McLaren MP4-26 Launch Thread

[christophulus]

So, this is due to be launched at 11am UK time tomorrow, in Berlin.

They seem to have deliberately launched it after the first test, so I'm hoping for some radical and never-before-seen feature to really shock the other teams. Either that or it's just mind games to wind up the others? :p

[Rollo]

I'm hoping they bring out an orange car... and then RACE it this season.

I quite like some of those orange cars that McLaren have brought out on launch day; I'm hoping that in an effort to distance themselves from MB, that they go the whole box and dice.

Is the future bright? Is the future orange?

[AndyL]

Is the future bright? Is the future orange?

I think Vodafone would say no :)

[Rollo]

If the majority of the car was orange instead of silver, and the sidepod flashes were black instead of red, then Vodafone would be happy, surely?

Vodafone have appeared on blue English Cricket ODI strips, a whole rainbow of Man Utd kits and Vodafone have even appeared on orange kits before:
http://www.sportsfile.com/winshare/watermarked-b/Library/SF174/164817.jpg

[Hawkmoon]

I think Vodafone would say no :)

Spot on. If the car isn't silver it'll be red and white which poses a bunch of problems. It can't be too red as it'll be too much like the Ferrari and having a Ferrari and a McLaren look alike is just unnatural. If they make it too white it'll either look like a Toyota or a Marlboro McLaren and that wouldn't please Vodafone me thinks.

My bet is the that the livery remains unchanged with McLaren adopting the old "we did it first" philosophy and sticking two fingers up at those Johnny-come-lately Mercedes people.

[Tazio]

...... :vader: ...... :vader: ......... :s ailor: Let's party............. :s mokin:

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/8384/screenshot20110203at165.png

[Tazio]

Just kidding :p : ;) :D

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1426/mp426spyphoto.jpg

[Tazio]

http://mclaren.com/home
http://mclaren.com/2011revealed/
You can thank me later. I'll be here all weekend

Don't forget to bring the little parts ;)


:kiss: ... :kiss: ................................................ :s mokin:



http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/114/l_44d80d62a4034e8dba27b38d5ba9f8e5.jpg

[Tazio]

http://mclaren.com/homepage/images/articles/Article-Special-Breed-1.jpg

---- :s ailor:----

http://mclaren.com/homepage/images/articles/Article-Special-Breed-2.jpg

[Retro Formula 1]

Just kidding :p : ;) :D

http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1426/mp426spyphoto.jpg

Sorry to let you down mate but I think this has been Photoshopped because those cones are not FIA approved.

[Retro Formula 1]

Is anyone a bit confused watching the Launch :confused:

It's random blokes bringing out parts and assembleing the car as they go?

Different??

[Retro Formula 1]

Snoreable. Why choose Berlin?

Car looks nice though.

[Hawkmoon]

Love the L-shaped sidepods on the car too... Just hope its fast.. :)

I see McLaren used the extra time to give the ugly stick a good work out. That car is one ugly mother****er!

[CaptainRaiden]

http://photos.gpupdate.net/newsnew/169395.jpg

WOW! Now, THOSE are some radical sidepods. :eek: Mclaren might have found something special with those sidepods in the wind tunnel. Probably that is why they revealed their car later.

[Hawkmoon]

Unfortunately your signature removes about 100kg's of weight from your comment Hawkmoon.. lol :)

Of course it does. God could design a McLaren and I'd think it was an ugly pile of crap! But those side pods do nothing for the asthetics of the car. Take a look at the pic X-ecutioner posted above. Different? Absolutely. Radical? Possibly. Beautiful? Not on your life mate!

Mind you, I think all F1 cars, even the red ones, have had a touch of the ugly stick since about '96 or so.

[I am evil Homer]

At least it's different....every car laucnhed so far looks pretty indentikit aside from perhaps the airbox design and the colour it's painted.

[CaptainRaiden]

Of course it does. God could design a McLaren and I'd think it was an ugly pile of crap! But those side pods do nothing for the asthetics of the car. Take a look at the pic X-ecutioner posted above. Different? Absolutely. Radical? Possibly. Beautiful? Not on your life mate!

Mind you, I think all F1 cars, even the red ones, have had a touch of the ugly stick since about '96 or so.

For the new Mclaren, I haven't made up my mind yet about how ugly it really is, until we see some more pictures from different angles. So far, yeah, it does look not so pleasing to the eye, but hey, to each his own. Although if it goes like a rocket, then I don't really mind those.

As for ugly Ferraris, the 2008 Ferrari is most probably one of the ugliest F1 cars I have ever seen.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2252/2218010231_fd6f42395e.jpg

Blecch!

