FORUMula1.com - F1 Forum

[racechick]

Hmm. Does this mean we'll see four MMs flying around the circuit next year? :/

Well a Force India badged MM yeh.

so if were lucky we'll have Mclaren 1,2,3,4's

can't wait to see AKR's reaction when it happens.

That would be lame. I'd rather see a Force India-Mercedes than a McLaren-Mercedes with a Force India paint scheme on it.

Yeh would be abit like Formula Mclaren.

doubt it will ever happen but would be funny to see it once.

Its bad enough seeing a Force India with that paint theme

Yeh a few times i've seen one spin off and "i've been like oh SH***t it was a Mclaren"

they need to paint it a different color

Remember Midland's own livery!

This one? yeh they need a rule in FIA

Section 23.b Paragraph 4

No cars may look like another car to avoid scaring the crap out of a fan of the other team when it crashes.

I love that rule!! Now thats a sensible rule

[McLaren Fan]

I don't think it was that one. They had a silvery-black kind coloured car I think with some read on it. I think it was in 2006. With camera suddenly changing direction and not being focused properly for a moment, it always looked like one of the McLarens have gone off.

[McLaren Fan]

That's not a Scuderia Ferrari, but a Scuderia Italia!

[Gaz]

I don't think it was that one. They had a silvery-black kind coloured car I think with some read on it. I think it was in 2006. With camera suddenly changing direction and not being focused properly for a moment, it always looked like one of the McLarens have gone off.

i thought you ment it was that one since i thought it looked like the Mclaren when it had its West sponsorship.

it wasn't the Midland was it?

[prozac26]

Thats great news for Force India!! I hope they come up with a better name for the team too.



- you gotta admit 'Force India' is a wierd name.

It is a weird name.

Now, McLaren-Force will scare other teams.

[przemo]

I think it's because Ferrari is behind with KERS development. FI guys made it clear they want the whole package.

[KyrosV]

about time, mercedes pulled there finger out to offer a customer engine
I dont think it will propell the team up that much. they will be on the levels of williams and STR

[McLaren Fan]

I think it's because Ferrari is behind with KERS development. FI guys made it clear they want the whole package.

True, but a big part of it is how their car handles as well. The Mercedes unit has been designed and tuned to suit the MP4-23. The Mercedes' engine has superior torque to the Ferrari unit, and it is also delivered in a very drivable way - one of a few reasons why the MP4-23 handles better in the wet than the F2008. It seems to me that there are two different ethoses that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken in designing their engines. Ferrari have gone for greater top-end speed at the expense of torque and low-speed drivability, and Mercedes the reverse of that: i.e. they've gone for slightly better acceleration in exchange for less top speed. The corollary of this is that McLaren-Mercedes think the MP4-23 superior mechanical grip will get them by, so they can afford to give away five to ten horsepower to Ferrari. It could be that Force India suspect that Mercedes engines will suit the new rule changes better than Ferrari engines.

[Gaz]

I think it's because Ferrari is behind with KERS development. FI guys made it clear they want the whole package.

True, but a big part of it is how their car handles as well. The Mercedes unit has been designed and tuned to suit the MP4-23. The Mercedes' engine has superior torque to the Ferrari unit, and it is also delivered in a very drivable way - one of a few reasons why the MP4-23 handles better in the wet than the F2008. It seems to me that there are two different ethoses that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken in designing their engines. Ferrari have gone for greater top-end speed at the expense of torque and low-speed drivability, and Mercedes the reverse of that: i.e. they've gone for slightly better acceleration in exchange for less top speed. The corollary of this is that McLaren-Mercedes think the MP4-23 superior mechanical grip will get them by, so they can afford to give away five to ten horsepower to Ferrari. It could be that Force India suspect that Mercedes engines will suit the new rule changes better than Ferrari engines.

mechanical grip - will be a massive part of next year.

[McLaren Fan]

I think it's because Ferrari is behind with KERS development. FI guys made it clear they want the whole package.

