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Originally Posted by Richard Casto
All good points.
I am of the opinion that the size zero concept was the root of the problems. I made the point months ago in a post that this is the benefit of an all in one team like Mercedes. That there is less of the customer/provider relationship. That pushback on bad ideas work better within a team atmosphere. I could be off the mark, but I can envision McLaren pushing Honda in the direction of the size zero design and that negatives of that solution could have been suppressed to maintain the happiness of the relationship.
Clearly the honeymoon phase is over and they know it didn't work. Time to face reality, come up with a new plan and then move forward. It hard to say how much the shakeup within McLaren is part of this. I suspect the shakeup within McLaren is just part of the aftermath of how things have been going.
Regardless, it sounds like they are more on-track now than before. Hopefully they will not be too far behind now.
Richard
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Their main bottleneck was clearly the compressor. In 2015 they had problems with compressor stall, in 2016 they improved a lot, particularly in energy harvesting at the expense of some engine power. By Silverstone they had regained that power, and the Spa upgrade improved fuel efficiency.
They did not implement a TJI system like Ferrari. From what I've heard, the layout they pick will be "surprising", and to think of it as not so much revolutionary but "highly refined"
If I had to guess what that means is they either keep their current layout, or change the compressor and move it forward.
Implementing TJI would not have been feasible in 2016 because there were not enough tokens to implement all the supporting mods that are needed to make the concept work.
For 2017 they'll be making a very nice step forward, mostly in terms of a broader power band, and fuel efficiency. Will it be enough, that depends on Mclaren's chassis, the aero is good, but mechanical suspension is far behind Red Bull and Mercedes. Then again, since Monaco, it's believed McLaren abandoned developing the chassis for this year, and any upgrades were really just tests to determine the direction for next year.
The slotted end plates and front wing without the "outwash tunnel" were tests to determine drag with these concepts.
I'll be disappointed if they're not at least 4th fastest. And be pleasantly surprised if they can get on the podium. Getting on the podium and then challenging in 2018 for something serious.