[jens]

Brilliant! I like, how McLaren has introduced aggressive cars in the last two years compared to arch-rival Ferrari, who has been conservative and evolutional. MP4/25 was good, put ultimately didn't pay off big time. Let's see, how will this gamble turn out.

[CaptainRaiden]

Where other teams have chosen bulky, fat sidepods, McLaren have taken a very different approach. The air flow seems to pass straight to the back of the car and maybe putting more air onto the rear wing. It might not work but if it does then other teams will be unable to copy it with their package. The car looks very streamline from the front, and the L-shaped side pods look very innovative IMO. Roll on Feb 10th!!!

Yeah, I'm guessing they're aiming for more rear-end grip. BTW what's the dope on other teams copying this sidepod design? I think the rules forbid any radical change during the year, and I don't know if other teams can still copy and implement these sidepods by March.

[CaptainRaiden]

http://c0578022.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/2231_MP4-26_Side.jpg

Looks beautiful from the side profile. What's also interesting is the engine cover/roll hoop solution.

[Sonic]

http://c0578022.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/2231_MP4-26_Side.jpg

Looks beautiful from the side profile. What's also interesting is the engine cover/roll hoop solution.

This is my new desktop pic. OMG, it's gorgeous.

Looks like a dogs dinner from the front but who cares.

Sidebar: didn't Benetton do something similar side pod wise in '97ish? Although nowhere near as extreme of course.

[Tazio]

WOW :s nore: It's breath-taking :s nore:


http://c0578022.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/med_2232_MP4-26-Overhead.jpg

[Tazio]

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26_2-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.IeJySnqvey.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26_3-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.MkknLu1XbK.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.DlFBql7anQ.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26_4-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.knUOSlgZ7V.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26_5-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.tR7Madc_ps.jpg

[Tazio]

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/470x264xmcl26_8-470x264.jpg.pagespeed.ic.6-khOuq_oE.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/mcl26_6.jpg.pagespeed.ce.DwNkD4xRQ9.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/mcl26_7.jpg.pagespeed.ce.OGdVZhxRJK.jpg

[AndySpeed]

I think the back of the car is very nice looking.

The side profile of the car also makes it one of the best looking launches of the season. :up:

[Tazio]

http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1105/mp426f150.jpg

[Sonic]

I'm having a crisis! :D

[Tazio]

http://f1.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/8600/8626.jpg
http://f1.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/8600/8625.jpg
http://f1.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/8600/8621.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Yjpc_eruYBo/TUv1NWbomfI/AAAAAAAAKLY/K3ZDt1qYjbw/s640/mcl26_10.jpg
http://f1.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/8600/8622.jpg

[Tazio]

http://img146.imageshack.us/img146/7782/47864060.jpg

[Norwegian Blue]

http://b.f1-facts.com/ul/a/4970
Rather mid 90s designs coming out this year!
And does anyone else find it really weird the cars not having the sharkfins, despite them only being around for a season or two?

[Retro Formula 1]

I think overall the car is good looking but don't like the pods. However, if they give an advantage, I don't give a sh*t what they look like :D

Very interesting secondary inr intake. Is it mixing with the exhaust gass to prodide better airflow out of the back and stalling the wing at higher speeds?

[Tazio]

Nice Freakin' Launch in the Fatherland :up:

Do you know what I always find amusing,

and I hear it all the time?

As if to punctuate the contribution, and sacrafice of my countries involement in the European Theatre of WW2.

This expression:

"If it wasn't for the U.S. ya' 'awl boys would be speaking German"! :eek:

Is that like something that would matter?

I can remember when the oficial international language was changed from French to English. It was in the mid to late 60's if my memory serves me correctly.

So what?

What if everyone in Europe decided that German should be the Euro-language.

Who would care? and why would I hold it against you. :confused: :dozey: :s mokin:

[AndySpeed]

And does anyone else find it really weird the cars not having the sharkfins, despite them only being around for a season or two?

No, not when you consider this:

http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/0/814.html
or this:
http://www.formula1.com/news/technical/2011/0/823.html

[wedge]

Where other teams have chosen bulky, fat sidepods

I disagree. I don't find them bulky nor fat, its the way the rules have been written for the higher inlets. I find it innovative how the radiators fit and the narrow, tapering slim lines rearwards.

The trend has been for narrow coke bottles whereas McLaren's is very broad and whether the split channels created by the sidepod designs will actually work in the real world and the danger of creating more dirty air around the rear wheels/rear plane


Yeah, I'm guessing they're aiming for more rear-end grip.

Interesting reference to rear downforce and particularly the rear floor. An achilles heel for the past couple of years.


http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/89287

The thinking behind that is to feed as much good-quality air as possible to the rear-lower main plane and the floor of the car.

[Donney]

It looks good indeed!

