- 03 Jul 09, 11:46#130573
McLaren revises development approachhttp://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76658
By Jonathan Noble Friday, July 3rd 2009, 10:57 GMT
McLaren has adopted a more considered approach to improving its troublesome MP4-24, after deciding that the scatter-gun tactic of throwing new bits onto the car as quickly as possible was not best.
Martin Whitmarsh, the team principal, hinted to AUTOSPORT after the British Grand Prix that the lessons of the Silverstone weekend was prompting a rethink about how best to face the second half of the season.
With a big upgrade package in the pipeline for one of the next few races, the team had to weigh up the benefits of fast tracking it through for as soon as possible, or giving it more time so it was better in the end.
Whitmarsh said he felt the team had been too keen in the first part of the season to bring parts to the car as quickly as possible, rather than benefiting from being more thought-through in what it was doing.
"I don't think we have necessarily got that [balance] right and I think we have spent too much time probably being overly analytical and not enough time being straightforward pragmatic," he said.
"'What is it? Don't know how it works, but it's on another car, let's take it and put it on ours!' That is a good old fashioned approach to it, we need a bit of that and we are applying a bit of that right now."
The team has now decided to take that practical approach, which means it will not be rushing through a major upgrade for next weekend's German Grand Prix - unless a dramatic breakthrough is found in the wind tunnel before the event.
Instead, the team will focus on introducing front wing modifications and other improvements to the front of the car which it believes is one of the key areas it has got wrong this year.
It is understood that larger scale upgrades are then scheduled for the Hungarian and European Grands Prix, which will focus on more front wing developments, rear floor improvements and other aerodynamic revisions.
Although the fact that there will not be a major upgrade for the German Grand Prix means that there is little hope of the team delivering a front-running performance on Mercedes-Benz's home turf, there is no suggestion of the Woking-based outfit giving up.
World champion Lewis Hamilton said: "While we aren't expecting any major upgrades for the weekend, I'm still looking forward to the race. It's an honour to be part of the Silver Arrows and, while our results haven't recently shown it, we're still pushing incredibly hard and are all hopeful of moving closer to the front before the end of this difficult season."
BMW targets upturn with revised partshttp://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76655
By Jonathan Noble Friday, July 3rd 2009, 10:04 GMT
BMW Sauber is to bring an upgraded version of its double-decker diffuser, plus a raft of mechanical updates, to the German Grand Prix in a bid to turn around its disappointing form.
With the team having fallen far short of its pre-season expectations of fighting for the championship, efforts at its Hinwil and Munich bases have been ramped up to try and find the step forward it needs to make.
Mario Theissen, BMW's motorsport director, is confident that the work being put in now can help lift its fortunes - as he concedes the team cannot be satisfied with what it has delivered this year.
"Going into the German Grand Prix, we cannot be happy with the season so far," he said on Friday. "After three successful years, this recent period has been the first set-back for our team - and is one we will overcome.
"After all, this is the same team in Munich and Hinwil that has delivered continuous improvements since the team was founded.
"We are all absolutely determined to start moving forwards again and I expect us to experience an upturn in form. It is certainly not easy to make up lost ground without the chance to do any testing, but that is what we're aiming to do.
"We are bringing a series of mechanical improvements to the Eifel mountains, as well as a further developed version of our double-decker diffuser."
The team's head of engineering, Willy Rampf, is well aware of the pressure that will be on the team to deliver a strong result on home ground.
"After our disappointing performance at Silverstone we have to turn things around at the Nurburgring," he explained. "That's something we owe our many fans who always come to the race here.
"We will be bringing a modified version of our double-decker diffuser to the Nurburgring, and we have also made improvements on the mechanical side. Much will doubtless depend on how successful we are at getting the tyres to work."
Nick Heidfeld shared Theissen's feelings in believing there was little reason to be happy with what the team has shown in 2009.
"It goes without saying that our verdict on the season at the half-way point is anything but positive," he said. "Especially when you compare our results so far with our aims going into the season.
"Of course I hope we will make improvements, and that's what everybody in the team is working to achieve."
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