2018 McLaren F1 Team - Renault

[M840TR]

Albert Fabrega about the Mcl34. Second source after Ted that has claimed this now:

"Finally disappears the "size zero" or zero size of the top engine cover. The MCL33 is the only one with small air intake and no extra inputs for ERS cooling."

https://twitter.com/javcastellano/statu ... 6041828353

[PhillipM]

They're tucking that fat midriff of the sidepods in I think - just my own speculation based on something someone said to me about the new rads, apparently they have 'the corners cut off' - but unless someone has a source in the manufacturer I don't know where - and probably won't find out for a while given the long lead time on them.

You'd assume with the problems they've had it's so they can tuck this area in and they're moving coolers upwards into the engine cover to help with it:



But the new chassis is also longer than this years, so I guess they're repackaging backwards anyway.

[diffuser]

I'm of the opinion that the McLaren Chassis (less aero) is the best in the midfield. You can see by how good it is with the tires. The Chassis is able to keep a large foot print of the tire on the ground through all types of curves. Where they break down, on that front, is under cooler conditions. They have warm up problems.

We'll see if it is true but I think they're gonna completely repackage the PU for 2019. That will trickle over to the side-pods and barge-boards. Add in the rule changes(Front wing, rear wing and brake ducks), we're gonna see a completely new aero package.

I also expect RBR to fall back. I think the PU change will hit them. It will be interesting to see if the rear of their car is wider. They use alot of that space above the PU that I think will now have to be used by the Honda PU. They're Also dong all this in the mist of rule changes. How much and for how long is a mystery. As well as the Honda PU's performance and 1 new driver.

Can it be read like, it didn't use the full potential of the tire enough?

I don't think so, each tire has a temperature range. So you need to keep them within temp. Making use of the whole tire does that along with heat from the brakes, rims.

If your asking, will it be a challenge when the car goes faster I'd say yes.

It would be interesting to know how Merc tend to get their tires so hot. Nobody is as good as them for that. The result is the car is supper fast in the cold and the rain, when you have the hardest time getting heat into the tires.

[kptaylor]

They're tucking that fat midriff of the sidepods in I think - just my own speculation based on something someone said to me about the new rads, apparently they have 'the corners cut off' - but unless someone has a source in the manufacturer I don't know where - and probably won't find out for a while given the long lead time on them.

You'd assume with the problems they've had it's so they can tuck this area in and they're moving coolers upwards into the engine cover to help with it:

https://i.imgur.com/JGNmIVP.jpg

But the new chassis is also longer than this years, so I guess they're repackaging backwards anyway.

Have the Ferrari flat/fat front sidepods worked out? Maybe McLaren will move the rads forward and copy that design.

[diffuser]

I'm of the opinion that the McLaren Chassis (less aero) is the best in the midfield. You can see by how good it is with the tires. The Chassis is able to keep a large foot print of the tire on the ground through all types of curves. Where they break down, on that front, is under cooler conditions. They have warm up problems.

We'll see if it is true but I think they're gonna completely repackage the PU for 2019. That will trickle over to the side-pods and barge-boards. Add in the rule changes(Front wing, rear wing and brake ducks), we're gonna see a completely new aero package.

I also expect RBR to fall back. I think the PU change will hit them. It will be interesting to see if the rear of their car is wider. They use alot of that space above the PU that I think will now have to be used by the Honda PU. They're Also dong all this in the mist of rule changes. How much and for how long is a mystery. As well as the Honda PU's performance and 1 new driver.

Tyre management is something very driver dependent. Not in every case like Williams, but most. Just look at Stoffel's onboard from Mexico. He avoided flooring the throttle too early and being in following car's wake. By comparison, the Ferrari which is very well regarded as being gentle on its tyres, destroyed them in Monza because Kimi was too keen to get on the power. So I won't accredit all of it to the car. Maybe since the rear-end stability is so bad, the drivers have adapted to it by not being aggressive in slow-speed corners which helps tyre deg.
This lack of drivability alone shows how bad the chassis is. Never mind the tyre warm-up, transmission and other problems. I'm surprised they haven't brought any solutions to this really, like wheel ribs. When you're faster on the slower compound, it means almost 3-5 tenths (average delta b\w compounds) are being lost in qualy. That would've rung alarm bells in a top team! Things won't be ever better if they keep this up. As Gene Haas said: couple of tenths on the chassis, couple on the aero and another few on the tyres. Add it up and you have your 2 sec gap midfield to pole.

