McLaren MP4-27 and MP4-26 compared
2012 F1 season
Here’s how the new McLaren MP4-27 compares with its predecessor.
Find more pictures of the McLaren MP4-27 here.
McLaren MP4-27 and MP4-26 side comparison
McLaren MP4-27 and MP4-26 comparison
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Images © McLaren
Ks said on 1st February 2012, 11:52
it seems the mp4-25…
MattB (@mattb) said on 1st February 2012, 12:02
Nope, the 25 started with the numbers 1&2. The 26 had numbers 3&4. This was the ‘launch guise’, as Martin Whitmarsh said – “expect the car to look different come the first race”
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:23
@mattb I think what he meant was it looks more like the MP4-25 than it does the MP4-26
MattB (@mattb) said on 1st February 2012, 13:33
I stand corrected. Would be good to compare the 25/26/27 all together
Younger Hamii (@younger-hamii) said on 1st February 2012, 15:37
You’re a long way off mate,The MP4-25 is quite notable with its Shark fin as well as it’s Front wing
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 15:48
Front wing and shark fin aside; the -27 is passable as a twin of the -25.
MattB (@mattb) said on 1st February 2012, 11:53
Silly question perhaps… where will the number go on the side of the rear wing? It has the “Button” livery, but no number…
supernicebob (@supernicebob) said on 1st February 2012, 11:54
Noticeable rank angle there I reckon.
supernicebob (@supernicebob) said on 1st February 2012, 11:56
*rake
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:25
@supernicebob doesn’t really matter though. You could photo a car standing still with any rake angle. The real question is; how much rake can they run on track?
supernicebob (@supernicebob) said on 1st February 2012, 13:35
Good point, very true. It just struck me as one of the immediately obvious differences in the two pictures.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:41
@supernicebob Where there could be a significant impact on this though; is how much rake was “built” into the car. The MP4-26 wasn’t built for rake. The RB7 was. So what happened was even when the floor was raked, the “car” – in terms of the sidepod intakes, the nose, were still dead-on straight. The MP4-26, which looked straight in “no-rake” mode, was basically facing down when McLaren started using rake.
BasCB (@bascb) said on 2nd February 2012, 14:31
Indeed, looks as if McLaren went for Rake rather than getting air over the top as they did with the L/U sidepods last year.
Elliot Horwood said on 1st February 2012, 11:55
No Aigo sponser this year?
Seems like there are no ‘major’ changes just changes that adhere to the new aerodynamic regulations – everything else seems to look the same apart from standard sidepods. See how the car performs on track.
Gabriel said on 1st February 2012, 12:22
And no Jonny Walker sponsor on rear wing either…
Didn’t Mclaren once run an orange Jonny Walker livery in testing before becoming a Silver arrow?
I’m sure the sponsor spaces will be filled soon enough.
mayhemfunkster said on 1st February 2012, 12:32
It was a historic McLaren Livery! – Bruce McLaren used to run his cars in orange prior to the sponsorship era.
Geo said on 1st February 2012, 12:46
I think the only reason they became a ‘silver arrow’ is because they stopped being sponsored by Marlbororo (orange and white) and instead by West (black packs of cigarettes) they have just dropped the amount of black livery in favour of more red for Vodafone.
GQsm (@gqsm) said on 1st February 2012, 11:57
I think new car has a nicer side profile.
It’s a good looking car to me, wonder how many other cars won’t go with the horrid nose.
mingmong said on 1st February 2012, 12:00
I see they dropped the U shaped sidepods… I’m guessing the new exhaust regs may have had something to do with this… A few Newey idies have gone on to this… Rake, Mirrors & rear wing end-plates. Black rims look much better.
John H (@john-h) said on 1st February 2012, 12:15
I’m pretty sure McLaren were the first to run the rear wing end plates in 2010. There is also no way to judge the rake unles we know what they’ve set the suspension levels at.
Black rims do indeed look much better. It’s also a shorter wheelbase when you compare the tyres meaning it potentially should suit Lewis’s pointy driving style. Hope so.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:27
@john-h wheelbase does have an effect on handling responsiveness; but on the scale of an F1 car they’re pretty much negligible. There still won’t be much difference between the longest/shortest wheelbase cars even in the Loews hairpin.
GeeMac (@geemac) said on 1st February 2012, 12:46
What do you mean on the rear wing end plates? Do you mean the vanes? If so they were a Toyota innovation (see the TF109) and were adopted by McLaren in 2011.
McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm) said on 1st February 2012, 12:01
Yeah… I like the new car better. There are a few noticeable changes like the exhaust exits and the nose curves downwards more sharply. Proving that there is an alternative to Caterham’s interpretation of the rules.
mingmong said on 1st February 2012, 12:02
What do you guys think of the new pirelli markings?
Gabriel said on 1st February 2012, 12:27
Much better and clearer to see what tyres are being run. Thumbs up!
sam3110 (@sam3110) said on 1st February 2012, 12:02
The engine cover looks a lot more simple, wonder if the cooling has been changed dramatically underneath?
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:29
@sam3110 you mean from the top view? I’d reckon that’s more due to the fact that you’re looking at the U “trough” in the sidepod of the -26…
sam3110 (@sam3110) said on 1st February 2012, 13:33
nope I mean from the side view, look at the engine cover on both, lots of bumps etc from the rollhoop air intake on the -26, very smooth and soft on the -27
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:42
Aha. Gotcha.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley) said on 1st February 2012, 12:03
So, so much better. Doesn’t look as long and clumsy as its two predecessors. Looks refined and compact which makes me see it as nimble and agile.
