting really that there will be change there too, a-la Ferrari.

This car might develop into something very interesting during the season. Very curious to see what it will actually do on track.

Very positive vibes right now, about time

I just don't see it. Looks same as Baku too me. Can you by any chance highlight/put up a comparision on what area has been slimmed down