Presentations 2018: A McLaren that chooses the path of smooth evolution
It was McLaren's turn to unveil their MCL33 yesterday. In addition to a switch to a sharper orange, this new McLaren features interesting technical modifications.
The last presentation of this marathon week took place the day before with the McLaren MCL33. A brief non-exhaustive report of the modifications made compared to last year.
Unlike other teams, it was not necessary to work on the front suspension compared to last year. McLaren had already adopted last season a rather extreme angle for the upper suspension arm, which is attached very high on the car.
The halo remains quite raw, but the front pillar has been significantly refined compared to what we saw during the presentations of other single-seaters. The goal is surely to obstruct the drivers’ visibility as little as possible. The central air intake, located just behind, is quite simple and does not have visible subdivisions, which contrasts with the choices made by other teams (see photo 1 below).
New #MCL33 pic.twitter.com/obza7GNPeg
— Craig Scarborough (@ScarbsTech) 23 février 2018
We can then observe that the bargeboards of the McLaren retain most of the 2017 architecture, while adding an element very similar to the aero-cat that Renault implemented on its car last season. This boomerang-shaped element directs the air cleanly towards the rear of the car. It is named as such because it resembles a stylized cat. (See photo 2 above).
Below this part, there isn’t much flooring left since it has been generously cut out by the engineers from Woking. It is quite difficult to say what the objective of the maneuver is (see photo 1 above).
Further back, the side-pods are very similar to those of the Ferrari 2017, with very narrow inlets, as seen on the Red Bull, for example. This confirms the trend of strong Ferrari inspiration among the engineers of the different teams. Another notable element in this area is the addition of two sets of three fins on top of the side air intakes. The aim is certainly to improve rear stability by bringing in clean and well-redirected air (see photo below).
(4) Pontones ajustados buscando liberar la. zona inferior. Dos líneas d 4 generadores d vórtices cada una en la zona superior pic.twitter.com/BnHikPm5FO
— Albert Fabrega ES (@AlbertFabrega) 23 février 2018
Going further back, we notice that the floor has two long openings that were not present last year on the McLaren (see photo 4 below).
Check out some detail pics of the new McLaren MCL33 -> AMuS gallery: https://t.co/PLfWct1E9l pic.twitter.com/uCKwPEais9
— Tobi Grüner ???? (@tgruener) 23 février 2018
Then, we can observe that the engine cover, already very compact last year, has been rounded to accommodate the Renault engine, which is not arranged at all like the previous Honda engine.
To conclude, it is observed that the rear suspension of the McLaren has been curved and appears particularly robust. This likely allows for a greater range of adjustments. It should also be noted that the British team has chosen to equip itself with a single support pillar for the rear wing, which seems designed to accommodate a monkey seat. This seems quite surprising, considering that this mini-wing is now banned by the regulations. (see photo 2 above).
