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 progressive cooling system. The engineers in Woking proceed to construct on the strong basis laid in 2023, now benefiting from a mission on the top 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 suitable trajectory to safe each world titles. It’s a dominant but “hidden” efficiency: the time gaps seem smaller, way more contained than what Crimson Bull inbuilt 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 automotive on the grid able to taking advantage of 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 automotive.
Brakes, tyres, cooling: the McLaren puzzle
Analyzing the MCL39’s strengths is tough. It’s a automotive that’s fast underneath all situations, does the whole lot very properly, however doesn’t present clearly outlined efficiency peaks. After Barcelona, our correspondent recognized one among its (many) profitable options. However the puzzle is complicated, 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 trip 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 underneath the driving force’s seat.
This configuration could be the explanation for requiring a cockpit cooling system. Extra typically, the MCL39 has optimized temperature administration all through the automotive: “Your entire automotive radiates much less warmth, additionally benefiting the tyres,” writes the German outlet. The worth to pay is larger drag and, consequently, decrease high pace.
MCL39: three unresolved mysteries
Past the overall functioning of the automotive, there are nonetheless a number of 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 automotive throughout work, particularly across the brakes. There’s additionally no certainty concerning the potential use of PCM supplies to additional assist thermal administration.
Then there’s the problem of this system run throughout Free Observe 3: the 2 drivers normally push to the restrict within the third observe session, when, in response to AMuS, “it might 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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