Tech
F1 Tech | McLaren impresses rivals with phenomenal race pace simulation
During the second day of testing, much more interesting data started to come out. After testing a set of different configurations during the first day, both McLaren and Ferrari simulated the whole Grand Prix length this afternoon, with Norris constantly setting impressive lap times while Leclerc’s pace was more inconsistent.
For this second day, McLaren decided to start the day with a series of aerodynamic tests done by Oscar Piastri. The Australian driver basically spent the morning testing the correlation between the data gathered on track and those seen on the screens back in the factory.
Despite this, the very interesting portion of the day began immediately after the launch break when Norris, after doing a series of push-cool runs with the C3 (which will be the softest compound used during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend), started a full-length race pace simulation using the C3, the C1 and the C2 in sequence and setting impressive lap times.
Surely the cool conditions registered during the session (16°C of air) where ideal for both the tyres and the engine, as the Bahrain International Circuit usually puts a lot of thermal stress into the rear tyres due to the stop-and-go nature of the track and due to the very hot conditions usually faced around here.
The different conditions allowed Norris to push the tyres for the whole length of the stint with almost no degradation and impressive lap times, completing the full 57 laps in great swing. Here is a table with the list of all the times set during the race pace simulations.
This performance may not be surprising if compared to the level of dominance the Woking-based team showed during the last two thirds of last season. However, it’s proof of the great step forward they’ve done in some crucial areas to get to this level of performance.
From this point-of-view, in fact, the performance mainly comes from the great stability of the aerodynamic platform as well as the huge amount of grip available in all corner phases. This great stability of both the whole platform as well as the strong front-end is mainly guaranteed by the new front suspension, that keeps the pull-rod scheme, with the placement of both the upper and the lower triangles that was completely revised not only for mechanical reasons, but also to obtain a better deviation of the flow towards the body of the car.
The rear arm of the upper triangle is anchored to the chassis much lower and further back to produce a massive level of anti-dive and preventing the nose from sinking under braking and provides a more stable behavior as the load is transferred to the front. At the same time, positioning the rear arm so low frees up a large area (between the two triangles) allowing the air to flow almost undisturbed towards the sidepod.
In conclusion, the new MCL39 looks very competitive and well balanced on track. This is just a great starting point, even if all rivals will be surely closer than what seemed like during today’s race pace simulations, where Leclerc was at times running a second slower than Norris per lap. Only in Australia we will have a better idea of where every team actually is, but for sure McLaren starts as the favourite for the win.