McLaren Qatar F1: Set-Up & Disqualification Risk

The Lusail track, at least on paper, in terms of layout should be perfect to allow McLaren to cancel the double disqualification in Las Vegas due to the wear of the board on the bottom of the MCL3. But the danger of skate consumption cannot be absent this weekend. In Qatar there will not be the extreme conditions encountered in Las Vegas in terms of low temperatures, which in Nevada required an increase in the load generated by the surface to ensure quicker warming up of the tyres.

the characteristics

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Not only had McLaren adopted a more powerful aerodynamic setup than the ideal one but, above all, it had very low ground clearances, which later turned out to be a choice that induced porpoising, a phenomenon underlying the high plank consumption. In reality it seems correct to report that conditions also exist in Qatar that could lead to this. On the one hand, in fact, the track is characterized by a medium-low aerodynamic setup and requires low ground clearance to maximize performance in the long corners in support, a peculiar characteristic of Lusail. Interesting, in this sense, is the rumor according to which the setup adopted by McLaren in Las Vegas was initially also decided for Qatar, with only some minimal adjustments in terms of adjustments regarding the dynamic response of the suspensions and an imperceptible greater incidence of the flaps. From our information, already on Sunday after the Las Vegas race, in Woking the team’s technicians were busy defining an alternative setup to overcome the problem that led to the disqualification of the cars.

the race

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An element that increases the criticality of Lusail is the adoption of two mandatory pit stops, which will effectively divide the race into three short stints. The decision, as is known, is linked to the precaution of not covering more than 25 laps with the same set of tyres, given the high lateral stresses to which the tires are subjected on this track. But as far as table consumption is concerned, this represents a tangible worsening of the surrounding conditions. In fact, in each stint, no tire management will be necessary, effectively competing three segments of the race at maximum performance. As is known, the higher the speed, the greater the vertical load produced, therefore the potential crushing of the cars is destined to be potentially higher than in a race in which tire management is provided during the individual segments, precisely due to the higher performance of the cars. A further question mark for the Woking team as they try to close out the world championship this weekend. Being cautious, in fact, could imply a strong reduction in the performance of the MCL39, not only compared to Verstappen’s Red Bull but also to Ferrari and Mercedes. A dilemma with no easy solution for Andrea Stella’s men.