First pics of MP4 19B(4real)

[MADDOG-99]

First pics of MP4 19B below!

Quote:
New McLaren breaks cover
Raikkonen christens new car in the wet at Silverstone

McLaren's updated MP4-19, the car with which the team hopes to turnaround its Formula 1 fortunes, broke cover at Silverstone this morning (Tuesday) when it was shaken down by Kimi Raikkonen in wet conditions.

The new car ? dubbed the MP4-19B ? has a re-shaped monocoque and revised bodywork and is ready for the track having passed all the mandatory FIA crash tests. Following the disaster of the MP4-18, which failed to pass the crucial tests, ticks in the boxes this time round has been a welcome relief to the struggling team.

The car features a revised nose, despite keeping its low sharply-pointed characteristics from the MP4-19. The most significant revisions appear at the rear of the car with aero adaptations similar to Ferrari's F2004 while the engine cover is more in line with the mould of the Renault R24.

It is hoped the car will make its race debut at the German GP on July 24 and technical director Adrian Newey has revealed it shows all the signs of being a vast improvement on its predecessor.

?In terms of lap times the simulation says the benefits should be significant, but I would rather not go further than that at the moment,? he said. ?It's an updated car so virtually all the mechanical parts are the same, but the bodywork is heavily updated.?

Full story to follow.

Autosport.


OK so here it is!
The new and the old,



More pics at;

http://www.f1total.com/bilder/cat.ph...=20&sort=1&p=1

[RallyRaider]

I hope they focused on more than just the bodywork! Or does Adrian mean the aerodynamics internally to feed the Merc plenty of cooing air!

Can't really see too much difference in those shots and most of what has changed is just derivative of other designs. Doesn't look too promising. Hopefully better pics and especially better results will change that appraisal.

BTW I found it amusing to read the different reasons given by the McLaren brass for the engine failures at the Nurburgring. Ron said words to the effect that the blowups were not unexpected given their aggressive strategy to try and regain competitiveness. Norbert Hague blamed it on a bad batch of pistons

[ales]

From the pictures I see the new Ferrari-ish sidepods and Renault-esque engine cover. The front seems virtually unchanged, at least the visible parts. Wonder what is so different with this one that it required another crash test to be carried out.

[MADDOG-99]

I think that as the carbon fiber monocock is a new design and therefore has never been used before they are obliged to do safety crash tests, however sure they are that it would pass, to ensure that no flours or design mistakes have been made.
Every team must do this to every new design to ensure safety...

[freakray]

So they redesgned the bodywork but not the engine?

What was the purpose, to set up the aerodynamics so they pull the flames away from the car better when the engine blows?
Maybe so the air keeps the flames from damaging anything they can reuse next race (since the cars never get 'worn out' anymore).

[crayzayjay]

Originally Posted by freakray

So they redesgned the bodywork but not the engine?

What was the purpose, to set up the aerodynamics so they pull the flames away from the car better when the engine blows?
Maybe so the air keeps the flames from damaging anything they can reuse next race (since the cars never get 'worn out' anymore).

[MADDOG-99]

Originally Posted by freakray

So they redesgned the bodywork but not the engine?

What was the purpose, to set up the aerodynamics so they pull the flames away from the car better when the engine blows?
Maybe so the air keeps the flames from damaging anything they can reuse next race (since the cars never get 'worn out' anymore).

It's possible that the reason the engines kept blowing up is because it was part of the load bearing structure of the car and the new design takes this problem in to concideration, eliminating the torsion and other pressures twistimg the block etc, (hopefully!)

[freakray]

Believe what you want.....the monocoque would flex before the block did.

[RallyRaider]

Maddog may be on to something. It is common knowledge that Merc have not been up to scratch for the last few years. There are rumblings that the block is not as rigid as it could be. So perhaps McLaren have modified the way the engine is mounted, giving it more support as the main load bearing structure for the rear of the car. A step backwards in pure chassis engineering terms for sure, but McLaren haven't got much choice.

I recall Frank Dernie tried a similar idea on the 1997 Arrows. The Yamaha engine was know to be fragile so he designed the A18 to have a "spine" reaching back supporting the block. They dropped the concept in subsequent years so couldn't have been a success.

[freakray]

I see what you're saying Phil, it just doesn't make sense to me(stupid automotive background I have).

Then again, if they did redisign the monocoque for this reason, it would indeed explain the requisite crash testing.