Team sounding very downbeat. Hopefully they can under-promise and over-deliver. Being realistic, if we get some half decent points from the first 3 races, that will have to do. A podium seems impossible without some kind of mishap. :\

Mind you, Oz is Oz, everything can happen there, and like Muzza would've said "it usually does"! I believe that they will challenge for the lower-reach-points in the opening four races, but I'd be stupid discounting McLaren from the victory-fight. They might have done som big sandbagging!

This is interesting.

The bottom of the center section of diffuser is too low in one way or the other. Plus, it looks as if the "cross direction" vertical end-plate of the center section of the diffuser is removable by screw. Is this a apparatus that allow Mclaren to remove the plate in case if no complains are made to the diffuser practiced by Brawn? If so, Mclaren may fly with no 'pan-top' at the end of diffuser.

I like that Whitmarsh has dropped his normal 'minister for information' approach to PR and is just downplaying things for the coming flyways. It means if McLaren do well it will be a positive thing rather than when they maybe not do so well, it's a disappointment.

Well, Fernando had a really dog R28 one year ago and still finished 4th. Okay, both Ferraris had engine trouble, Kubica an insane strategy, Kovalainen his the speed limiter etc.

But new year, new regs, new strategy, new teams, new drievrs. Anything can happen.

I bet we'll have both cars on Q3, although it will be very close.

KERS, perhaps.

Or maybe because of lack of time they are comparing different flow on left and right?

I noticed those screws too, I wonder if it does just pop out. It'd be great if it did! Also, it looks like they swapped over the exhausts, earlier in the week they were the other way around. I'd give my right arm to be in the engineers briefings at Macca over this last week, it'd be so interesting to know the thought processes behind each change, what the viz flo shows them etc...

There are no screws visible on the diffuser, thats paint dots from the flow-vis.

After all I wonder why then this diffuser is made so deep. It is against the logic, unless ther is a secret hidden?

With so many different parts being stitched together, it starts to look like a Frankenstein car.

Maybe they have a secret weapon --push a button and a flock of bats come out of the diffuser to blind the rivals.

They had to change the rear bodywork and exhaust outlets as they failed an ISO 9001 test "Section 4.2: Justice Compliance (lack thereof)"

(I still think this gag has legs)

Eesh, I don't know whether I'm going to win or lose my bet

Haven't read such a downplaying race preview from McLaren since 2003.. Things must be bad. Or worse.

and what a good car the MP4-17D will be...

...till the michelin saga...

Agree, 2006 was so ridiculous from a PR point of view and I'm not even a McLaren fan.

Prefer this approach alot more.

The funny thing is that a week or so before Huag and Whitmarsh talked about the initial problems, Ron came out and said all is fine, and they are fighting for the championships like usual. But it seems a decision was made and since then McLaren has been more honest, which is good to see. I know if it was my team, I'd rather know the truth then get hopes up and having them shattered over and over again like 2006.

I really like the replacement of Dennis. Whitmarsh brought some honesty with him and there's less PR sh**.

Yet they were challenging for the title and almost won it in 03 too

It could be an Oompa-Loompa bugle for all I know.

McLaren will start the season with kers?

Which is ironic, because as the usual mouthpiece, I blamed Whitmarsh for that rather than Dennis.

They thought of it but the bats were increasing the weight so there new strategy is to drive with out the driver. That will make the car fast and light.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiLoANg6nNY

the mp4-24 weve seen during testing is far from the finished product, far...theyve just be teasing us while testing little parts from the real thing.

the real car is just finally now being put together in the Woking lair

it will include:

Front and Rear Wings of Destiny
Sidepods of Splendor
the now well-known Diffuser of Justice...


thats all I could confirm from my deep undercover source....

feel free to add if u have any other insider info

That's what I thought too. Which unfortunately means we'll see an increase in it this year. :\

I heard they're going with the "Floor without Flaw" underbody too.

