I can see something in the middle but not what. And isn't the new one supposed to be a double-decker?

thats just the same blanking they were running before with the 2008 wing...

Diffuser "infill panel fitted" as on last Jerez test with the 2008 rear wing. ( http://forums.autosport.com/showthread.php...281#post3480281 )

well, in danger of being told not to troll again by asking a question.

Does anyone have an idea what McLaren are playing at exactly, they still seem to be only testing little bits not full packages.

They are seemingly slow but thats probs due to evaluation different parts.

I have a feeling they will bolt everything new on at their private test, not before.

I was right that the rearwing was lower when compared to the driver's head, but it looks like de la rosa is sitting much higher than other drivers (the head protection doesn't look very efficient for him)

If you wanna compare the rear wings to each other (09A vs 09B vs 08df09), you can't deceive your comparison work with the change of the diffuser also, IMO.

ATM_Andy said last time it was all part of the plan. So I think they are testing wear/durability and kers. They have a demon diffuser/rear wing for Melbourne that they don't want to reveal and it's so hot they have to use an 08 rear wing to represent it. The package only works as a package as Andy has said, so until they put it all on the car together it'll be dog slow.

The thing is McLaren have extraordinary modelling and simulation, they know what they've got, to a large extent, without exposing it. They need to test wear, and to validate their modelling.

That's my theory and I'm going to cling to it until Barca testing.

Though there's something about a list of times that makes it hard to be down the list - and this is only the first day

One way or another, it will befun to review all those "McLaren rearwing" posts once the season is underway...

Fascinating stuff!

McLaren is close to being a backmarker this year. Unbelievable.

I don't think that will turn out to be true. They must be testing different from other teams and evaluating different things.

I bought that excuse for awhile, but at some point, they have to try to get the maximum out of the car, even with its current configuration... and they aren't able to be faster than.. Force India. LOL.

All the more reason why people shouldn't take testing times seriously. People never learn.

Generally, fast cars during the Winter Testing Season stay fast during the F1 Season. The opposite is also quite true.

It's too early for lolling yet. lolol

It's because some people are either just idiots, or newbie fans.

I'd go with the former, rather than the latter.

it's just the renault syndrome.

Last year Toyota, Williams and Red Bull were fastest in testing, in general but they were not front-runners.

a bit worried

Last year Ferrari and McLaren were generally fastest in testing, Ferrari was giving 0.7-1 sec a lap to the Toyota in Bahrain for instance. BMW did however sand bag and even lied about the time of their private final Valencia test.

well, atleast they had a 2009 wing on

Don't be. If indeed you are a Mclaren fan, prepare yourself for a very pleasant surprise.
Mclaren is in very good shape and I mean very good shape.

I wonder why the driver needs to sit so high, and the nose section is so high? Must be bad for CoG, but maybe more efficient aero? Helmet might block rearwing though.

How can you be so dead certain? Any insider infos?
It would be very nice, if you are right...

Wishful thinking or do you know something we dont?

Maybe we could agree to the fact, that it is better to be fast during testing than being slow...

Pedro joined the test team today to evaluate compounds and casings for Bridgestone’s 2010-spec rubber. Next year’s tyres will be different as they will no longer be pre-heated in blankets and must also sustain cars running with heavier fuel-loads due to the ban on refuelling. While the team conducted some work using blankets, the prime runs were done without pre-heating, providing Bridgestone with useful data for next season. Despite the day’s session being punctuated by several red flags, the team completed 94 laps before an oil pressure sensor brought Pedro to a premature halt out on the circuit with just 10 minutes of the session remaining. Pedro said: “Running without tyre blankets makes it harder to get heat into the tyre – but that’s the objective for next year and that’s why Bridgestone will supply the teams with different compounds. We managed a lot of laps today and the work with the tyres was very positive.”

Wow every test day McLaren are surprising me with how they are going about testing this season, first 08 wing, now testing tyres that aren't even relevant to this year. Man I hope they're on the right track because their current testing plans are just plain confusing.

There won't be that many testing opportunities this year. The clue is in the statement "providing Bridgestone with data". Apparently Bridgestone would supply tyres individually to teams next year. It is no wonder that Mclaren brought Pedro in today while the rest of the teams or most of them used their regular drivers.

If you are a Mclaren fan and a bit concerned, don't be. We are in very very good shape.

You joking? Toyota was a backmarker until the LAST preseason test-day. One day doesn't make them the most impressive winter testing team. Ferrari and McLaren topped the timesheets on most occasions. OK, Williams and Red Bull were at times mixing it, but generally behind.

BMW said, that they also tested the 2010-spec-tyres...

Again, is this wishful thinking or do you know something we dont? :\

so true. Hopefully (for us) with a laugh at our paranoia....

Are you new to F1?

I'm little worried with this times, even after official statement.

Quite the contrary. What is worrying me is McLaren's chronic lack of pace. It is not a one-time thing. Other than media laps, they haven't not been fast at all with their '09 package so far.

Their diffuser must be quite good or else they are f*cked. Furthermore, they won't gain 2 seconds a lap with a new diffuser. Impossible.

Everyone needs to stop fretting - the purpose of winter testing is, in ascending order of priority:

• To evaluate the reliability of mechanical components
• To validate wing tunnel and CFD data
• To develop set-up profiles

Ten years ago, pre-season pace meant something. Now you should know what your pace is going to be before the car turns a wheel - what you're looking for is correlation between what you predicted and what your car does on the track.

This isn't qualifying, nobody is there to see how fast they can go.

RBR!

x2

I do so hope you're right. Seriously. Not that I'm a doubter or anything, but how do you know this? Do you know someone at McLaren?

If Mclaren were in any way not confident of an excellent 2009 showing, do you really think they'd be buggering about testing 2010 tyres?

BMW did the same. It's part of what they're required to do, I guess.

My understanding was that they extended the test to 5 days so everyone can test the 2010 tyres for a day. Whether they have to or not is the question.

Confident or not they (and any other team too) need this test badly. The designers must have at least some basic data to start working on next year's cars.

I´m too a bit worried, but i´m confident we were on pace on melbourne

Regards

I'm amazed how many people are worried about McLaren. Except for today (easily explained), they have looked dominant at all other test sessions. I think that Ferrari fans like me have more to worry about.

I hope it is well

regards

I'm a bit worried too, not only the times, there're also the small glitches and problems

The MP4/18* comes to mind...

(*a shudder runs down the spine of McLaren fans)