[Mia 01]

It looks good, could be fast.

The 26 is much fatter in the middle than the 25.

[schmenke]

Yes, yes, it looks all very interesting and inovative, but I'm sure other teams will find something to complain about, the FIA will investigate, declare somethingorother in violation of the technical regs and promptly ban the bits... :dozey:









Apologies for the facetiousness, it's been a long winter... :p :

[UltimateDanGTR]

Wow, another Mclaren rolls into the world.

The sidepods are very innovative and I hope they work, no matter how ugly they may be. So now we have all the major players revealed, and 2011 is getting evermore tantelising.

[Sleeper]

Love em or hate em you cant accuse McLaren of complacency and conservatism. Whitmarsh has apparently said that there are more surprises to come from this car as well.

[Sonic]

^^^ Indeedy. The sneaky blighters put fake plastic exhaust pipes on the car so we don't really know what they done there.

[truefan72]

looks good.

I think we will have to wait till the first race to see the real deal.

Anyway, with the introduction of kers that should offset the loss of Fduct and hopefully fixing their rear end stability for better cornering we will perhaps see a mac that can compete on the tighter circuits now.

[Sonic]

It's log wheel based though - not exactly going to be nimble on the tight twisty stuff.

[gloomyDAY]

I like how the Ferrari yokels go to every launch thread and hate on the new cars.

Keep your ****ing comments to yourselves. If anyone else writes something bad about Ferrari, then it's an automatic ban.

[driveace]

Could have pulled a surprise on the other F1 teams,regarding the side pods etc,after private tests with Gary Parfitt,in Spain early next week,and then testing at Jerez,we will know if it works

[Mia 01]

Yes, the wheelbase is very long, the silver bus once again.

[Hawkmoon]

I like how the Ferrari yokels go to every launch thread and hate on the new cars.

Keep your ****ing comments to yourselves. If anyone else writes something bad about Ferrari, then it's an automatic ban.

This from a guy who posted this in the Ferrari launch thread:




I hope the F150 goes down in flames.



:rolleyes:

[gloomyDAY]

This from a guy who posted this in the Ferrari launch thread:




:rolleyes:
Yes! Baited and hooked.

You've just been trolled.

Anyway, McLaren are sure going to have a hell of a season with this design. This could be like 2009 when they made a dud and spent their way out of it, or like 2007 when they won the WCC. :D

[Tazio]

I like how the Ferrari yokels go to every launch thread and hate on the new cars.

Keep your ****ing comments to yourselves. If anyone else writes something bad about Ferrari, then it's an automatic ban.

What are you flapping your lips about?
And when did you get commisioned to the Top Brass on this forum?
Soldier................ you can impress the hell out of me by doing exactly as you are told.
and not exceed your athority in this arena................................. :s mokin:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHunIg8NpVc7ZStIU4CmJg3A8NMuDpW 9cNBr8WCU_FUkjApPEIAg

[Hawkmoon]

Yes! Baited and hooked.

This could be like 2009 when they made a dud and spent their way out of it, or like 2007 when they won the WCC. :D

That's right they did. What was the car called again? I think it was called the MP4-F2007. ;)

[Tazio]

Ok check out the basic difference. I'm not trying to dis' McLaren; I have a strong suspicion that the 26 will be very fast in a straight line, as well as some overall improvement in the area of traction. RB7 like last season will have a very grippy car and fast in the turns, while Ferrari will have a little of the best of both worlds.
Meaning things are probably going to shake down the way they did last year with the exception of the RB maybe not having such an advantage in quali. JMHO!

Later squids!!!! :dozey:


http://www.formula1onlive.com/2011/02/2011-mclaren-mp4-26-and-2010-mclaren.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Yjpc_eruYBo/TUxaWvNEMsI/AAAAAAAAKN4/udsZj8K5XH8/s1600/mp4_26_comp_front.jpg (http://www.formula1onlive.com/2011/02/2011-mclaren-mp4-26-and-2010-mclaren.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yjpc_eruYBo/TUxntx8sn_I/AAAAAAAAKOE/bhXU0y9qRPM/s1600/mp4_26_comp_side.jpg (http://www.formula1onlive.com/2011/02/2011-mclaren-mp4-26-and-2010-mclaren.html)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Yjpc_eruYBo/TUxacu5R1rI/AAAAAAAAKOA/diTEfCU-oUI/s1600/mp4_26_comp_top.jpg (http://www.formula1onlive.com/2011/02/2011-mclaren-mp4-26-and-2010-mclaren.html)

[CaptainRaiden]

Ok check out the basic difference. I'm not trying to dis' McLaren; I have a strong suspicion that the 26 will be very fast in a straight line, as well as some overall improvement in the area of traction. RB7 like last season will have a very grippy car and fast in the turns, while Ferrari will have a little of the best of both worlds.
Meaning things are probably going to shake down the way they did last year with the exception of the RB maybe not having such an advantage in quali. JMHO!

