Hahah that's what I thought he was saying

Then I apologise

I think the weight distribution because of KERS and the unexpected tyre requirements did play against them, but the aero is all about wind tunnel/cfd - track testing is just going to validate what they've got, and they didn't have enough unfortunately. It's interesting that they are still using flow-viz paint on the car - it implies that they don't have confidence in the results they're getting from the factory.

No need to apologise.

I had made the same observation in an ealier posting, this for is a major concern as they design and produce next year's challenger. The upside is that the info or validation data gathered with flow-viz would help to further caliberate and fine tune their factory based tools.

No it doesn't, it is fact that once parts are developed in the wind tunnels they need to be track tested to see if the wind tunnel predictions are correct or not, they cant just whack it on and hope its good, they need to know if the air is flowing over it like it should, if it is moving through the air the way it should, and if it is improving airflow over the rest of the car like it should, it doesn't not have anything to do with loss of confidence in factory equipment.

I think you'll find I said they do track testing to validate the cfd/wind tunnel results - but this is done in a quantitative way i.e. measured aero loads etc

The paint on the other hand is a qualitative assessment – it gives them no hard numbers, just gives an idea where the air is going. The fact they are using it so frequently is unusual and implies that they don’t have confidence that their factory tools are producing realistic results.

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it's a great looking car, thats for sure.

The McLaren has gone from one of the bulky looking fat F1 cars on launch day to an amazing looking car, every angle looks so cool.

Edit: Minus the weird vertical wings on the front of the sidepods, as with every team.

I still think it's one of the ugliest McLarens ever. But compared to other 2009 cars, it's not too bad. The Bull has the nicest shapes though imo.

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Wow that is one complex brake system.

well according to bbc both went for the longer wheelsbase car, sec looked like both drivers went for the higher DF rearwing, they tested both yesterday. Could be smart in order to help protect tires. Although the harder looks like the one, for this weekend. Im quessing top 6 for hami and top 10 for kova.

If webber change his engine, is possible 1-2 for macca boys???

Regards

How does Webber changing his engine affect the race? (assuming that the new one doesn't explode of course)

They ran without KERS in Silverstone and they were nowhere there.

They didn't redesign the car for the lack of KERS.

I just hear Mr. Eddie Jordan been completely dismissive of Mclaren race simulation processes.
Does anyone knows where he lives so that I can drive by and pump a couple of slugs up his rear end?

I think he was talking a lot of sense.

Maybe, but he shouldn't be so dismissive of a procedure that had worked ans still working, the process wasn't to blame for what happened last weekend, it was a communication problem.

From this morning:

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Great pics Bond.
You must be paying a bundle to be sitting where those shots were taken from!

And I bet they hadn't fed that into the simulation, which really was the point he was making. You can't take every possible permutation into account and being able to react to what is happening in the real world is a better skill.

I agree, but it is still useful. I don't think Mclaren had stopped using there heads to compliment their simulation investment.
My beef with him was the disdain with which he dismissed it and listening to MW, Mclaren are not the only team having such a system.

I'd rather hear an honest opinion than a bit of BS even if I didn't agree.

Very weird qualy session, but I kndn of expected us to be knocked out of Q3. However with a good strategy, KERS and the Trulli train we can get points.

Fisi&Trulli in the first corner is asking for trouble. Also I suspect Toyota,FI and BMW are lighter than most.

I wish.
I'm paying a bundle to sit here in the Algarve

Well that wasn't entirely unexpected. Like I said before... Macca will get raped in sector 2.. and so they did.


Edit - Both Force Indias quicker than both Maccas in the middle sector...

Still FI,Toyota and BMW came from nowhere this weekend, that most definitely was unexpected, this year there has been more variance from circuit to circuit than ever before. Lewis knew he wouldn't get into Q3 all it need was 1 tenth. Still form 1.5 secs off the pace at Silverstone, to 0.6/0.7 secs off at Spa is a massive turnaround, chin up team we're still immensely proud of you.

Anyone got apex speeds for Pouhon because I've got a sneaky suspicion that corner is costing us. They used to say Eau Rouge was worth a second, nowadays I reckon Pouhon makes or breaks your lap.

What does this mean for the next few races? That we just have to suffer through this and Monza to get to the big upgrade in Singapore? (edit: by 'we' I mean 'we' the fans)

Will be Monza be worse than this for McLaren?

I'm looking forward to tomorrow in a way, it's now one of those 'pressure off' races.

