It says McLaren is evaluating the 2010 tyres, which will no longer be allowed to be heated up by tyre warmers and will have to cope with more weight due to the ban on refuelling.

If Mac were in trouble you think they would be testing 2010 tyres and not trying to sort out a problem?

excellent reflection, hope for the sake of our sport that is true thanks

@Gilles4Ever: Good point really.

That was very comfortable news.

It means the car is heavy, the tyres cold, and maybe the compound different than the 09 spec. Ok, no probs then.

Role of Kovy

"I am a competitive person and being team principal adds a little zing this year," Whitmarsh told the Independent on Sunday.

"But in 12 months' time I don't want to be the team principal who did not help Lewis to win the world championship again, so that does add pressure."

http://www.itv-f1.com/news_article.aspx?id=45191

I have seen many tests and rarely do i comment because they are difficult to judge.

However, i must say iam really starting to get worried about this season. It seems to me that there is something that is not just right. In every test, mclaren have come up with explanations which i can't just fathom straight. Either, they are arrogantly confident and are hiding performance which doesn't make sense, or there is another explanation. For example, today why in high heaven would they spend another day testing 2010 tyres? Do they wan't to say they have already optmized this years tyres and set-ups?

I don't know but it doesn't seem quite right.

McLaren is using flow viz (or what it is called) again...

It's free wear and durability mileage, no worries. The Melbourne aero will be as per the 08 rear wing, but legal, with a double-decker diffuser. The only issue is the crankshaft stress with kers as paffet4f1 has told us about, and that 'should' be fixed. If there were a problem they'd be putting variations of 09 aero on and gunning it to see if it worked, not tooling round accumulating miles.

Same thinking for Ferrari putting the kinky sidepod back on I expect. It's a year of secrets.

Kova best time 1.20.535.... on fumes and 2010 tyres.....???

Regards

That doesn't exclude to give the same help for Heikki too. And keep in your mind, Martin W. is well aware which of their drivers is the more capable to win the WDC. Martin knows that how much they balked Heikki last year and what the qualities and potential of Heikki. But you might only suppose the paranoid things, but Whitmarsh know the reality.

You should also want Briatore to win the WDC with PK.

He didn't call him "Talisman" like last year, I'm worried, Lewis might not get enough support at McLaren!

I just pray you are right. I would hate to see a crone of MP4/10.

It's the others who should be worried IMO. And us I suppose in case it's 1988 but with no Prost

Really, it's the only way it makes sense. We'll see next week, but for now I'm with Femi.

Google translate:

McLaren again uses paint to air study

16:33 - The McLaren MP4-24 has just turned back to the team with blue paint on the side of the car. That the British team has done a better picture of the air and along the car to get. The last time they did in Jerez that even when in bright green paint.

Technical Regulations:


AFAIK, they did flow-vis with the MP4-23K also. This might be part of their new working method as the full size model wind tunnel work is banned. Now they do it on the track.

they also ran the 2008 wing during the last stint (when they set a fast time)

Things are soooo bad, they've given up on 2009 already and are concentrating on next year's car ...

OMG..........can we start panicking now

do what you want I don't care that much about it to be honest

I don't mean you of course.

hmm - I have faith (sort of)

Maybe they need to refit the invisible bodywork and the parrot in its cage.

What's worrying is that there is no mention of testing 2010 tyres. Come on McLaren, just give us a glimmer a hope, thats not in the form of a media lap at the end of the day.

That blue flow vis picture, is that a 2008 or 2009 wing ?

09 wing,

F1Live:



It might not even be true...

If the 08 wing was fitted today, there will be pictures about it.

TheF1:
That's it for today. Noted that the time McLaren has been achieved with the spoiler in 2008, once again, trying to wash the face of the team. The other times have been achieved with configuration of all the teams classification. We said goodbye until tomorrow, when a new session can be viewed in that match in both Hamilton and Alonso track. The duel will continue.

http://directo.thef1.es/tests/

What duel are they talking about? Don't you just love these guys.

Well it seems to be true, McLaren have confirmed it:

The duel for winter driving champion of course.

Damn, so it´s true
Not good guys, not good... :\

and they didn't ask why?

I'd imagine it would just be the same answer as was given before on why they were using it.

But they have 2 new 2009 wings for this test. The reason before was they were waiting for the new wing and 2008 one simulated it . Maybe McLaren is playing a joke on everyone who follows winter testing.

After "we only put the 08 wing on to prevent a crash with the new one in the wet" and "we only put the 08 wing on because the high-downforce wing is not ready yet", I´m sure now they´re having a problem.
The question is, how big is it and is it possible to solve it till Melbourne?

But some are speculating that the new rear wing is supposed to work in conjunction with a yet-to-be-revealed diffuser or something, I dunno.

It is starting to sound a bit like wishful thinking, I admit, but we never know.

On saturday, 28.03.09 at 05.00 CET we`ll know a bit more ...

This was their first day to use the 09 wing in dry conditions. They are behind the most of the other teams with set-up works for 09 wing. Also they compared the new wing to the simulation one. The 08 (simulation) wing was the faster (we suppose), so their set-up for the 09 wing is not that good yet and/or their 09 wing downforce / drag prediction (which they simulated with the 08 wing) was not that accurate as they believed.

Those sentences don't make confusion for me, because they in deed made new high df wings (at least 2 variants).

Furthermore, they used the launch (medium df) wing on Algarve in dry, and have started to use the high df 09 wing(s) in Jerez. So the launch wing is in deed not suitable for Jerez.

Sounds like troubles no matter what way you look at it, doesn't it?

The 08-style wing is to simulate the downforce loads of the final wing and diffuser package, which isn't on the development chassis yet as it's being kept from the eyes of the other teams as long as possible.

The flow vis work is so the data from CFD can be validated. Turbulent boundary conditions are too complex to accurately model in CFD without the bloody thing taking forever to run, so you use a simplified model for surface turbulence and do this kind of thing to make sure that the air is going where you think it should. Last year this was done in a tunnel, but that's banned now, so you're seeing it on track. The birdcage test was doing exactly the same thing but for airflow over the tire, which you don't want to be squirting liquid over for obvious reasons.

Trust me, things are fine

There's something going on, seriously.

I wonder if Lewis will do an Alonso tomorrow and will fly with the Mp4/24 just like Alonso did with the R29 that seemed a dog when compared to Piquet.

Remember, two days ago Piquet was slower than de la Rosa who was running 2010 tyres on the MP4/24 and did a 1:21.8 whereas the brazilian did a 1:22.1.

Source plz!!!
As we have seen their much talked about 2009 High D/f wing on sunday!
So nothing new coming!

Dude when you've got something clever that you know is working well then there's no point revealing it too early as others could duplicate it... especially at the arse end of the car where it's the finishing touch with the aero...

Don't ask for a source 'cause I just made that up..

Source? This stage of the 'season' is a battle of diffusers, and McLaren are keeping theirs under wraps as long as possible. That's what the 08 wing is representing.

Because no other team is leaving it to the last minute, either, to debut their definitive parts.

again wish full thinking
no hard facts!
no official confirmation now<<
no source of info
its just fans making themselves happy with this.

That is why they should worry

Mac's cfd, windtunnel and simulator...