Wow, all that simply by looking at the cars? Going by that logic, the "new" Ferrari is almost identical to last year's car, albeit the higher nose. That means Alonso is gonna lose again by 4 points. :p There could be a number of changes "under the hood" which we simply wouldn't know, for example a different suspension geometry, how the new tyres behave with this car, how the single diffuser would work, just as everybody else, hugely different front and rear wings, how good their KERS is, probably the radical new sidepods finally solved their rear-end grip problems. Based on all these factors, it could be a complete dog or the 2011 winner.

The 2006 and 2007 Mclarens were almost identical looking apart from a slight change to the livery, but one was a mid-fielder dog and the second almost won the championship.

http://www.grandprix.com/jpeg/misc/2006mclaren1-lg.jpg

http://www.indymotorspeedway.com/sitebuilder/images/MP4-22-405x600.jpg

Same could be said about the 2004 and 2005 Ferrari, which were almost identical in looks, but the F2005 let down completely by crap Bridgestone tyres.

[Tazio]

:rolleyes: So much anger in a young man :D
What part of JMHO do you not understand?
As far as Fred losing by 4 points, I think that's optimistic.
But then that is why they actually run the races.
I'm optimistic that Ferrari can be in the hunt for the WCC But still only opinion!
IMHO Ferrari has a better two man package than RB, but that would require
Felipe to be closer than 100 points behind his teammate.
However this is McLarens thread so just remember you brought Fred into it.
BTW I think that they have a tandem of drivers that are equal, or slightly better than Ferrari.
I was simply trying to size the cars up in what I can only claim to be an intuitive sense.
I don't expect anyone to take my opinion on faith, except myself.

Like later dude
Like much later :s mokin:

[CaptainRaiden]

:rolleyes: So much anger in a young man :D
What part of JMHO do you not understand?
As far as Fred losing by 4 points, I think that's optimistic.
But then that is why they actually run the races.
I'm optimistic that Ferrari can be in the hunt for the WCC But still only opinion!
IMHO Ferrari has a better two man package than RB, but that would require
Felipe to be closer than 100 points behind his teammate.
However this is McLarens thread so just remember you brought Fred into it.
BTW I think that they have a tandem of drivers that are equal, or slightly better than Ferrari.
I was simply trying to size the cars up in what I can only claim to be an intuitive sense.
I don't expect anyone to take my opinion on faith, except myself.

Like later dude
Like much later :s mokin:

Massa would first have to get over the million buttons on his steering wheel, wipe his nose and then carry on. Fernando would probably buy into his own 6-tenths hype and pull another door off its hinges when the replacement driver Bianchi starts beating him. Sorry to bust your bubble Taz man, but RB will beat Ferrari, and then RB will in-turn be beaten by Mclaren. You heard it here first. :cool: :p

[Sleeper]

^I think X-ecutioner is just bringing up the point that maiking predictions on how a car is going to do based on the look of the launch car is on a fools errand. Thats still the 2010 front wing on there and we wont know till Bahrain how well any of the cars work. Remember Red Bulls blown diffuser, it didnt go on the car till the last test and then they sandbagged. It looked like they had the fifth fastest car going into the first race behind Sauber, remind me again how well those two teams did?

[Sonic]

^^^ Good points, well made.

[jens]

When was Red Bull fifth fastest car in pre-2010? I remember Top3 teams (Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull) being considered fairly equal with Mercedes trailing slightly behind. Predictions were actually quite right last year, perhaps just Renault turned out to be a bit better than expected. And Sauber a bit worse.

But regarding McLaren it has to be said that possibly they will struggle at Monaco again as they once again have a long-wheelbase car.

[Tazio]

Massa would first have to get over the million buttons on his steering wheel, wipe his nose and then carry on. Fernando would probably buy into his own 6-tenths hype and pull another door off its hinges when the replacement driver Bianchi starts beating him. Sorry to bust your bubble Taz man, but RB will beat Ferrari, and then RB will in-turn be beaten by Mclaren. You heard it here first. :cool: :p

LOL you are actually getting a little angry. :eek: If everything you stated about Ferrari does actually happen I would be less disturbed at the end of the season than you are now. I like Ferrari regardless of who is driving them. Way to break out a can of 6/10ths
Like that is something I care about. I was just bringing images to the thread, and thought "you know what Alcy, The proper thing to do would be to at least to add some commentary, instead of just splashing pictures up on the thread". So I posted the first thing that came to my mind. It never was meant to be profound or informed, Just a comment. These threads will disappear relatively quickly since they were only intended to be about the launch. Maybe these are good threads to vent on? It doesn’t make no never mind to me. I'm over here clowning, and I have members that I think are mutual brothers of the formula going mental. I guess I've been in too good of a mood lately to realize that there is cyber war going on here. I'm not playing that way this season. There is just too many other things to do for fun in my life to use all my "good times" capitol on here.
Sorry if I offended anyone I didn't mean to offend anyone anymore than the other.
Didn't mean to put you on Front Street bro!

