IIRC haven't they restricted DRS more this year? If so then if its probably not got nearly enough benefit to justify the hours they could spend elsewhere. I quite like the car, It looks good. Making use of the modesty panel.
Yes, but the Passive DRS cannot be stopped by the new rules. It activates outside the DRS zones, like an F-duct without the driver. The faster they go the more this PDRS works to stall the rear. If anything this will gain serious time in qualifying and race unlike the DDRS last year. I believe they reckoned it was worth 5-7 tenths a lap if it worked properly in relation to people unable to use the PDRS, but Lotus should be closer than most to unlock this technique followed by IRBR and Mercedes. Lotus, Mercedes and IRBR in particular have been trying to make this work more than most other teams it looks. please log in to view this image Autosport: Formula 1 teams are facing an increasingly tough call on whether or not to pursue passive double DRS in 2013, despite rules tweaks that should theoretically boost its advantage. The FIA has changed the DRS regulations for this year, with drivers now only allowed to activate the device in practice and qualifying at the areas of the track where it will be used in the race. Trick 'double DRS' like those used by Mercedes and Red Bull - which fed air through ducts in the rear wing to help stall the aerodynamics for a straightline speed-boost - have also been outlawed. However, passive DRS concepts as tested by Mercedes and Lotus last year, which can stall the wing for a speed boost on all straights, remain legal, and should produce a bigger advantage because of the rules tweak that restrict normal DRS usage. Click here to read about how the passive DRS systems work The implementation of the passive double DRS remains far from a no-brainer however, especially after both Mercedes and Lotus encountered difficulties in gaining confidence with the systems last year. The biggest problem was in getting the device to switch on and switch off at the correct speed. The device has to trigger at a speed that is higher than the fastest corner, so drivers do not encounter a sudden loss of downforce in the high-speed turns where they need it the most. This means that the benefit from the passive systems is limited only to those sections of straights that are faster than the quickest corners, so it is not as much value at venues with a lot of quick turns. The ideal stomping ground for passive DRS is tracks that feature long straights and only low speed corners. There is also a further complication in that Lotus and Mercedes both found that due to air pressure characteristics surrounding an F1 car, the speed at which the passive DRS switched off to re-engage the rear wing was not always the same as that where it switched on. This meant that the trigger point had to be adjusted even higher to ensure that there was no risk of drivers not having rear downforce for corners immediately after long straights. Speaking about the concept at the end of last year, Brawn said that if the passive DRS got the go-ahead then it would be unlikely to feature on the car at every race. "Where it engages and where it re-engages are often not necessarily the same speed - as it can have some lag," he said, when asked by AUTOSPORT about the difficulties Mercedes had encountered. "For some tracks it will not be worth it, you won't be able to get any substantial advantage out of it. "You need tracks with a good series of low-speed corners, as soon as you get high-speed corners you can't afford for it to be operating and the threshold becomes very high and the advantage is very small." Ahead of a season where it is expected that the F1 field will closer further up because of rules stability, any advantage is still keenly pursued though, which is why passive double DRS remains attractive. Brawn added: "The advantage of that is that you can use it all the time. I don't think it will make a huge difference in qualifying when you can use the normal DRS, but with passive systems they are every lap. "At the moment you can only use DRS when you are close to a car in front, but with passive systems you can use them all the time, which is why they are attractive." Mercedes and Lotus headed into the winter determined to keep evaluating the passive double DRS concept, and AUTOSPORT understands that both teams are still considering the idea as they close in on completing their 2013 cars. It is also likely that rival teams have put work in to trying to get the systems working. However, Brawn was convinced that even if teams do get the passive DRS working properly in 2013 then it will not be a golden ticket for success. "The performance gain is there, but it is not huge," he said. "It's not like F-duct was. It is something that is nice to have, but it is not going to be a game changer in terms of your competitiveness."
I reckon it would work on these tracks very well to a moderate benefit: Bahrain, Spa, Monza, Canada, China, "Hockenheim", Korea, Singapore, India, Abu Dhabi. (9-10 races) Not any real difference: Australia, Monaco, USA, "Nurburgring", Spain (4-5 Races) Probably wouldn't use it: Britain: (Turns, 1, 9, 11,12,13, 15)Malaysia: (Turns, 5,6,7, 11,12,13) Hungary: (Turns, 3,5,6, 8,9,10,11) Japan: (Turns, 1,2, 7,8,9 13, 15, 18) Brazil: (Turns, 5,6,7, 13,14,15) (5 Races) So that's 14-15 races they could have an advantage on if they can get it right, that's out of 19. Turkey if chosen would probably be with (wouldn't use it) since of turn 8. The red Bull ring though would be used for it, turns 4 and 5 would be the only thing to worry about. But because IRBR focus solely on downforce and cornering speed you might find they don't have to worry about losing too much downforce within corners. Think of the time in 2011 when they would open DRS miles earlier around turn 8 at Turkey and at 130R while the rest would focus on something else other than down force as they couldn't match IRBR. So I would expect IRBR to really charge hard on getting a working PDRS system, it might be working now, it might not be ready until the european season period starts. But start to worry for the season if it's working early on for IRBR and nobody else has got it working yet, because I'm pretty sure the FIA had long enough time to stop this kind of trick being used and it looks like they wont ban it until 2014 starts.