Whatever strategy we have would be similar to Roseberg, sutil and ALonso. All cars evenly matched. It down to who makes the best start. If Lewis gets stuck behind Nico, sutil or ALonso its curtains. It however, its gearing for an exciting race. I am rooting for Reubens and I think Karma is on his side.

We're good in the chicanes and as sectors 1&3 show on the straights the KERS are quick. We might struggle a bit in the Lesmos, the Ascari chicane and Parabolica, but not as much as we struggled in sector 2 here. Also Monza reward mechanical grip and that's one of our strong points.

Badoer got a tow in Qualy from Vettel in Sector 1. As a result his speed was measured at 324kph, which is 202.5 mph which was some 13 kph quicker than anyone else, Lewis is very good on the brakes and IMO he'll be able to overtake, also I would rule out Kimi for a race win tomorrow. Regardless of where we are on the grid I'm uber excited for tomorrow and I think we'll see something special form Lewis and Kimi(and hoepfully Fisi and Rubens)

Hasn't mclaren always been strong at monza? i reckon it's gonna be one of the strong races

very bad result for maccas..... what´s happened?

regards

Bad S2. But I reckon we'll make up places at the start and over the race. My main concern is getting tangled up at the start as there will be quite a speed differential between KERS and non-KERS.

aero corners happend

What happened was that Kers had been helping McLaren.

KERS is very useful here as well.

We are still lacking a lot Aero wise.................

Something wrong happen here, 4 brawn, 8 red bull...

btw, grande fisico

KERS will be immense there. Use it out of Parabolica, then as you pass the S/F straight you'll have you're 6.67secs boost topped up, then you can use it out of all the chicanes and out of the final Lesmo, you only need to use the boost for 1 second or so. It should mask the Aero problems out of the Lesmos and Ascari Chicane. Remember the line comparison between Vettel and Lewis at the chicane at the Nurbugring where Lewis pulled away, IMO we'll be in the Top 6 at Monza.

Agreed.

No reason to be too disappointed. We knew that the 24 in not a top car in efficient downforce. The qualy was extremely close (on the longest circuit of the calendar), Lewis was off by only 75 thousandths from Q3. Many cars have more efficient aero for such circuits. This track is not for the MP4-24*, that's it. But the race is yet to come and the car is tweaked for overtaking. It will be exicting to watch. Anything can happen even in dry, and you can't exclude the rain in Spa, even if it's not in the forecast. Spa has its own microclimate.


*There's no car on the field which is a top car on every circuit, not even the RBR or Brawn. If the 24 would have started the season relatively with the Nürburgring package, it would be a title contender even not being the best in aero.

It was a bad Quali.. for sure..

BUT

I am more than happy to see us mid-field and not struggling at the back. Who knows?... maybe the fuel loads will show that we just went a little too heavy??

I think also, that Heikki and Lewis did Q2 on the soft tyre?... good times were being set on the harder compound if I remember correctly.. this could have made us just miss out.

We are primed and ready for some overtaking in S1 and S2 on Sunday.

Watch out Button, Webber and we will grab points..

Thank you McLaren for doing what you have done.. it is greatly appreciated thus far.

A few races ago..I would have been overjoyed with this result..

J

Very little between Mclaren, Ferrari, Brawn, Red Bull and Renault over the lap. That's a real leap forward.

I have deep suspicions about the others.

Q2 is run on low fuel

As Guizotia wrote, the car run in Silverstone was designed to be used with KERS, with all the compromises that entails. Qualifying in Spa has showed that KERS can't make up for aerodynamic deficiences yet, not even on the relatively (aero) efficient Ferrari design. I'm not at all convinced that a car designed to use KERS in 2010 will be faster than one designed to not use it, pursuing aggressive packaging and thus aero design instead.

Incredible qualifying. And again it's a Mercedes success, with the team that nobody expected.

I saw some interviews on Walloon TV after the race and Whitmarsh seemed to be on very good terms with Howett of Toyota. I got the impression most of the team bosses get along really well (Flavio wasn't there though).

Just watched the GP2 race after that and one of the drivers (Nunez I think) cut the chicane while defending and did not give up a position. I wonder if Whiting has seen anything this time...

Indeed, and by the same token, the speed from BMW, Force India and especially Toyota is real. They were quick in Q1 and Q2, and often in the practice sessions as well. F1 on its head, interesting season. If he can get through the first corner OK, I see Trulli winning.