[IceWizard]

That is a beautiful car, from the side view at least. Just hope it's speed matches the looks. As another poster said, a great desktop background.

[CaptainRaiden]

LOL you are actually getting a little angry. :eek: If everything you stated about Ferrari does actually happen I would be less disturbed at the end of the season than you are now. I like Ferrari regardless of who is driving them. Way to break out a can of 6/10ths
Like that is something I care about. I was just bringing images to the thread, and thought "you know what Alcy, The proper thing to do would be to at least to add some commentary, instead of just splashing pictures up on the thread". So I posted the first thing that came to my mind. It never was meant to be profound or informed, Just a comment. These threads will disappear relatively quickly since they were only intended to be about the launch. Maybe these are good threads to vent on? It doesn’t make no never mind to me. I'm over here clowning, and I have members that I think are mutual brothers of the formula going mental. I guess I've been in too good of a mood lately to realize that there is cyber war going on here. I'm not playing that way this season. There is just too many other things to do for fun in my life to use all my "good times" capitol on here.
Sorry if I offended anyone I didn't mean to offend anyone anymore than the other.
Didn't mean to put you on Front Street bro!

:confused: What part of my post makes you think that I got angry? It's all in good fun, chillax bro. What I said about Massa and Alonso were OBVIOUSLY jokes. D'oh!

[CaptainRaiden]

But regarding McLaren it has to be said that possibly they will struggle at Monaco again as they once again have a long-wheelbase car.

We'll have to wait and see. Longer wheelbase doesn't necessarily mean they'll struggle on tighter circuits. For example the Ferrari F2007 vs F2008

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/7757/2008ferrarivs2007ferrarsx2.jpg

Both of them had pretty much identical wheelbase, also using the same keel setup from what I remember, and were both much longer compared to the McLaren in those two years. While the F2007 was brilliant on faster circuits and struggled on tighter circuits in 2007, the F2008 was 1-2 in qualifying at Monaco 2008, and Massa almost won Hungary if not for the engine failure, albeit the Mclarens were on pole. Kimi also won Catalunya that year pretty comfortably. I know, comparing apples with oranges, but in the end it all boils down to aerodynamic efficiency and car setup.

I'm sure McLaren were pretty aware of their incompetence on tighter circuits in 2010, so I won't be surprised if they've solved that problem this year. Or maybe they'd like to maintain their dominance on high speed, low downforce circuits, improve on medium downforce circuits and let go of the few tight circuits. Anywho, this season is shaping up to be another brilliant one.

[Tazio]

We'll have to wait and see. Longer wheelbase doesn't necessarily mean they'll struggle on tighter circuits. For example the Ferrari F2007 vs F2008

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/7757/2008ferrarivs2007ferrarsx2.jpg

Both of them had pretty much identical wheelbase, also using the same keel setup from what I remember, and were both much longer compared to the McLaren in those two years. While the F2007 was brilliant on faster circuits and struggled on tighter circuits in 2007, the F2008 was 1-2 in qualifying at Monaco 2008, and Massa almost won Hungary if not for the engine failure, albeit the Mclarens were on pole. Kimi also won Catalunya that year pretty comfortably. I know, comparing apples with oranges, but in the end it all boils down to aerodynamic efficiency and car setup.

I'm sure McLaren were pretty aware of their incompetence on tighter circuits in 2010, so I won't be surprised if they've solved that problem this year. Or maybe they'd like to maintain their dominance on high speed, low downforce circuits, improve on medium downforce circuits and let go of the few tight circuits. Anywho, this season is shaping up to be another brilliant one.Good answer :) and very insightful. You obviously know more about the technical side of F1, and I think that you have projected some really interesting alternatives.
From what I've heard, and seen Ferrari have new rear end geometry and suspension. What McLaren has is still pretty much a complete mystery. I can't wait for the season to start, and I really hope it’s a dogfight at the top :up:
However Mia knows that the RB7 will run away with the championship so I don’t think it will hold my interest very firmly if she is right! :D

[Mia 01]

It´s moore to it than the long wheelbase as most of us can see. You will need your toes crossed aswell.

[Mia 01]

The new Mac is so far doing reasoable good, they could be up there come race start.

