Seemed already an open secret, rumors of the return of the orange, the statements of the heads and the numerous tracks that have been left in the social networks indicated that the colour of a new car McLaren-honduras, did not e MCL32 was going to change a lot and the orange would be the protagonist. Particularly, I do not like the new color, I expected another thing, as a F1 fully orange, as these dark areas and white I don’t sympathize too much. But the decor is not the most important, it also seems that Fernando Alonso will like it, as it has been said that it is the car more beautiful that he has flown in the past 16 years. And if the fans also pleases him, because we can settle the color issue and focus on our technical analysis of the new features that can be appreciated.
If you have been aware of the news in our blog, you will know that they have erase all reminiscences of Ron Dennis, and not only the name MP4-32 as it should have been called, but also Jost Capito has left the team, and other great ones which were pretty united with Dennis have pulled out of Woking in the last few weeks. Now Zak Brown is the hand and the McLaren is almost renewed, I hope to begin a new era with more success than the last. Some rumors have said that McLaren could be the capping of this season, but will have to be cautious and wait, in fact, own McLaren have said that they do not believe that you are ahead in 2017 and will work to earn in the future, Honda also has been timid, saying it did not want to promise anything and are working hard. We also know that Mercedes remains the team to beat, and that Red Bull has lots of hopes in the new RB13, and already say that it will be one of the designs most aggressive and beautiful in the story…
Engine:
The new MCL32 is a car details, and I hope that the japanese also have placed a detail to revise and improve each of the component parts of the engine, and that the new concept works in terms of performance and reliability. And I say this because it has been rumored with the possibility that Honda completely changed their architecture to be more like Mercedes. We do not know exactly they have done to the japanese, but should have focus in your ICE (internal combustion engine), since in the section of the ERS (electrical part) are to a very good level. However, work also in the MGU-K and MGU-H, in addition to the ES (battery). But it’s all a mystery, both Ciryl Abiteboul (Renault) as Andy Cowell (Mercedes) have been shown intrigued to see what makes Honda in their third year and are expectant.
The only thing we know for certain is that they have modified a lot of the engine, and have risked a lot, at some risk, as well has ensured Yasuke Hasegawa: “this Is a completely different concept. We have assumed a high risk because we don’t know too much about this new concept.“. Hasegawa has also ensured that have reduced the weight of the engine, have lowered the centre of gravity to improve the dynamic vehicular (car balance).
on the other hand, BP Castrol also has a good role ahead, improving the fuels and lubricants that help the engine RA617H to give more, and be more efficient, reducing the friction. The good thing is that you are not bound to be missing the token system, even if to correct a failed concept, redesign the parts, take them to the bank of tests, and finally testing them on the track and adjust, takes time and cannot be changed an engine overnight. So the hard work of what should have been done already in Sakura, leaving only a few minor improvements planned in your roadmap for the rest of the season…
*Even if you do not have to do with the engine, i.e. carbon discs for the brakes have been changed this season, have been widened and the cooling needs have changed. Although Brembo is one of the suppliers most important of the grill, the supplier of McLaren is Akebono, we will see how they work…
Aerodynamics
The car is not the most amazing of which we’ve seen, but can you keep secrets in your materials. It has been rumored about that McLaren could have used advanced materials for the construction of the MCL32, to be more lightweight or flexible (within the law). Starting with the photograph on the front, we see a front wing in the shape of a delta, more width to the new rules in 2017. The central zone is quite narrow, subject to the morro for a few delicate mounts. The nose is somewhat wider, but still has the typical nose to leave a little more room to channel air towards the rear without raising the nose to fit the regulation that prohibits the hills high. The S-Duct is present in the nose, something that helps the aerodynamic efficiency and they seem to have adopted all of the teams.