True, but a big part of it is how their car handles as well. The Mercedes unit has been designed and tuned to suit the MP4-23. The Mercedes' engine has superior torque to the Ferrari unit, and it is also delivered in a very drivable way - one of a few reasons why the MP4-23 handles better in the wet than the F2008. It seems to me that there are two different ethoses that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken in designing their engines. Ferrari have gone for greater top-end speed at the expense of torque and low-speed drivability, and Mercedes the reverse of that: i.e. they've gone for slightly better acceleration in exchange for less top speed. The corollary of this is that McLaren-Mercedes think the MP4-23 superior mechanical grip will get them by, so they can afford to give away five to ten horsepower to Ferrari. It could be that Force India suspect that Mercedes engines will suit the new rule changes better than Ferrari engines.

mechanical grip - will be a massive part of next year.

True, but interestingly, there's a chance some clever people could carry out a coup here. If you think back to the 1998 regulation changes, the reverse of what is happening next season, the cars' mechanical grip was reduced and the focus was placed on aerodynamic development. All teams but one immediately switched focus on developing the aerodynamic packages of their cars. Ferrari, for instance, did so. McLaren, however, took another view. They decided to try and reclaim some of the lost mechanical grip at the expense of aerodynamic innovation - and what a piece of genius this was. The MP4-13 was easily the fastest car in 1998. Had it been more reliable, it could have had a very good shot at winning every race of the season - 1988 style! Anyway, if some people gamble and play their cards right next season, we could see something similar happening.

[Gaz]

I think it's because Ferrari is behind with KERS development. FI guys made it clear they want the whole package.

True, but a big part of it is how their car handles as well. The Mercedes unit has been designed and tuned to suit the MP4-23. The Mercedes' engine has superior torque to the Ferrari unit, and it is also delivered in a very drivable way - one of a few reasons why the MP4-23 handles better in the wet than the F2008. It seems to me that there are two different ethoses that Ferrari and Mercedes have taken in designing their engines. Ferrari have gone for greater top-end speed at the expense of torque and low-speed drivability, and Mercedes the reverse of that: i.e. they've gone for slightly better acceleration in exchange for less top speed. The corollary of this is that McLaren-Mercedes think the MP4-23 superior mechanical grip will get them by, so they can afford to give away five to ten horsepower to Ferrari. It could be that Force India suspect that Mercedes engines will suit the new rule changes better than Ferrari engines.

mechanical grip - will be a massive part of next year.

True, but interestingly, there's a chance some clever people could carry out a coup here. If you think back to the 1998 regulation changes, the reverse of what is happening next season, the cars' mechanical grip was reduced and the focus was placed on aerodynamic development. All teams but one immediately switched focus on developing the aerodynamic packages of their cars. Ferrari, for instance, did so. McLaren, however, took another view. They decided to try and reclaim some of the lost mechanical grip at the expense of aerodynamic innovation - and what a piece of genius this was. The MP4-13 was easily the fastest car in 1998. Had it been more reliable, it could have had a very good shot at winning every race of the season - 1988 style! Anyway, if some people gamble and play their cards right next season, we could see something similar happening.

Yeh looking for to Testing over the winter

[headless]

If Prodrive would have made it onto the F1 grid would they have done much good?
They were going to be year old McLarens werent they?

[Denthúl]

If Prodrive would have made it onto the F1 grid would they have done much good?
They were going to be year old McLarens werent they?

Nope, I thought they'd be racing MP4-23s loaded with FO 108Vs

[Gaz]

If Prodrive would have made it onto the F1 grid would they have done much good?
They were going to be year old McLarens werent they?

Nope, I thought they'd be racing MP4-23s loaded with FO 108Vs

Yeah, would of been funny if Garry Parffet beat Hekki

[McLaren Fan]

If Prodrive would have made it onto the F1 grid would they have done much good?
They were going to be year old McLarens werent they?

Nope, I thought they'd be racing MP4-23s loaded with FO 108Vs

Yeah, would of been funny if Garry Parffet beat Hekki

Whether Paffett is faster over a single lap than Kovalainen, I don't know, but he probably would be faster over a stint. Kovalainen, like a typical Scandinavian, drives his MP4-23 like a snowmobile, burning out the rear tyres. Paffett, a typical British driver, tends to like a more neutral car, so his tyres aren't quite so badly worn out. The whole tyre situation at McLaren is interesting. Hamilton manages to wear his front and rear tyres out pretty badly; and Kovalainen manages to keep his front tyres in reasonable condition, but absolutely smokes his rears.