Well for the first time, we've absolutely caned the number of posts on the Ferrari thread...
Just a shame we don't have a quicker car than them. :\

Maybe they still have the pages of info on Ferrari's "Flowing Floor"?

We'll have. Stay on it.

I am not a fan of either McLaren or Ferrari really but I always take interest in the friendly rivalry between the two sets of fans.

As a neutral, I believe Ferrari have the faster car this year, and have the best partnership of drivers.

Away from F1, I have utmost respect for what Ron Dennis and co have achieved in building up the McLaren Mercedes brand, especially building upmarket sportscars to rival Ferrari's then-monopoly in the market.

McLaren have a professional image, whereas Ferrari are slightly more informal, like a James Bond of cars who knows he's the best and has fun too, whereas McLaren have an secret agent who refuses all girls and tequila because his job is too important for her majesty.

More posts?

IN YOUR FACE FERRARI FANS

Can't touch us

To be fair a lot of the posts here have been from Ferrari fans 'helping' their McLaren brethren through their lean times :-)

Your help and 'observations' are valued as always.

Haug was more candid about the car's competitiveness, and also the time it may take for its problems to be resolved

"After our test results, we must get used to the fact that in Melbourne we will be in the last third of the starting order," the German is quoted as saying

"Clearly we have to improve our technical package," Haug continued. "This process needs time and it could be the start of the European season (before McLaren is competitive), perhaps even longer."

[www.onestopstrategy.com]

Somehow I'm thinking Haug is talking a little bit too exaggerated, but we will see the truth very soon ;)

Basically a diffuser, in combination with the floor, creates downforce.

As the air passes under the front of the floor it accelerates and reduces pressure, the suction peak is at the transition of the floor and diffuser where the diffuser changes the high velocity air back to normal velocity, and low pressure air back to the ambient atmospheric pressure, making the whole underbody a downforce producing device.

It does use Bernoulli's principle, such that the pressure increases while the velocity decreases. Since the pressure below the car is lower than on the side and above the car, you get downforce.

Oh and Martin Whitmarsh is actually a really nice guy, not that I expect you guys not to tear him apart regardless.

That quote was however before this weeks test...

I think it's translated from the Motorsport Total interview, which was only published today or yesterday.

Which they took from an interview Haug gave to RTL, published today:
http://www.rtl.de/sport/formel-1/formel1_9...l2&set_id=21065

I don't believe them. Sandbagging imo.

So these quotes are pretty up to date then?

Maybe a little bit.

Have you seen this?
http://www.thef1.com/noticias/noticias-200...ornada-de-jerez

What Heikki did all day long when the lap times are so good?

And what do you think about his fastest lap? Is it Q2 or Q3 run?

Hey I think Whitmarsh is a really nice guy

and thanks for the explanation

Nice or not, the team is not standing at the top of the time sheets and not expected to win any race in the first half of the season.

All of this under his reign. Not a good start at all for him.

Be realistic. He is not to blame, the problems go further back.
Perhaps he is responsible for a proportion, but the foundations of the MP4/24 go way back to Ron's leadership.

Okay, maybe I was a bit harsh, but this uphill fight will be a good test for his leadership aptitudes.

As for Jamilton/McLaren, his WDC chances took a great hit today, with the FIA backtracking on the points/WDC thingie.

They are sandbagging, mclaren don´t looks slow. I supose only 0.2-0.4 tenths behind ferrari-bmw and toyota. But in renault-red bull and williams group, perhaps a bit over them.

Haug,Hamilton,Kova and Withmarsh knows how the car is, but i don´t worried about our car, will be near of pace, for sure

keep the faith in our team

Regards

Thank you!
To me, the blades seems to create downforce due to the low pressure zone, but looks like a parachute, due to the longitudinal resistance of motion.
Well, its a trade off amonf Cx and Downforce, since Maca seems to be way behind the field, I hope it pays off. :\

Ron said that they will fight for the WDC and that is still their target, now they are just admitting that they wont be fighting for the win in australia