And henner do you remeber da da da da, I do.

[Sleeper]

When was Red Bull fifth fastest car in pre-2010? I remember Top3 teams (Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull) being considered fairly equal with Mercedes trailing slightly behind. Predictions were actually quite right last year, perhaps just Renault turned out to be a bit better than expected. And Sauber a bit worse.

But regarding McLaren it has to be said that possibly they will struggle at Monaco again as they once again have a long-wheelbase car.
They never went for out and out qualy runs lat year if I remember right and their long runs where much shorter than anyone elses. The reports put Ferrrari an RBR about equal with McLaren and Mercedes just behind. End of day test times rarely had the Red Bulls at the top as well, unlike the Sauber which regualrly featured close to the top of the times, which is the point I was making as the fact that fuel weight could have as much a a 4 second difference to lap times made headline times pointless.

The long wheelbase of the McLaren could make them a little slow on the twisty circuits, but its thought that it could also help them protect the rear tyres, which is beginning to look like a defining point for this.

[Sleeper]

Good answer :) and very insightful. You obviously know more about the technical side of F1, and I think that you have projected some really interesting alternatives.
From what I've heard, and seen Ferrari have new rear end geometry and suspension. What McLaren has is still pretty much a complete mystery. I can't wait for the season to start, and I really hope it’s a dogfight at the top :up:
However Mia knows that the RB7 will run away with the championship so I don’t think it will hold my interest very firmly if she is right! :D

The McLaren has pullrod rear suspension like the Red Bull, you can clearly see this on the Force India which has a McLaren gearbox and casing, which means same suspension mounting points. In fact, only Ferrari and Virgin seem to have stayed with pushrods, with the central damper and rocker moved forward obove the gearbox casing to reduce blockage to the rear beam wing. A different solution to the same problem.

The big mystery with McLaren is what they'll do with the exhaust, and posibly diffuser since neither were particualrly evident at the launch.

[Mia 01]

For now, it´s a nice car, radical, fastest of all, but it needs spareparts in time.

[wedge]

The big mystery with McLaren is what they'll do with the exhaust, and posibly diffuser since neither were particualrly evident at the launch.

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/02/17/mclaren-mp4-26-exhaust-is-the-u-bend-a-front-exit/

[gloomyDAY]

I think the cancellation of Bahrain is good news for McLaren.

Their sponsors may not by happy, but at least they'll have more time to get up to speed.

[Zico]

The big mystery with McLaren is what they'll do with the exhaust, and posibly diffuser since neither were particualrly evident at the launch.


Could this be it? 2734

[Henry Street]

Hopefully this car will be sorted and reclaim the championship we deserve!

[Dave B]

I've noticed a few saying the McLaren MP4-26 will struggle at Monaco due to its long wheel base? It appears very slightly shorter than last year and I think its been proven above that longer wheel base cars have outperformed on ocassion. I'll keep my fingers crossed.. :)

Even if that's true, Monaco is just one race out of 19 (or 20). If you had to sacrifice just one track to avoid compromising the design of the car, it's probably a price worth paying.

[CaptainRaiden]

OOPS!!

Source: http://www.gpupdate.net/en/f1-news/253675/mclaren-drivers-admit-to-lack-of-pace/


McLaren drivers admit to lack of pace
2 March 2011

McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have both hinted that their 2011 car may not be set to be challenge for race victories from the start of the upcoming season, with the team having dropped back significantly for mileage over the first three of four pre-season test sessions. With Ferrari leading the way for mileage, with 1,172 laps having been racked up in Valencia, Jerez and Barcelona so far, McLaren are placed ninth out of twelve teams and ahead of only the three new entrants of last year, with 842 laps to their name after a selection of technical problems which have considerably limited running time. “When I first jumped in it the first reaction was not, 'Wow, we're going to blow everyone away,’ no,” 2009 World Champion Button told Reuters. “I don't think anyone would have felt that because it's got a lot less downforce, the (Pirelli) tyres are working very differently to the previous (Bridgestone) tyre.

“But there's nothing that really scares me about the car in a negative way, so there's a lot we can improve with this car through general setup work. This year, at the moment, we've had some issues in testing in terms of getting parts to the circuit and a couple of reliability issues, so we've not done as much running as we would have liked, which has hurt our setup work. But we do have four days and hopefully everything's going to run sweet at the next test and we get a lot of laps in and we can improve the base that we have; there's a lot still to extract from this car that we haven't because we just haven't had time to do it, we haven't got everything together yet, so we don't really know where we are compared to the competition.”

