What's that ridge on Hamilton's nose? It looks like like they're trying to emulate the step. Is there an air inlet on it? With a number of teams using their various air pressure sensors it looks more like the end of the Mugello test than first practice for the Spanish GP.
Ahhh I think that bridge is more or less to copy the height of the RBR nose design I reckon, and they're checking to see how well the drivers can see the track if it was there.
I didn't see any holes on the plate, but did you see something on the side pods, it's like another indent from the fron to the back of the sidepod to direct the air over the exhaust. They also put covers on top so we couldn't get a closer look.
If McLaren are going to go the full hog with this higher nose/higher chassis thing then I would say that, at least from a particular perspective, they must be the worst car design outfit on the grid, maybe even including HRT. For years they've championed the lower chassis approach and now that the regulations are swinging towards them with other teams potentially trailing in their wake, they've apparently decided that it's wrong and they should just copy what everyone else is doing. Practically speaking, of course, at this point in time that's a sensible solution but it reveals an unhealthy level of pre-season arrogance to stick to a design that is so far out of kilter with the obvious prevailing solution. I think McLaren are in big trouble.
I was thinking this too when I heard the high nose job. Its even worse that the car had been designed lower for the last 2 years to facilitate the new nose rules. How many more times can Mclaren get it wrong?
With a lower chassis, particularly the bulkhead, and therefore less room to manoeuvre in influencing airflow under the car, I could understand how introducing a higher nose might help to mitigate this disadvantage. I wouldn't therefore say the new nose in itself is indicative of panic. Whitmarsh has apparently said that the ridge on the nose is simply to help assess driver visibility on the current car because Button has complained a bit about not being able to see. If, as SilverArrow and Gary Anderson suspect, it's actually to help assess driver visibility for a new design, given the big commitment that would be required to introduce a new car, then I think there's something very, very wrong in Woking.
Yeah I don't believe that BS that it's for next years car, more like come silverstone a whole brand new chassis is revealed with a DDRS.
http://www.motorsportgp.pl/index.php/grand-prix-hiszpanii/pitek Look at the new RBR setup at the rear, a slope for the exhaust gases just like the sloped noses is involved now lol. Also the slot on the side is back, maybe they have got it working now?
