McLaren MP4-31 launch

prisonermonkeys
I think the livery is simple and effective. We've already seen what happens when teams try to be too elaborate - the SF16-H is a mess.
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I usually prefer simple and clean over elaborate (this is a life-in-general thing), but it is hard to pull off. This just looks unfinished, almost void-like. A little tasteful detailing on the front wing, the nose, perhaps on the lower parts of the sidepods would go a long way.
 
Still not keen on the blank side pods. Surely just having the Mclaren logo like on the rear wing or the drivers names on them would make it look better.

Hopefully it'll be a big improvement on last year's car and looking forward to seeing it on track during the week.
 
Dan Hill
Still not keen on the blank side pods. Surely just having the Mclaren logo like on the rear wing or the drivers names on them would make it look better.

Hopefully it'll be a big improvement on last year's car and looking forward to seeing it on track during the week.
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Exactly! I really like the car, but it's missing a side pod sponsor and it could also use some red on the front (not on the nose, though - maybe between the cockpit and the number)
 
Samus
Question is, is that another testing livery or is it the final one? Because yet again, it's severely lacking in design elements.
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Willing to bet its final, because they love that...um...what was that color called?
 
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Rods
it could also use some red on the front (not on the nose, though
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I think it could use a red belt running from nose to tail along the underside of the car.
 
It needs something to distinguish it from the asphalt it'll be racing on.
 
prisonermonkeys
Yes they are, and they don't need it.

They are loaded with cash; the racing team accounts for just a third of their income. The rest comes from car sales and their strategic partnerships with the likes of GSK.

They don't really need sponsorship - Ron Dennis, who pretty much invented title sponsorship and structuring teams around a corporate identity, says that the age of title sponsors is over. The sport is simply too expensive for a major sponsor to get involved like that anymore. Hence why he restructured the team around their road car division and strategic partnerships.
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McLaren are nowhere near loaded with cash. Take a look at their financial performance and you see a different story to what you're saying. Forbes is a good source. That's not totally up to date, but the numbers are no longer showing a profitable expenditure for their f1 team. They lost $24.6 million. But like you said, they have the sportscar division too. Those results look better, with a profit of £15 million for McLaren automotive. A profit of that amount doesn't offset the loss from f1. So that's where sponsorship comes in. But with Honda putting up a large amount of cash and a partnership, they're all Mac needs, for now.
 
So far what I can tell from the livery is that this car + Singapore = stealth mode
 
trustjab
McLaren are nowhere near loaded with cash. Take a look at their financial performance and you see a different story to what you're saying. Forbes is a good source. That's not totally up to date, but the numbers are no longer showing a profitable expenditure for their f1 team. They lost $24.6 million. But like you said, they have the sportscar division too. Those results look better, with a profit of £15 million for McLaren automotive. A profit of that amount doesn't offset the loss from f1. So that's where sponsorship comes in. But with Honda putting up a large amount of cash and a partnership, they're all Mac needs, for now.
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Eh I don't trust Forbes compared to the actual F1 business book that is put out every season detailing the actual team budgets. http://www.crash.net/f1/news/221835/1/f1-2015-team-budgets-published-but-which-team-spends-most.html

This shows McLaren have quite a budget.
 
So Autosport's Ben Anderson has already started the sass this season.

07:51 Successful fire up in the McLaren-Honda garage. No smoke or fire yet, so a good start!

Ben Anderson
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It's a sensor. It's not uncommon to see them.
 
They have more power, but will that added power come at the risk of unreliability?
 
Antares26
Are the long poles they put on top of the roll hoops sensors too? Or are those just antennas for telemetry?
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Antennas. They boost the signal; occasionally you get dead spots around the circuit. It's not so much of a problem around Barcelona, but the teams don't like taking chances.
 
McLaren have reportedly had some early teething problems, but it was apparently nothing more serious than a sticky throttle sensor.
 
One thing I'd like to know though..does it sound anything like this?

 
RACECAR
One thing I'd like to know though..does it sound anything like this?
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Early reports from Barcelona suggest that it still has a very distinct sound. Whether that means it's more refined than rocks in a washing machine remains to be seen heard.

But at this point, it doesn't have to be pretty. It just has to be quick.
 
prisonermonkeys
Meanwhile, the internet has gotten annoyed at the new numbering style, unaware that the car is meant to be viewed head-on.
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Or in a rear-view mirror...

Slightly underwhelmed by this - the livery is... meh, especially considering that McLaren have even shared much more likable liveries designed by fans on their FB page in recent weeks. Also, the nose... they clearly know a thing or two about aerodynamics, but it looks a bit ugly.
 
Touring Mars
the livery is... meh, especially considering that McLaren have even shared much more likable liveries designed by fans on their FB page in recent weeks
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I think McLaren are in a bit of an identity crisis. They were the de facto Mercedes works team, and now they're rebuilding around Honda. There's been restructuring on the corporate side of things, but I get the feeling that they are still in a bit of a gestational phase. Once the Honda relationship comes good, I think they will be more amenable to committing to a long-term identity.
 
prisonermonkeys
I think McLaren are in a bit of an identity crisis. They were the de facto Mercedes works team, and now they're rebuilding around Honda. There's been restructuring on the corporate side of things, but I get the feeling that they are still in a bit of a gestational phase. Once the Honda relationship comes good, I think they will be more amenable to committing to a long-term identity.
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The reality of a private team, perhaps? They had different identities and crises at some point in the past few decades, they were the Honda team back in the Senna-Prost days, then when Honda pulled out, they suddenly went nowhere until Mercedes and Newey came around.
 
Eager to see how they do this year. McLaren are very capable of making a good car, and they just need Honda to deliver a solid package. I believe last year's chassis was good and only severely underpowered. Maybe they won't have a Mercedes killer engine as yet, if ever, but at least it can't be worse than last year.
 
Apparently, Honda is using a mark 1 2016 engine for this first test. They'll use a mark 2 for the second test, and combine the best bits of the two into a mark 3 that will debut at Melbourne.
 
The MP4-31 completed more laps in a single day of testing than the MP4-30 did at the first test last year. The Buttonometer is very positive; he's always worn his heart on his sleeve.
 
I think they managed 5 laps more today than they did in all of testing last year.
 
The internet was abuzz with rumours that Yasuhisa Arai has been fired ... until it realised that the source was Taki Inoue.

Meanwhile, Ted Kravitz is under the impression that today is decision day for Alonso as to whether he sees the season out or takes a sabbatical. I'm not sure why Kravitz has come to this conclusion, since there haven't been any substantial rumours for a while now.

Anyway, here are some comparisons between the MP4-31 and other cars:

side.jpg


frontside.jpg
 
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