Interesting use of the word "fan". I see supporter and fan as the fundamental struggle inside everyone who cares about a sport. A fan is a "fanatic". That does not necessarily mean somebody who inputs money, but has a crazed obsession about them. The problem with the "fan" inside us is that it cares too much. Nothing is good enough until the absolute pinnacle of everything is reached AND maintained to infinity. So you buying a badge does not make you a fan. Trashing your room and ripping the clothes off your own mother when they lose makes you a fan. A supporter is somebody who supports the team/individual, pays money to go see it and never jeers or moans about them. The problem with the "supporter" is that they don't have the ultimate passion of a fan. Getting the balance right is tricky. But both are in us and are very much part of the whole process of every spectator sport.
I'm neither a fan (of a particular team) nor a supporter, as such; but I believe Gandalf's response to SilverArrow is quite valid. P.S. Welcome to the forum, Gandalf. And, if I may say so; you seem to have a very reasonable, level head…
[video=youtube;23E1m8ZxFmU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=23E1m8ZxFmU#at=58[/video] Something to pump up Macca fans.
Sifting through the optimism and the modesty panels to learn useful pointers for the upcoming 2013 season... McLaren haven't lost their nerve. Having won the final two races of 2012 in a car widely considered to have been the season's fastest, the easy thing for McLaren to do ahead of 2013 was produce an evolutionary successor to the MP4-27. And given that the team are still coming to terms with the shattering loss of their prized asset, Lewis Hamilton, the temptation towards playing it safe would have been psychological as well as sporting. Yet instead of that, the team have ripped up their design manual and produced a bold, near-revolutionary MP4-28 based around a fundamental change in design philosophy at both rear and front. [h=4]F1 on Sky Sports in 2013[/h] Sky Sports F1 is the only place to watch every grand prix live in 2013. Our dedicated F1 channel will broadcast every race, qualifying and practice session live, along with highlights shows, analysis and even more coverage via the Red Button.Find out more at Sky.comn So why change a winning formula? The McLaren design team concluded that the philosophy which underpinned last year's car had reached its performance ceiling. There was nothing - or almost nothing - to be gained from tweaking the MP4-27 and so, fearing punishment for standing still, the team have essentially rolled the dice. It's thus both a gamble and a calculated gamble - two very different matters. As for the critical question of whether it's the right decision, only time, in the form of the 2013 campaign, will tell - although it's reasonable to expect a relatively-slow start from McLaren as they get to grips with their new design concept. In the meantime, the one definitive conclusion to be made is that despite having doubly good reason to play safe, McLaren's nerve is as strong as ever
Early days but there looks to be pace in the car. http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...rly-setback-to-set-Day-One-pace-at-Jerez-test
please log in to view this image Close-up of the bodywork and exhaust packing around the back of the McLaren
please log in to view this image McLAREN Speculation McLaren may be in a fair bit of bother was given grippy traction at the conclusion of the first Barcelona meet with the admission of Jenson Button that the team were struggling to understand their revolutionary new charger. But as written at the time, McLaren's lack of clarity was precisely what was expected following their decision to build their new car around a brand-new design philosophy. Equal prominence also ought to be given to Jenson's relief midway through the second Barcelona test when the team enjoyed their "best day of the winter". All the signs are that McLaren won't possess race-winning pace at the start of the season - although quick, the MP4-28 is inconsistent and "plagued by understeer" and tyre degradation according to Sky F1 pundit Mark Hughes. Yet McLaren weren't focusing on winning at Melbourne and Malaysia when they built the MP4-28. Having reached the performance ceiling with the design philosophy behind the MP4-27, their prescribed intention was to build a car they could improve throughout the campaign. In sum, McLaren have risked going backwards in the short-term to make substantial long-term gain - and, one month after their new car's track debut, their test season has scarcely begun.
I hope this blip in form (if its real) is only a short one. Last season they had the fastest car for large chunks of the season but yet threw it away with poor reliability and ridiculous strategies/pitting. If they have fixed those shortcomings then they could do better even with a slower car.
http://www1.skysports.com/formula-1...velop-the-MP4-28-throughout-the-entire-season Instead the team head into the season with a new design philosophy which Button hopes will allow the team to stay in front when others reach the development limit. "When we came into this season we wanted to build a car that would be strong throughout the year, and that's why we've made so many changes to the way the car looks," the 2009 World Champion said. "The reason being is that it's a very long season and we want to be able to develop all the way through the year.
I would agree that this car has a lot of potential. McLaren appear to be the only front running team to have taken this approach and it may well pay dividends as the season progresses. However, to avoid disappointment, fans hoping for early success might do well to adopt a similar, long-term patience. As I mentioned before when they first took this car to Jerez, it looks to have a very well planted rear end; with perhaps as much or even more ultimate potential than Newey's evolution of last year's outright winner. Realising whatever potential it may have is likely to be quite a task, though; and I think the greatest part of the team's drivers' burden to tune in that front end will be carried by Button – who will naturally shoulder more of the responsibility than buoyant newcomer, Perez. By contrast, drivers evolving in tune with the progression of an 'earlier model' which they are familiar with are likely to hold an early, 'natural' advantage.
