McLaren F1 passes crash test of its short nose
The Woking team wishes to present an improved aerodynamic package at the Austrian Grand Prix. This involves the introduction of a new shortened nose. However, crash tests are a mandatory step to validate the novelty.
The information was confirmed Friday night on McLaren F1’s Twitter account. The team will be able to use its new shortened nose at the Austrian Grand Prix. The new nose was submitted to the FIA crash test. The introduction of the new part was mentioned as early as the Canadian Grand Prix. An initial attempt had failed. The team pushed very hard to introduce this innovation in Austria.
This new component is part of a large plan to improve the chassis of the MP4-30. The aerodynamic section will be extensively revised, and the new nose is part of that. This nose, in the Mercedes model, allows a better airflow over the floor. All the teams are trying to emulate it.
This new package represents a major evolution. With it, the team based in Woking aims to progress in the hierarchy. The Honda power unit still needs to gain in reliability and performance. It will be a long-term effort.
The McLaren F1 team is facing great difficulties. Reliability is at the heart of all concerns. Fernando Alonso has had to retire from the last three Grand Prix races in Spain, Monaco, and Canada. Jenson Button was unable to participate in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Energy recovery and the turbocharger are weak points of the Honda engine. In terms of pace, McLaren is still too far behind Mercedes and Ferrari. They are conceding 1.6 seconds in qualifying at the Canadian Grand Prix. That said, Honda has managed to improve its pace: both drivers were more than five seconds behind the leaders in Australia.
With this new nose, McLaren F1 hopes to improve its performance level starting in Austria.
