McLaren introduced a raft of changes to the MP4-30 for Malaysia, aimed at further improving airflow around the car and maximizing their ‘size zero’ rear-end packaging.
The team have added an additional vortex generator (marked in green) to the outer shoulder of the sidepods upper surface. The vortices generated by these devices help to keep the airflow attached to the sidepods surface where it then feeds the rear of the car and diffuser.
Changes have also been made to the airflow conditioner that sits alongside the sidepod (blue) with its base moved further forward on the floor, aligning it closer to the bargeboard ahead. Owing to this the airflow conditioner shape has changed to accommodate it, with a large curve allowing a now straighter upper section to occupy a similar position.
These changes are aimed at not only increasing the performance of the airflow moving around the sidepods undercut but also protecting this flow from the front wheels tyre wake.
The additional space now available on the outside of the floor has led the team to mount a detached floor scroll (yellow) astride the normal scroll on the floors edge. This will assist in both energizing the flow travelling around the sidepod and blocking that flow from the front tyres wake.
Along with the various updates above, the team also introduced a new ‘S-duct’ in Malaysia – click here to read our analysis.
Analysis produced by Matthew Somerfield exclusively for Grand Prix Times. Follow Matthew on Twitter.