The brake ducts have increased in size over last year, as on other computers. Normally reduces, but it appears that the new brake discs to support the new requirements of the cars of 2017 need more air. In terms of the airbox, is very narrow and small. There is only a small oval for the entry of air and two tiny holes under it for cooling. To be so narrow-it does not affect too much to the rear spoiler. However, they have implemented a large shark fin. Surprising, since in the pontoons there are no great shots of refrigeration to compensate for this, it seems to have worked severely in terms of cooling does not demand great shots that increase the drag.
In this other picture shows other interesting details. One is behind the support of the front spoiler, with some gills that we have not seen in any other car, and that are aimed to condition the air which travels makes the back of these. Under the nose also appear profiles to channel the air that enters the nose and will be the shots for the S-Duct. There are also some worked on turning vanes.
But if we look at this photo and the next, we can see that again in Woking most of the work have focused on this middle area of the vehicle. What a coincidence? I don’t think so, reduce the drag or aerodynamic drag is vital this year, with the increase in dimensions to raise the downforce also increases the resistance and that will make it harder for the motors and spend a 20 or 30CV simply counteract this effect. Therefore, to have a chassis that is efficient aerodynamically could save some horse that you can target to make the car faster. The McLaren have managed to form a few vertical profiles, and horizontal in that area, with ways quite complex. For example, the bargeboards are attached to the nose with a profile, creating a channel through which passes the air to the rear. The tea-tray is also quite worked. In the following picture you can see how the bargeboards are attached to the air conditioners of the sidepods and see to see that kind of fences or profiles horizonales aerodynamic that there are pairs on each side…
In the following picture you can see the detail of bargeboard and how it is divided in two parts and attached to the conditioning side of the sidepods. In the case of McLaren, these conditioners are in the shape of a boomerang and has a few vertical profiles to condition the air on the pontoons, in addition to a fin horizontal in the same area. The work done on pontoons it is also to admire, with a rear area rather compact, somewhat more than in the last season, and that it was rumored that they would leave the concept of size-zero.
The flat bottom is very clean in side, I dare say that is almost certainly false in order to hide some of the intelligent solutions that we are seen, sure that they have worked with carbon fiber a lot more in the actual, with profiles, flanges and slots that we’ve seen in other designs to seal the bottom and generate a ground effect better, without “dirtying” the air that travels up the diffuser with turbulence. But for that the diffuser work well, it is also important that the pontoons allow air to the rear area. This is why they have reduced quite a lot, are very narrow and leave a channel for the low area of the same to bring air to the back. The openings of the cooling of the pontoons are not too radical in terms of form, but are very small and have to be closed towards the front, leaving the air flows from sliding all the way around to the back.
The diffuser is little we can say, because it was hidden as it is logical. But you can see more details on the car. As the complexity of such an extreme of the endplates of the rear wing. Without a doubt, it is the most advanced design in this area of the car that have been presented so far. In terms of the profile and the main flap of the DRS there are not things too noteworthy, but the rules allow you to play a lot with the area of the side brackets of the aileron, and the team captained by Peter Prodromou (the right hand of Adrian Newey when he was at Red Bull) has done well. If look at the photograph below you can see how, in addition to the typical gills of the upper part, have also created complex shapes in the lower area, and instead of a simple expansion of the media in your area high, have a curved profile to generate a kind of channel “funnel,” with your teeth to accelerate the flow that travels through the area below the profile of the wing and thus increase the efficiency and the load of the same without having to have a wing much larger.
Conclusions, I would be cautious as they have been in a Honda and McLaren, it looks good, but Mercedes and, above all, the dreaded Red Bull seem very strong. We’ll see if they can fight with Ferrari and maybe get a podium for them to escape the above situations of weather changing or if you have any kind of problem or error. It sounds disheartening, having to wait for other people’s problems to fish in troubled water, but it is what it is. With luck they can aspire to be third in the constructors ‘ world, not to be that the Honda engine has been given such a leap of quality that will surprise us, and to aspire to the podium… I Hope I’m wrong and they are hiding!
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