Quote:
Originally Posted by DLSTR
Al this was written by Gary Anderson a former F1 mech and respected engineer earlier this season when Mercedes and Mclaren were in touch about engine supply -Via Autosport
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( Click to show/hide )How easy would it be for McLaren to adapt its car for a Mercedes engine, given the similarities with the Honda engine?
Guus van Lienen, via email
It's a lot easier to change the power unit package today than it was a few years ago. One of the more useful things the FIA has done over the past few years is to define the length of the engine bay and the engine-to-chassis and engine-to-gearbox pick-up-point locations.
This means that the overall geometry of the cars can be fairly similar. It's the detail of the intrusions into the chassis and gearbox for the oil tank, hydraulics, turbo, etc, as well as the cooling system's requirements, that will be the time-consuming design process.
Performance doesn't just come by doing something like fitting a Mercedes engine, it comes from sorting the detail out better than the other teams using the same componentry.
When you have teams like Mercedes itself, Force India and Williams using the same power unit since 2014, they will have gone through all the permutations on the installation and have ended up where they are currently.
To get to this level and also be in a position to maximise the use of a very different power unit at the circuit will not be easy or immediate - even with the experience of running the engine in 2014.
If McLaren makes this shift then it will still take time for it to get up to speed. Mercedes will probably help (but not that much), but remember the two are in competition and the last thing Mercedes needs to do is jeopardise its own championship-winning potential.
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ahhh..... I think my post is too short... I didn't state exactly what I mean...
what I mean "it's going to be a real test to the design team at McLaren"....
next year they are going to use the same engine as Red Bull, and it's already stated they will have engine parity as RB and Renault.
Thus it's going to be a real test to McLaren next season to have a very good chassis, at least as good as Red Bull if not better.
Since the 2015 season, McLaren has always been hindered by the Honda engine thus even the team says it is affecting the development of the chassis since the lacking of horsepower.
Although this season has shown McLaren is doing well at some low-speed circuits, it is still an unknown how will the chassis response to an engine that gives out full power.
Expectation on McLaren is always high, very high, thus the pressure is going to be heavy on the 2018 season since they are having a "normal" engine.
Their face will be torn if they cannot finish higher than Red Bull.