McLaren’s dominance in F1 is now a longtime actuality, but one thing nonetheless eludes their rivals: tyres, brakes, cooling, and different mysteries.
McLaren reigns in F1, however many secrets and techniques stay hidden: from tyres to brakes, passing by the modern cooling system. The engineers in Woking proceed to construct on the strong basis laid in 2023, now benefiting from a challenge on the peak of its technical maturity. At mid-season, the rivals are nonetheless removed from understanding what the actual “trick” of the MCL39 is — if there is just one.
Seven wins in 9 Grands Prix, six pole positions, and presently main each championships: McLaren is on the appropriate trajectory to safe each world titles. It’s a dominant but “hidden” efficiency: the time gaps seem smaller, much more contained than what Purple Bull in-built 2023. However the margin over direct rivals issues little, given how simply Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris handle the races.
The Woking duo advantages from masterful tyre preservation, each on Sundays and Saturdays. The MCL39 is the one automobile on the grid able to benefiting from the delicate tyres all through a whole qualifying lap. All others, together with Max Verstappen, are compelled to compromise both the primary or ultimate sector. However tyres are solely one of many many “mysteries” of this automobile.
Brakes, tyres, cooling: the McLaren puzzle
Analyzing the MCL39’s strengths is tough. It’s a automobile that’s fast beneath all situations, does all the things very effectively, however doesn’t present clearly outlined efficiency peaks. After Barcelona, our correspondent recognized considered one of its (many) profitable options. However the puzzle is advanced, and Michael Schmidt of Auto Motor und Sport has tried to pinpoint crucial items.
Eliminating the versatile wing variable — which evidently hasn’t dented Woking’s benefit — many “small” clues stay. McLaren has proven competitiveness throughout a variety of journey heights, a degree the place Ferrari, for instance, nonetheless struggles. Credit score goes to Rob Marshall and Peter Prodromou, who recognized and achieved a extremely efficient degree of downforce, with its peak proper beneath the motive force’s seat.
This configuration can be the explanation for requiring a cockpit cooling system. Extra typically, the MCL39 has optimized temperature administration all through the automobile: “The whole automobile radiates much less warmth, additionally benefiting the tyres,” writes the German outlet. The worth to pay is bigger drag and, consequently, decrease prime velocity.
MCL39: three unresolved mysteries
Past the overall functioning of the automobile, there are nonetheless just a few significantly intriguing questions. The primary, and most seen, issues the behaviour of the mechanics, who’re all the time cautious to dam the view of the automobile throughout work, particularly across the brakes. There’s additionally no certainty concerning the attainable use of PCM supplies to additional help thermal administration.
Then there’s the problem of this system run throughout Free Follow 3: the 2 drivers often push to the restrict within the third observe session, when, in keeping with AMuS, “it could make little sense.” Lastly, the thriller of the rear tyres on the beginning grid. McLaren is all the time the final group to suit the rear tyres, simply earlier than the beginning. A posh and nonetheless unsolved puzzle.
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