McLaren is leading the way in this setup, will other teams follow in bringing connecting rod front suspension back to Formula 1?
This image, in addition to showing the steering wheel that Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo will use, reveals a peculiar bodywork in the MCL36 , where the ground does not rise much above the height of the pilot’s knees, which confirms the trend of James Key to want to move the internal part of the suspension to the bottom of the chassis to adopt a pull rod scheme instead of the one they already had in 2021.
McLaren MCL35M push rod front suspension detail
During the ignition of the Mercedes power unit at the English team’s headquarters on January 26, the team’s boss, Zak Brown , took some photographs with his mobile phone, allowing details to be seen that indicate that the Woking team have taken a route different from the rest. This means that the cars of the next campaign will not be the same at first, as has been speculated.
Comparison of the push rod system of the SF16-H and the pull rod of the SF15T of the Ferrari team
Since 2016, Formula 1 cars switched to the push rod scheme after Ferrari introduced its SF16-H, moving away from the configuration used in the 2012-2015 four-year period with the F2012, F138, F14T and F15T.
What usually complicates the teams are the new rules that will be introduced in 2022, with a lower nose to reduce the risk that could cause a crash.
The choice for safety allows for various solutions, and most teams have chosen to hollow out the nose and chassis at the bottom to create more airflow and feed the side channels responsible for generating downforce. To do this, they will maintain the push rod system with a rocker arm anchored in the upper part of the chassis and in the lowest point of the hub support.
The intention is to prioritize aerodynamic options with an “anteater” style nose , likely to extend to the rear wing profile. the new 18-inch tires from Pirelli.
With the pull rod configuration it will be possible to lower the center of gravity of the MCL36 by lowering the height of the suspension, which would make the car more reactive in sudden changes of direction, a good thing due to the 43 kilos increase in the weight of the single-seaters
So the Woking engineers may have looked for a suspension solution with a wider range of dampers and springs, as they will have to dampen the bumps they take when jumping over curbs.
First image of the McLaren MCL36
The McLaren communication department has done nothing to hide this technical detail, and since the first photograph revealed of the MCL36, interesting things were already shown, such as the airbox part, which could be different, in addition to the Venturi channels, which they seem to be different.
We will have to wait until February 11 to find out what the team that finished fourth in the constructors’ championship surprises us with.
