MP4-28 teaser

[vintly]

Snazzy:

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/groups/f1/forum/topic/mclaren-mp4-28-teader-video/

[cosworth151]

Way cool! I really like the on-line unveilings. It lets us fans be a part of it all, too.

[David]

It's a McLaren, it's going to be stunning! Just hope the Ferrari is quicker. 

[F1fanaticBD]

It's a McLaren, it's going to be stunning! Just hope the Ferrari is quicker. 

I hope the Ferrari will be quick, quicker than Red Bull McLaren & Mercedes and quickest in the grid..

(Feels odd to something like that in a post for Mclaren unveil  )

[Cam]

I'll be watching! It’s a very civilised time, 9pm, here in Brisbane.

Things to look out for are the things that can’t be changed in a moment;

• Nose height
• The diffuser treatment, especially interaction with the exhaust, coanda style seems to be the flavour of the pointy end of 2012
• Anything that smells of a Lotus style passive DRS, any funky little inlets or outlets around the place

All these items can be very easily disguised so I doubt we will learn much until testing starts.

Also there seems to be a lot of anticipation around whether teams will go for a 2012 Ferrari style pullrod front suspension, out of one so far, Lotus, the score on this count is zero

Things to ignore

• Wing configurations
• Other aero add-ons that can be easily swapped out

It’s not that they try to deceive other teams, because they all play the same game, but they won’t want to give anything away until they absolutely have to.  BCE/FIA should have made a rule that they have to run the first race in the exact configuration they present at the car launch.

[John S]

It’s not that they try to deceive other teams, because they all play the same game, but they won’t want to give anything away until they absolutely have to.  BCE/FIA should have made a rule that they have to run the first race in the exact configuration they present at the car launch.

I suggest all that would happen is teams would postpone official car launches until they get to Oz for the first race. Fixing in stone the configuration before the only real tests of the year would negate the point of going to the tests surely?  

I guess the car launches are only really to show off the colour schemes and sponsor partnerships, still it gives us all something to get excited about in these grey winter days.    - Oh, but of course in the land down under it's nice and warm & sunny in Jan and Feb.  

 

[Cam]

I suggest all that would happen is teams would postpone official car launches until they get to Oz for the first race. Fixing in stone the configuration before the only real tests of the year would negate the point of going to the tests surely?  :

Agreed, bit of a fatal flaw that!  Oh well, back to the drawing board . . . . .

First glimpse of the car looks very interesting, radiator intake looks like a lizards mouth, and the exhaust exit looks like someting off a stealth bomber.  Its all about getting the most out of the diffuser.   Look forward to the experts analysis, and how it evolves over the testing program.

[Williamsfan]

It looks very nice but it is a McLaren so there is not really much surprise in that. 

[cosworth151]

You can watch a replay of it here:

http://www.mclaren.com/formula1/page/MP4-28-car-reveal-live?gclid=CNmHk46Dk7UCFQVnOgodDU0AGw

[Scott]

Fun watch.  Why was the only shot of Ron Dennis showing him looking over his shoulder at something (that was probably wrong - maybe Jenson parked the car wrong or something  )?

When I first saw them start to take off the drape I thought 'Wow, charcoal silver...how cool is that??', but then realized it was just the lighting on the nose that gave it a bit darker hue.  Reflective silver is getting kind of old for Mclaren I think (no need to mention what I think of the red on the Ferrari, but they do have a bit more history with their colour scheme).

Car looks nice.  Interesting intakes and exhaust (is that what Coanda means?  Hole in the middle of the upright?).  Glad there is no step nose...I'm sure Mclaren have figured out a way to avoid anything truly ugly like that.

[John S]

  Glad there is no step nose...I'm sure Mclaren have figured out a way to avoid anything truly ugly like that.

Apparently Macca have used the new modesty panel rule to their advantage, they have raised the chassis height but avoided the step nose by adding a so called 'vanity panel'; according to Autosport.com, see below.

McLaren has gone much further than that, however. It was reworked its concept in a wide range of areas, including switching to pull-rod suspension, increasing the height of its chassis so it now needs a 'vanity' panel' for a stepped nose, and being ultra-aggressive with the bodywork around the rear.

By Jonathan Noble, Autosport.com, Today.

[Cam]

is that what Coanda means?

The coanda effect is a fluid mechanics term, but I'll start at the end.

A major detractor from rear diffuser performance is the "seal", or lack of it, between the lateral edges of the diffuser and the track.  The diffuser works on a pressure difference so the low pressure air in the diffuser causes outside higher pressure air to "leak" in from the sides under the lateral edges.  Teams would love to stop that leak, as they did at one time with skirts, with stunning results.  

Now that physical skirts are not allowed they are looking to create an "air skirt".  Essentially, by directing high momentum air against the air trying to "leak" in from the side they reduce the leakage, improving diffuser performance.

So now you are looking for a source of high momentum air for this purpose.  There are two sources, the airflow around the car and the gases exiting the exhaust, and this is what teams are striving to exploit.

If they could they would just route the exhaust pipework right down to the edge of the diffuser and blast away.  But tuning exhaust pipe lengths is a major factor in optimising engine performance, so the position of the exhaust exit is essentially fixed, a classic engineering compromise.

So they have to get the exhaust gases down to the diffuser edge some other way.  One way of doing it is to point is directly at the required area, but to do this doesn’t integrate well with the airstream in that area, and also there are issues with blowing the hot gases directly against body work.

This is where the coanda effect comes in.  The coanda effect is simply the tendency of an airstream to follow a surface that it is very close to.  You can demonstrate the effect by holding a piece of paper along one edge and let the rest of the paper dangle in front of you.  If you blow at the right angle across the top of the paper the bit that is dangling will lift slightly.  

So they align the exhaust exit at the right spot so that it blends well with the local airstream, but also due to the coanda effect the additional high momentum exhaust gases follow the bodywork and are are bent down towards the diffuser edges to create an “air skirt” and voila, the champagne corks start popping.

[F1fanaticBD]

Thanks Cam for the marvelous explanation of the technical aspect, specially that coanda effect, I have read it in may places, but no one seems to be able to explain it with that ease. Thank you so much.

[Irisado]

It certainly looks good, but then most McLarens nearly always do (we'll gloss over the hideous 1995 car, and the failed 2004 project).

I'll be interested to see how it goes in testing.  Button seemed very relaxed and confident in his interview, which isn't always the case, so that may be a good sign for the team.

[Cam]

Thanks Cam for the marvelous explanation of the technical aspect, specially that coanda effect, I have read it in may places, but no one seems to be able to explain it with that ease. Thank you so much.

You're very welcome, just indulging my fantasy of cruising the globe in a lear jet as an F1 technical journalist