McLaren is one of the great disappointments of this start of the 2022 Formula 1 season because, after testing in Barcelona, the MCL36 looked like one of the best cars on the grid.
The British were able to largely avoid the porpoising effect that so many suffered from, but both in pre-season testing and later in the opening race of the world championship in Bahrain, it showed technical deficiencies, not only in the front brakes, something that caused the single-seater fell to the bottom of the grid.
Using the Mercedes M13 E Performance power unit, the James Key -created car impressed with some design concepts that went in a different direction from the rest of the rivals, with a pull-rod front suspension and push-rod rear. .
Technical detail of the McLaren MCL36 rear with engine packaging and push-rod suspension
Giorgio Piola’s image shows us the bare rear of the MCL36 where some solutions devised by the Woking team stand out, such as the Mercedes engine cooling system, which was divided between the radiators and the intercooler, placed in the underbody and radiator packs installed above the six-cylinder combustion engine.
The white arrow highlights the careful work that has been done on the packaging of the power unit, trying to collect the channels in an integrated system that testifies to the careful study of the positioning of each element.
The shot also allows us to observe the rear suspension with the very forward-leaning push-rod system, articulated between the engine and gearbox, as well as all the internal kinematics that are obviously not visible. The upper triangle is quite narrow, while the lower triangle is much more open, and the axle shaft is not faired as many other teams have opted for.
For the Jeddah track, the wings were not changed from those seen in Bahrain, so McLaren will have to wait for new solutions that will put them in a better position.
