SmallSoldier wrote: ↑23 May 2021, 21:30
godlameroso wrote:SmallSoldier wrote: ↑23 May 2021, 17:56
Lando back in P3 on the WDC and Mclaren 2 points ahead of Ferrari with 80 points... The team is doing great after 5 races!
The next 4 races should also be on the positive side for the team, with Baku, France and Austria X 2.
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Baku is definitely a good track for McLaren this year, they have a very slippery car. France will be similar to Barcelona, as the corner types are very similar, albeit it will be quite a bit warmer than the race in Spain. They may have a stronger showing vs Ferrari because there is a higher emphasis on engine performance, however they still lack the nimbleness in the slow medium speed corners. Alpine will be a stronger challenger in France, as will Aston Martin, that team is developing very well and Vettel is starting to get his mojo back. Plus by France, Honda will have introduced it's second version of their power unit with any reliability fixes they plan on implementing, so Alpha Tauri will likely be in the mix.
I don’t think France is as similar to Barcelona though... At least it doesn’t have an slow section like S3 in Cataluña... It was actually a very solid track for the MCL34 in 2019 and the MCL35M is a clear step forward versus that car, if not for Norris’ mechanical issues, both would have finished in good positions in that race... I actually expect them to do better in France than Baku in relative terms
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There are some frustratingly slow corners, the sequence before the chicane straight requires good low speed cornering and grip to get on the power early. The exit of the chicane is very important, and the final two corners are very slow. The beginning of the lap, and that triple right hander should be good, but the rest of sector 3 is very Barcelona-esque. Very long corners, culminating in the slowest corner on the track which is also very important for the lap time.
Sector 3 is like taking turn 5 7 and old turn 10 of Barcelona, and juxtaposing them in some weird inverted way. McLaren was not that great around those types of corners. It was easier in Monaco because they could get the front end turned in with setup, but on long corners, the suspension settles and it's nothing you can do with setup, it's just the inherent downforce of the car carrying you.
On corner entry, or exit, and sometimes the mid corner phase you can take advantage of the aero pitch sensitivity of the car, and use the brakes and the throttle to alter the ride height. It's a lot harder to do that with long steady corners, you spend more time just hanging on.
You can lift a little on entry which will put the nose closer to the ground, which will further help your turn in. In an aero formula, when and how you get on and off the power has some influence in how you get the aero working. Even if there's no exhaust blowing the diffuser, the way the car pitches forwards and backwards and how it rolls all affects the aero platform and subtleties in driving style can make the aero work better or worse.
Also, here's another thing to consider, those venetian blinds on the sidepods, they have to be interacting with the walls. Ground effect doesn't just work on the ground