Compatriot, team-mate and title predecessor Hamilton added: “Of course we'd love to have had more mileage. I think we've good things coming in the pipeline and we've definitely improved in the last couple days, we got 107 laps (in one day) at the last test. The 2009 car was terrible because it was hopping, three-wheeling through corners, it was locking up and it had no downforce. This doesn't lock up, it doesn't three-wheel and it handles really nice, better than last year's car, but it just doesn't have as much downforce...so that's where it feels weak. Hopefully we've got some more downforce coming onto the car before the first race.”

Lewis' words in the end gives some hope that there is still light at the end of the tunnel, but it doesn't look good for them. The handling is better, but they don't have any downforce. Probably they should put those L shaped sidepods upside down, there, that solves the downforce problem. :p

[jens]

Interesting that McLaren has an aerodynamic problem again like they did in 2009. On the other hand their aero was pretty good last year as they were more competitive on circuits with high-speed corners (Istanbul, Silverstone, Spa) than their traditionally strong street circuits.

[CLF66]

Good luck to the boys - fingers crossed the delayed season start gives them the time they need to iron out the issues.

[AndyL]

Do they still operate the system of having alternate years' cars designed by two different designers?

[CaptainRaiden]

Do they still operate the system of having alternate years' cars designed by two different designers?

I'm not sure if they still do that. But if this car is a dog, which so far it seems to be, then I wouldn't be surprised if it's designed by the same nut who designed that 2009 piece of crap.

[anthonyvop]

Hopefully this car will be sorted and reclaim the championship we deserve!

Why do YOU deserve the Championship?

[ioan]

Why do YOU deserve the Championship?

:up: ;)

[Tazio]

Why do YOU deserve the Championship?

:s ailor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWJX9yUKJeQ ;)

[jens]

At worst case scenario McLaren may face another 2004. A car that is not only slow, but also keeps breaking down. I wonder, what kind of organizational problems have they got, because back in 2008 I was thinking they are the most complete team. And perhaps it's not the smartest thing to try to design a completely clean sheet unconventional design for each year.

[truefan72]

At worst case scenario McLaren may face another 2004. A car that is not only slow, but also keeps breaking down. I wonder, what kind of organizational problems have they got, because back in 2008 I was thinking they are the most complete team. And perhaps it's not the smartest thing to try to design a completely clean sheet unconventional design for each year.

good observation and as a mclaren fan, I am beginning to question their R&D as well. Perhaps it is time to get a fresh pair of eyes in there that has a grasp of these new cars. I thought 2009 was a bit of a fluke because both they and ferrari were so involved ni the 2008 season that they had to play catch up as well as the odd Diffuser situation with Brawn. But by 2010 Ferrari were well on their way and once again mclaren were off the pace. They did manage to acquit themselves well though with both button and Hamilton getting race wins and TBH were in the WDC fight all year long. But Now they seem to be behind again. I hope I am wrong and they have been sandbagging it, but I fear it will be a few races before we see a mclaren win :(

[Zico]

McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh has said that his team will surprise by being competitive in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix next week.

Whitmarsh's confidence comes despite a lack of pace and reliability for Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button during pre-season testing in Spain.

"Do I think we head into the weekend as favourites? No," said Whitmarsh.

"But do I feel that we have the capacity to surprise people and be competitive? Very much so."

The McLaren MP4-26 has proved disappointingly slow during testing, and the team languishes 11th on total mileage completed of all the F1 teams' new cars - ahead only of Hispania Racing's challenger, which will not run until practice in Australia.


Whitmarsh explained: "Over the winter, we set ourselves some extremely ambitious performance targets for MP4-26. We are an uncompromising team and, as with every car we build, we tend to push development to the limit.

"In some cases, we've pushed over those limits, and the resulting lack of mileage has invariably eaten into our pre-season preparation.

"However, it's called testing for a reason - and testing MP4-26 beyond its limit has, in some ways, been highly instructive.

"In actual fact, we've gathered a huge amount of useful data about the car, its handling characteristics and its management of the tyres. So while we've further fine-tuned the package for Melbourne, we've once again set ourselves some extremely tough targets for this opening race weekend."

While no one is expecting a repeat of 2009, when McLaren's MP4-24 proved disastrously slow early in the season, many commentators have wondered whether the team have become prone to making mistakes in design that are only highlighted when the car hits the track.

Whitmarsh believes this is not the case. "Do I think our testing pace is representative of the pace we'll show in Australia? No," he added.

I'm regularly asked if I can make it three wins in a row this year. That might not look likely, but who knows? I most definitely wouldn't rule it out

Jenson Button

"We never give up: we're fighters - that's the spirit that has won us 20 world championships [drivers' and constructors'] in the past and which makes us a team you can never underestimate."

McLaren's drivers are similarly optimistic about prospects for the Australian Grand Prix, with 2009 world champion Button refusing to rule out a Melbourne hat-trick.

