Nose and pit stop changes for McLaren

Wednesday 9th May 2012

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Nose and pit stop changes for McLaren

Nose and pit stop changes for McLaren

McLaren are set to introduce a new nose on the MP4-27 at the Spanish GP while the team have also made changes to their pit stop routine following their Bahrain woes.

The Woking squad, along with Marussia, ran the traditional slopped nose during the first four races of the season while the rest of the pack opted for the stepped design or "platypus".

The team, though, tested a higher nose during the final day at Mugello last week and team principal Martin Whitmarsh says are likely to run it at the Circuit de Catalunya this weekend.

"There's a reasonable chance we will see it on Sunday, which will be the first time our drivers experience it," he said during a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes phone-in.

"We got a lot of feedback from Mugello, so we have the data to set it up and can find the performance on track."

He added: "Classically of course you are looking for lower drag and higher downforce, but be aware that nowadays incremental improvements are generally modest.

"In the case of the nose and front wing the attachment pylons are quite different and there are other subtle differences.

"You are managing the airflow that is enjoyed by the rest of the car. Nowadays, in quite a critical part of the car you are looking to find very small improvements. [There are] a lot of restrictions around the back end of the car, so you generate more improvement by managing the flow that arrives there than by developing the rear itself."

Whitmarsh also confirmed that they have made changes to their pit-stop procedures after their nightmare in Bahrain.

The team launched an investigation following the race after two botched pit stops saw Lewis Hamilton finish eighth at the Sakhir circuit.

"We've looked at what we were doing, we have made some changes to the team and the process and we'll see them on Sunday in Barcelona."

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