McLaren triumphs in Florida. She does it thanks to an amazing Norris who after an initial part of the race in the chasing group, finds himself in his hands chance perfect. Landau he doesn’t have to be prayed for and speeds and crosses the finish line of Miami Grand Prix 2024 in front of everyone, chapeau, in short. Red Bullhowever, he had to settle for the second step of the podium. Verstappen he tried to win but wasn’t able to while Ferrariin the wake of RB20 number 1 for much of the run with Leclerc, wins a third place that satisfies halfway. It probably could have been done better.
The triggering factors that contributed to the success of the young British driver are multiple, both performance and tactical. Yes because in F1, to make a given strategy effective, the car must still have excellent pace. On the contrary, every type of plan is consequently thwarted. From a mere performance point of view, the MCL38 it adapted perfectly to this track, especially in the race. But a question arises spontaneously: for what reason McLaren was it that quick? A question that hides various reasons, which we will now illustrate.
McLaren updates the MCL38 in Florida
Andrea Stella he had anticipated it in unsuspecting times: “We will bring a first package of updates to Miami“. The engineer and team principal of the historic stable of Woking he had also put his hands forward. The fifty-three-year-old originally from Orvieto He has clear ideas and his feet on the ground. This is why she suggested that, the update in question, was not to be considered “massive” on a chronometric level and the leap in quality could not reach the extraordinary extent of step made last summer. Let’s briefly summarize the innovations at a technical level.
The entrance of side pod placed in front of the radiators has undergone a re-shaping. The inlet section of the bellies, responsible for cooling the internal components, has been reduced. The will aimed to limit resistance to advancement, a concern that McLaren he brought with him from the last competitive campaign. Parameter of crucial importance for current ground effect cars, through which the equation that regulates the competitiveness of the vehicles is managed wing car: load vs aerodynamic efficiency. Reducing the size of this area gains millimeters to the undercutthe area of the single-seater where a higher amount of local pressure is automatically generated which enhances the effect outwash.
We are referring to a prerogative that contributes to the optimal management of the fluid, in a part of the car that is crucial for the overall performance of the car. The other change, decidedly more significant, concerns the upper part of the bellies, where there is now a separation between the flows that flow internally and those that move in the external part. Feature that better manages the turbulent and harmful trail produced by the rolling of the front tire. Other differences are highlighted in the lower part, increasing the school excavation Red Bull which varies the speed of the fluid, giving it a trajectory which increases its flow towards the rear axle.
Let’s talk about another crucial area for generating vertical thrust, the one between the shoulder of the tire and the side “wall” of the diffuser. Bringing a greater quantity of flow into this area feeds the “mouse hole”, a slot on the bottom through which clean air is injected into the volume of the diffuser to increase its energy. This is the first trigger that provided a boost performance no small feat, bringing the McLaren at level Ferrari And Red Bull on American soil. Quantifying the value of the update in Florida, an improvement of at least two tenths per lap on the race pace can be estimated.
McLaren, the super performance in Miami
In the first sector the MCL38 it showed a very high level of vertical load, perfectly balanced between the two axes. The layout of the track You love me features several quick turns with a unique input of steering wheel. Type of fold where the car Woking he exalts himself. McLaren it is very solid on insertion with excellent directionality. In the central sector which involves a long straight line and the guided section, the British car was even faster than Red Bull, even if the performance gap was more limited. While in the third he “paid” a certain amount gap from the RB20excellent in traction, especially when exiting 16.
Overall, the US track adapted perfectly to the distinctive features of the McLaren, also thanks to a tailor-made setup. One of the best features that made the difference concerns the ability to manage the compounds. Very good performance Norris with the Mediumcapable of extending the first stint maintaining a very high pace. Excellent performance with the HardWhere Red Bull he had no escape. There RB20 suffered bottom damage with Verstappen which limited the performance of the Austrian car. Element that added to the capacity of the MCL38 to center and maintain the correct operating window of the Pirelli with a white band, he effectively knocked out the reigning world champion.
Another discriminating factor for the victory of Norris and the timing from the Safety Car. In fact, before the race was neutralised, the Briton enjoyed an advantage of around 11 seconds Maxas he had not yet made the stop. Gap which expanded to half a minute, because Bernd Mayländer (SF driver) enters runway after that Landau passes the exit line of the pitlane. The Englishman, while respecting the delta provided on the steering wheel, was able to complete a lap at a greater pace while the Dutchman was forced to respect the slower pace of the Safety Car. Joker from which McLaren he profited by taking the lead. From then on, the Englishman’s ferocious pace did the rest, annihilating his ambitions for victory. Max with a superior race pace.