"I'm regularly asked if I can make it three wins in a row this year," he said. "On paper that might not look likely, but seriously, who knows? I most definitely wouldn't rule it out.

"Albert Park always seems to create unpredictable races, and we often see fast cars running out of sequence - and the excitement that brings. With the added issue of multiple tyre stops, it could be a very exciting and unpredictable weekend."

His team-mate, 2008 world champion Hamilton, added: "I've maintained my enthusiasm and momentum despite a somewhat difficult few weeks of winter tests.

"We can't hide the fact that testing has been tougher than we expected: our test mileage hasn't been as high as that of our rivals, nor have we had the outright pace of the fastest cars.

"Still, I have a good feeling with MP4-26: I like driving it, I think it will look after its tyres quite well and I understand that we'll be making further performance steps ahead of this opening race.

"Some teams are extremely well prepared - both from a pace and reliability point of view - but that can sometimes count for little in the unpredictable and somewhat chaotic opening races, where it's equally vital just to take points home.

"I get the impression that we'll be arriving in Melbourne with everything finally meshing together - and that makes me really excited."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9428957.stm


Doesn't sound like sandbagging to me, it may be behind the other main teams in milage, package development and outright pace but Its still way too early to judge the MP26 as a dog Imo.

[gloomyDAY]

I wonder why McLaren has struggled to be competitive out of the blocks since 2009.

What is going on with their design team?

[Zico]

McLaren reckon they may have improved the car by around 1 second since the last test session..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9428957.stm


Maybe..

[truefan72]

McLaren reckon they may have improved the car by around 1 second since the last test session..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9428957.stm


Maybe..

Yeah I saw that and find this development most interesting,

unless it was their plan all along.

[Hawkmoon]

McLaren reckon they may have improved the car by around 1 second since the last test session..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/9428957.stm


Maybe..


Yeah I saw that and find this development most interesting,

unless it was their plan all along.

If improving your car by 1 second was that easy then HRT wouldn't suck as much as they do.

Nothing warms the cockles of one's heart quite like a slow McLaren so I sincerely hope the car really does suck.

Regardless of whether McLaren's new exhaust is a magic bullet that cures what ails them, Red Bull and Ferrari will keep a close eye on the Woking boys, Hamilton in particular. Rarely can you count McLaren out of race wins, if not championships.

[gloomyDAY]

Rarely can you count McLaren out of race wins, if not championships.Championships? No way. Hamilton won the 2008 WDC for McLaren after a nine year drought, and they haven't won a WCC in over a decade. I think McLaren need to win more championships sooner rather than later if they expect the sponsorship dollars to roll into their camp. I'd hate to see them turn into another ailing team like Williams.

[Hawkmoon]

Championships? No way. Hamilton won the 2008 WDC for McLaren after a nine year drought, and they haven't won a WCC in over a decade. I think McLaren need to win more championships sooner rather than later if they expect the sponsorship dollars to roll into their camp. I'd hate to see them turn into another ailing team like Williams.

That's what I mean. Even if they aren't championship contenders, they're rarely fail to win, so the front runners will be keeping an eye on them to be sure.

[gloomyDAY]

That's what I mean. Even if they aren't championship contenders, they're rarely fail to win, so the front runners will be keeping an eye on them to be sure.Oh! Trackin', I'm trackin'.

[Mia 01]

Maclarens simulator is out of order or the engineers don´t understand how to use it.

Now they introduce a B spec car. Well it´s interesting.

[SGWilko]

Maclarens simulator is out of order or the engineers don´t understand how to use it.

Now they introduce a B spec car. Well it´s interesting.

A new floor makes it a B spec car? :confused:

[Dave B]

McLaren reckon they may have improved the car by around 1 second since the last test session..



So now it'll only be half a second per lap behind the RBRs and Ferraris :s

[Mia 01]

So now it'll only be half a second per lap behind the RBRs and Ferraris :s

RB don´t need to use KEERS, Lews has to dig a lot deeper.

[Robinho]

So now it'll only be half a second per lap behind the RBRs and Ferraris :s

your tongue in cheek prophecy looks dead on - the car is about 1 second quicker, unbeleiveabley, and is about half a second behind red bull (plus another quarter of a second for a perfect and confident Vettel) you only missed on the Ferrrai part!

[driveace]

Although they said that Vettel did not use KERS on his fastest lap,Mclaren said that Lewis had a fault with his KERS system ,so was not operating

[Dave B]

RB don´t need to use KEERS, Lews has to dig a lot deeper.

Don't need to, or don't have a full system installed? ;)

[Mia 01]

They have no own engineers, all they do is to co´py Red Bull.