McLaren is attempting to "conceptual evolution" modification

McLaren is attempting to approve the 2023 car’s final F1 “conceptual evolution” modification

The final significant change for McLaren's 2023 Formula One car may be a 'conceptual evolution' modification that is being pushed for approval.

(Motorsports news) The team aims to make one more push for its current MCL60 before a historic moment when it runs its 2024 vehicle through its new wind tunnel for the first time. McLaren Team principal Andrea Stella claims that additional advancements are on the way to help it capitalize on recent podium places in Britain and Hungary. These advancements go beyond the specialized low-drag solutions that will be required for fast tracks like Monza and Las Vegas later this year.

McLaren is developing these concepts for use after the shutdown, he added. “The bodywork and floor have undergone another round of modifications. We still need to approve this and have a few more days of work, but if we are successful, we will try to incorporate it into one of the events soon after the closure.

Even if McLaren’s most recent improvement represented a significant advancement, Stella is wary of having too high of hopes for the following development. Even while McLaren was surprised by how much the most recent update produced, he is fully aware that the next one might not be as successful. “I think we kind of understand what happened with this one, but what we are working on is not only simple millimetres, it is a bit of a conceptual evolution,” he said.

Therefore, there is some uncertainty surrounding aerodynamic evolutions. Additionally, even with a solid wind tunnel correlation and a decent CFD connection, you are always working on the border of knowledge, so the evidence really only comes from testing these kinds of things trackside. And I believe that every squad faces the same challenges. The 2023 vehicle is nearing completion as McLaren gets ready to test a prototype of its 2024 rival in Woking’s new wind tunnel.

“A lot of the things we are working on for this year’s car are applicable for next year, but this year’s model won’t be tested in the new wind tunnel. Only next year’s model will be available in the new wind tunnel. Stella is skeptical that McLaren will be able to use concepts for their 2024 vehicles on this year’s challengers, despite some teams talking about doing so. Because everything is so interconnected and intertwined, he said, “there’s not much you can develop that you can apply to this year’s car.”

“Having a solution that works on next year’s automobile and can then be applied to this year’s model is quite challenging. “You would undoubtedly think about testing an item. However, even if we were to develop a test item, someone would still need to release, sketch, and produce it during a time when we would otherwise be entirely focused on the following year. Thus, I consider it doubtful.

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