In a phone-in sessions with F1 fans published on Formula1.com, McLaren engineering director Paddy Lowe discussed the development direction the team will take for the rest of the season.
Regarding the flexible front wings, Lowe said, “We believe, and we’re not alone, that there are two cars - Ferrari and Red Bull—that have wings existing in a lower position than certainly we’re able to deliver.
“It may be entirely legitimate. It may not be. We just don’t understand it. So at the moment we’re working really hard to try and understand it and see if it is worth performance to us and if we can deliver that performance.”
McLaren’s blown rear diffuser, which uses exhaust gas to increase downforce, didn’t work well enough for use at Silverstone, but was used in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
“We’re a couple of races behind Ferrari in its introduction and obviously a half season behind the Red Bull. But we did reach the point in Hockenheim of being able to race with a working system, which gave us performance and was reliable,” Lowe said.
“We’ll find more performance all the time so we’re going to keep pushing on. It’s a new platform on which to find performance.”
“It is complex and there are all sorts of different aspects to it, whether aerodynamics, exploiting the engine, details around the exhaust, and thermal management. You’ve also got the vehicle dynamics aspects like how it affects the balance of the car through corners.
“We’re working with all of those areas and there are a lot of fronts on which to work. We expect to be getting more from it in due course.”
McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told Formula1.com that the team might not use the new F-duct bodywork at Monza, because the low-downforce setup used at that high-speed circuit would limit efficiency.
“We have the option to either run it or not. I think at the moment we are just looking at all the options,” Neale said at the teleconference.
Neale said a final decision will be made after studying data from this weekend’s Spa-Francorchamps event.
McLaren plans to spend the rest of the season fine-tuning its blown diffuser, and other aero tweaks.
Regarding the flexible front wings, Lowe said, “We believe, and we’re not alone, that there are two cars - Ferrari and Red Bull—that have wings existing in a lower position than certainly we’re able to deliver.
“It may be entirely legitimate. It may not be. We just don’t understand it. So at the moment we’re working really hard to try and understand it and see if it is worth performance to us and if we can deliver that performance.”
McLaren’s blown rear diffuser, which uses exhaust gas to increase downforce, didn’t work well enough for use at Silverstone, but was used in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim.
“We’re a couple of races behind Ferrari in its introduction and obviously a half season behind the Red Bull. But we did reach the point in Hockenheim of being able to race with a working system, which gave us performance and was reliable,” Lowe said.
“We’ll find more performance all the time so we’re going to keep pushing on. It’s a new platform on which to find performance.”
“It is complex and there are all sorts of different aspects to it, whether aerodynamics, exploiting the engine, details around the exhaust, and thermal management. You’ve also got the vehicle dynamics aspects like how it affects the balance of the car through corners.
“We’re working with all of those areas and there are a lot of fronts on which to work. We expect to be getting more from it in due course.”
McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale told Formula1.com that the team might not use the new F-duct bodywork at Monza, because the low-downforce setup used at that high-speed circuit would limit efficiency.
“We have the option to either run it or not. I think at the moment we are just looking at all the options,” Neale said at the teleconference.
Neale said a final decision will be made after studying data from this weekend’s Spa-Francorchamps event.
McLaren plans to spend the rest of the season fine-tuning its blown diffuser, and other aero tweaks.
“It’s no secret that when you have engine regulations that are largely fixed then the majority of your lap time is going to come from aerodynamics, Neale said. “Everyone is working on floors, wings and details down the side of the car and we will continue in that vein.
“In the races coming up it will be a straight development race.”
