McLaren aspire edge for 2011
After a series of performance-enhancing upgrades with which the team hopes to conquer the remaining five races, McLaren's principal race engineer Philip Prew has expressed his confidence in the vehicle's
potential for the 2011 Formula One season.
McLaren has undergone several experimental changes this season, in particular dealing with issues in high-downforce. After following the suit of other teams and utilizing rear blown diffusers, the team
discovered a loophole in FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) regulation and pioneered the f-duct aerodynamic device. With its remarkable capacity for creating more downforce while maintaining stability, other teams have implemented the feature
as well, adopting it to the specific characteristics of their vehicles.
Thus far, McLaren’s engineering endeavours have reaped some rewards for the innovative team, who currently sit in second place in the constructor’s championship with 347 points – a mere three points behind
leader Red Bull. Yet despite the 2010 season nearing its climax, the technicians are extending their sights beyond the final race and into 2011.
“We have a separate development team working on the 2011 car," explained Prew. "They're obviously eager to have resources and wind tunnel time, equally, [and] those of us that are still occupied with this
season are still pushing hard to continue the development. It's just one of the balancing acts that, thankfully, we've had to make for the last few years."
He added, “We have upgrades coming through, but to start a brand new project at this stage, it would be very difficult to design, develop and implement it. We just have to get the best bang for the buck
in terms of time we commit to the current car. The reality is that now the time to produce new components is getting shorter, our focus is on fully exploiting the components we have to get the best performance out of them. It’s a balance that’s always difficult
to find.”
McLaren is not the only team to think ahead, with companies such as Renault and Lotus looking into newer designs and signing new engine contracts.
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