INTERVIEW // THE MEN BEHIND McLAREN

Mclaren's director of engineering Paddy Lowe and chief engineer Tim Goss guide us through the changes that are evident on this years F1 Mclaren and comment on how they think this years rule changes will affect the season ahead... [read more]

The MP4-25 looks very different from last year’s car – what are the principal changes?

Tim Goss: “Following last year’s clarification involving the interpretation of the underbody regulations, the 2010 car has been designed to take greater advantage of the aerodynamic benefits we can derive from the floor. That interpretation led us to change the layout of the rear of the car.

“The car is longer than last year’s car as a result of the additional fuel capacity and we’ve lowered the chassis and bodywork. Plus the removal of KERS has opened up opportunities on internal layout and weight distribution. It’s quite a different aerodynamic treatment to last year.”

The dorsal fin that attaches the top body to the rear wing is very striking – what does it do?

Tim Goss: “The principal knock-on effect of the larger fuel tank was the repositioning of some of the car’s internals. One of the outcomes of that was a decision to move some of the car’s cooling to sit centrally at the rear of the car.

“The dorsal fin is partly to accommodate the additional cooling duct and partly a logical development of the high-downforce wing we ran last year at races like Monaco, which feeds air more efficiently to the rear wing upper element. They’re both quite simple solutions, but they’re actually very neat.”

On a human level, what has the organisation learnt about itself over the past 12 months?

Paddy Lowe: I think we’ve learnt that as a team we can operate effectively and we pull together both in success and in adversity. I think one of the greatest things about last year was the fact that on no single occasion throughout the whole team, whether that’s from shareholders, sponsors, team principal, management through to the night shifters, did I come across any individual blaming another That was a very encouraging situation, and spoke volumes about the degree of team spirit that exists here.”

Looking at the 2010 regulations, the biggest news is the banning of in-race refueling – how has that affected the packaging of the new car?

Tim Goss: “It has definitely been a big challenge fitting twice as much fuel into the car, because you don’t want to increase the chassis length by too much, and you also don’t want to compromise the aerodynamics by making the car too wide. You’ve got to fit radiators into the sidepods, so you’re limited as to how wide you can push the chassis.”

How did you tackle it?

Tim Goss: “In the end, we elected not to compromise the aerodynamics of the car, and, through a rethink of the cooling system layout and electrical packaging, we managed to provide space for the additional fuel capacity while maintaining our aerodynamic philosophy for the bodywork.”

The drivers will be carrying twice as much fuel at the start of each grand prix as they were last year, how will that affect the car’s handling and balance characteristics?

Paddy Lowe: “The biggest problem is just the sheer weight of the fuel – it obviously increases the stopping distance quite considerably. Running with high fuel puts demands on braking – and it means you have to design the brake discs and pads to overcome that. And with a narrower front tyre, you’ll lose grip, which will change the fundamental balance of the car. So we’ve looked at weight distribution, aero balance and mechanical balance in order to compensate for grip balance moving rearwards.”

Do you think the banning of refueling and its effect on the car’s tyres and balance will spice up racing in 2010?

Tim Goss: “It could make the show significantly better, yes. Previously, you knew when everyone was going to stop and refuel, so each team based their strategy decisions on overtaking cars during the pitstops.

“What’s changed for this year is that we won’t know when people are going to stop. The only thing affecting drivers’ mandatory stops now is that they have to run both the Option and Prime tyre, so the strategy choices will be less predictable and will become a little more complicated. Races could be one or two stints with both early and late stops for tyres.”

“And it will definitely make the racing more challenging and interesting – and, hopefully, it will promote more on-track overtaking and less overtaking during the pitstops.”

Finally, what’s on your job list going into the four crucial pre-season tests?

Paddy Lowe: “Initially, the most important thing is proving that the car is robust. Just about everything has changed on the car, there’s very little that hasn’t changed, so we want to make sure we’re fully reliable for the first race.

“At the start of 2009, there were teams who were more competitive than us, but we were still able to pick up a good number of points because we were more reliable. These tests will be about establishing the durability of the car and giving ourselves enough time to fix any issues we encounter.

“In addition, we also want to get a very thorough understanding the new tyre, its degradation and durability, and how to get the best out of it.

“Beyond that, it’ll be about performance development.”


VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES MP4-25 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

Chassis
Monocoque McLaren-moulded carbonfibre composite incorporating front and side impact structures
Front suspension Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone
Rear suspension Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone
Suspension dampers Koni
Electronics McLaren Electronic Systems control units incorporating electronics for chassis, engine and data acquisition. McLaren Electronic Systems also supplies the electronic dashboard, alternator voltage control, sensors, data analysis and telemetry systems
Bodywork Carbonfibre composite. Separate engine cover, sidepods and floor. Structural nose with intergral front wing.
Paint solutions provided by AkzoNobel Car Refinishes using Sikkens Products
Tyres Bridgestone Potenza
Radio Kenwood
Race wheels Enkei
Brake calipers Akebono
Master cylinders Akebono
Batteries GS Yuasa Corporation
Steering McLaren power-assisted
Instruments McLaren Electronic Systems

Engine
Type Mercedes-Benz FO 108X
Capacity 2.4 litres
Cylinders 8
Maximum rpm 18,000
Bank angle 90°
Piston bore maximum 98mm
Number of valves 32
Fuel ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel)
Spark plugs NGK racing spark plugs specially designed for Mercedes-Benz F1 engine
Lubricants Mobil 1 – for higher performance, lower friction, better protection, cooling and wear resistance
Weight 95kg (minimum FIA regulation weight)

Transmission
Gearbox McLaren-moulded carbonfibre composite. Integral rear impact structure
Gears Seven forward and one reverse
Gear selection McLaren seamless shift, hand-operated fly-by-wire
Clutch Carbon/carbon, hand-operated fly-by-wire

WINTER TEST PROGRAMME

1st - 3rd February Valencia, Spain
10th - 13th February Jerez , Spain
17th - 20th February Jerez , Spain
25th - 28th February
Barcelona, Spain


Images and Interview: Mclaren Mercedes F1
Editorial: Neil Tozer