Redbull - another team that needs some introspection if they're gonna challenge for the title again. They're doing exactly what Mclaren did with their PU supplier. I mean, when was the last time you saw a Ferrari or Merc retiring due to a broken exhaust clip or a clutch.

I do believe that there is much driver ability in keeping the tires but you can also see some cars have more problems with the tires than others, look at both STR cars...huge tire problems in Mexico.

No matter what car you drive you can spin the wheels out of a slow corner. The difference between the cars with the most traction and the least is probably less than 5%. No matter how many milliseconds/seconds later you're on full throttle, doesn't change what you have to do to get there.

I don't see drivability issues. I see a car that is slow on straights and goes into corners a little slower than it should.

I wasn't including the transmission or PU as part of the chassis.

Wheel ribs are for cooling not for getting more heat into the tire.

Not sure when they were faster on the slower tire.

[diffuser]

They're tucking that fat midriff of the sidepods in I think - just my own speculation based on something someone said to me about the new rads, apparently they have 'the corners cut off' - but unless someone has a source in the manufacturer I don't know where - and probably won't find out for a while given the long lead time on them.

You'd assume with the problems they've had it's so they can tuck this area in and they're moving coolers upwards into the engine cover to help with it:

https://i.imgur.com/JGNmIVP.jpg

But the new chassis is also longer than this years, so I guess they're repackaging backwards anyway.

Have the Ferrari flat/fat front sidepods worked out? Maybe McLaren will move the rads forward and copy that design.

They've worked like gang busters, they've been on it since they made that change along with the bargeboard stuff.

[techman]

Seems like McLaren got a lot more laps this year than with Honda? That must help.

so where do you reckon mclaren will be next season, now they had 1 full year and focused their resources to 2019? do you reckon they will be ahead of TR again?

[Chicane]

Compromises in fundamentals which are hard/impossible to change midway through the season means you are caught between a rock and a hard place. Mclaren clearly understood that there is no point in flogging a dead horse. Wheelbase, size of roll hoop intake, cooling, gearbox and suspension geometry etc are set in stone very early on in the development of the car. Even sidepod intakes cannot be altered easily without disturbing the cooling setup housed in the sidepods.

Mclaren will make a step next year cos clearly there are so many clear cut areas they can improve upon. Forget aerodynamics for a moment just sorting out the chassis, wheelbase, gearbox and suspension geometry will bring them a chunk of lap time. I think next year's aero rules have nicely coincided with Mclaren going back to the basics and developing a totally new philosophy.

[RonDennis]

You already knew something has gone horrible wrong when you have to drill holes in your bodywork.

[godlameroso]

Apparently they're going to use Red Bull for inspiration in the bargeboard, sidepods, and diffuser. Color me surprised.

[diffuser]

Apparently they're going to use Red Bull for inspiration in the bargeboard, sidepods, and diffuser. Color me surprised.

I remember EB at the release of the 2018 RBR car said they had looked at doing what RBR did with the sidepods but thought it was illegal.

Couldn't you just buy it all from RBR ..not like they're gonna use it next year ???

[godlameroso]

If what they did was illegal then they wouldn't have allowed the 2017 Ferrari, which was largely the inspiration for the 2018 RB concept.

Expect a much better interpretation of the bargeboard, more in line with what the others have done, the malformed chicken wing will become bigger.

[McG]

Seems like McLaren got a lot more laps this year than with Honda? That must help.

so where do you reckon mclaren will be next season, now they had 1 full year and focused their resources to 2019? do you reckon they will be ahead of TR again?

I think it will be similar to this year as other teams improve (but still better than the Honda years). I hope I'm wrong, but I don't have faith in McLaren, they have to show some promise first.

There's still a question if the new structure even works.

[McG]

Apparently they're going to use Red Bull for inspiration in the bargeboard, sidepods, and diffuser. Color me surprised.

I remember EB at the release of the 2018 RBR car said they had looked at doing what RBR did with the sidepods but thought it was illegal.

Couldn't you just buy it all from RBR ..not like they're gonna use it next year ???

They tried to buy it when they bought PP

[diffuser]

If what they did was illegal then they wouldn't have allowed the 2017 Ferrari, which was largely the inspiration for the 2018 RB concept.

Expect a much better interpretation of the bargeboard, more in line with what the others have done, the malformed chicken wing will become bigger.

Well once it cleared the FIA, they obviously thought it was legal. I don't think anyone has done what RBR has.He was talking about this ..



sidepod crash structure is usually inside the sidepod





In 2018 they lowered it and moved the sidepod so far back that the crash structure is at the very front of the sidepod.