Aston Martin was the first of the Mercedes-powered teams to go the way indicated by Red Bull , forgoing the double bottom in favor of steeper sidepods. McLaren, for its part, leaned towards a concept that is more reminiscent of Ferrari, by widening the top of the sidepods, but also adding modifications that seek the Coanda effect.
The Woking team hasn’t mimicked the red car’s bulky flanks, but rather redefined the flow pattern, taking good note of the idea that air can be directed to improve the efficiency of the wings.
The new pontoons of the MCL36, with the hole in the upper part
Old McLaren pontoons, worn to Miami
Observing the pontoons that debuted in Barcelona and were later confirmed in Monte Carlo, you can see the most striking aspect of the aerodynamic package that James Key introduced in the Spanish GP, since the outer edge of the pontoons shows curved lines that were not previously seen. existed in the single-seater, looking then for a sloped design that cannot be seen in the F1-75.
MCL36 radiators, tilted forward
The metamorphosis has been less traumatic compared to Aston Martin, which has had to relocate its radiators, which were almost horizontal, to mount them vertically and tilted forwards, while the airflow has been affected by the suspension, the front with a pull-rod layout and the rear with a push-rod layout, in perfect keeping with the choices made by Adrian Newey on the Red Bull RB18.
The pull-rod front suspension of the McLaren MCL36
The rear push rod suspension of the McLaren MCL36
McLaren , after a difficult start to the season due to overheated front brakes, showed clear signs of recovery by moving up to fourth in the constructors’ standings. One of the MCL36’s big flaws seemed to be a lack of competitiveness in the slow corners: Lando Norris ‘ pace would have indicated that in Monte Carlo the papaya-colored car might have found some of the charge it lacked.
The new floor must contribute to this, which allows McLaren to seek lower heights with respect to the asphalt, since the design allows better control of porpoising. They have achieved this thanks to a metallic reinforcement of the edges of the flat bottom.
The revision of the McLaren plano fund introdujo en Barcelona
The aerodynamicists enhanced the wash out effect of the flows channeled in the first three bottom ducts, with five flow diverters located higher up, which energize the air that is pushed by the rear wheel. However, what increased the load was the design of the car in its lower part. Following Red Bull concepts, it no longer has a continuous hull line, but steps that generate vortices in the tunnel that feeds the diffuser.
The lower part of the MCL36, visible gracias al accidente de Ricciardo
This change, undoubtedly the most important for performance, became visible thanks to the incident involving Daniel Ricciardo in free practice on Friday at the Monaco GP: the MCL36 that crashed at the second chicane in the Pool was lifted by the stewards to remove it of the layout, revealing everything Key’s engineers would have wanted to keep hidden.