The livery needs updating, but other than that, the car is gorgeous.
supernicebob (@supernicebob) said on 1st February 2012, 12:09
I always like the way the Vodafone “tear” tapers off to compliment the sidepods, but it would be nice to see something different. At least they are actually silver, and not just grey like the Mercedes.
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley) said on 1st February 2012, 12:13
I really miss the red strip across the top of the engine cover. I thought it broke the chrome up nicely. I don’t mind the livery, on second thoughts. It’s distinctive. Although I much preferred their ‘West’ liveries.
Fixy (@fixy) said on 1st February 2012, 15:11
I agree completely @damonsmedley!
necrodethmortem (@necrodethmortem) said on 1st February 2012, 12:07
Looks like they did something about the rear-view mirrors as well.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 13:43
@necrodethmortem looks like they copied the RB7 mirrors to a T actually! Which I found confusing, seeing as McLaren have been running practically the same mirrors they used on the -26 since… Oh I don’t even remember since when.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope) said on 1st February 2012, 17:01
@raymondu999 Don’t forget both Lewis and Jensen conplained about the mirrors vibration in the MP4-26. It makes sense that a vertical mirror mounting will suffer less from vibration under high G than a diagonal & horizontal design
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 1st February 2012, 18:54
@the-last-pope I don’t get the connection. The mirrors vibrate not due to lateral acceleration, but due to the turbulent air that is produced by the mirror stalk and housing itself.
The Last Pope (@the-last-pope) said on 1st February 2012, 20:40
@raymondu999 thinking about that you are right about why the mirrors vibrate, but I still see that at high speed there is constant bumps that create an up and down force added to the vibration caused by air. A vertical stalk will be imune to all vertical forces where a horizontal stalk would be very suscepable to it. It also seems to me that it is better to have horizontal vibration as the mirror surface is wider than it is high.
raymondu999 (@raymondu999) said on 2nd February 2012, 6:44
@the-last-pope The problem has never been about the mirror moving up/down and left/right in the housing – it’s back and forth…. which is caused as it gets sucked by the turbulent air behind the housing.
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:09
I really don’t understand how you guys all like it…
It looks so bulky and clumsy. The nose doesn’t suit the car at all, And the side pods and engine cover… they kind of balloon out.
It’s horrifying. Of the two so far the Caterham is way ahead :/
McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm) said on 1st February 2012, 12:19
Each to their own @mike
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:22
It’s nice that this site lets me speak strongly against the grain as I can see most others like it a lot.
McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm) said on 1st February 2012, 12:27
The only thing I’m not keen on is the chrome, and that’s because I’m bored of it. Would prefer a white/red livery like the 80′s.
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:31
Yeah, that’d be sweet.
I’m starting to believe that something is going on with the side pods, there is no advantage to be had in larger side pods (I believe) but I can’t work it out yet.
Why would they be so large?
(I rant when I think)
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:37
I mean, the bottom of the side pods are cut in a lot, but I’m not sure it would necessitate the top be that wide.
McLarenFanJamm (@mclarenfanjamm) said on 1st February 2012, 12:39
They are wide, but very shallow and slope quite steeply behind, there must be some performance advantage there.
Also, there’s an aerial comparison pic above now which shows how compact the rear end is compared to last year.
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:48
That’s true.
Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me.
matt90 (@matt90) said on 1st February 2012, 13:37
I think it’s a visual trick caused by the chrome.
Mike (@mike) said on 1st February 2012, 12:19
I think they are doing something shifty with the exhausts to be honest.
Nick.UK (@nick-uk) said on 1st February 2012, 12:42
When I saw it, I thought it looked a but… chubby! haha. I do still like it though :)
Nick.UK (@nick-uk) said on 1st February 2012, 12:43
*bit
damonsmedley (@damonsmedley) said on 1st February 2012, 13:13
You’re certainly not alone, @Mike! I’ve seen plenty of people bemoaning its livery and saying it looks bulky, but personally, I quite like it. The sidepods are trim much better looking than those on the MP4-26, and the nose looks rather nice on it.
I think it looks sort of like the MP4-25, but without the ugly shark-fin engine cover. Plus it doesn’t looks as long and clumsy to me. It seems to have a shorter wheel-base, which is a welcome sight for me as I hated the look of the 2010 cars at first. This seems much more compact and nimble. I hope it’s quick so we can have a good season!
dkpioe said on 2nd February 2012, 4:21
yeh, will be interesting to see if not having the dropped front wing will be a negative for mclaren… lets see what ferrari and redbull produce.
the car looks nearly identical to last years car, but websites like planet-f1.com are going on about how ‘beautiful’ it is. they didnt say that last year. makes me laugh. i think the thing that will keep mclaren within reach of redbull will once again be the mercedes engine and mercedes kers.
Glenn (@glenn) said on 1st February 2012, 12:10
an extended Snowplow? and that DRS wing is small at a very step angle.
PT (@pt) said on 3rd February 2012, 10:50
No one seems to talk much about it, but this is the third consecutive year McLaren has a tongue-like structure beneath the nose, a sort of a double nose (which I understand is for channeling the air flow around the nose area and towards the side pods better). Correct me, anyone, is I’m wrong.
Eggry (@eggry) said on 1st February 2012, 12:12
Parts of MP4-25, Parts of MP4-26. Only exhaust looks interesting.
Snafu (@snafu) said on 1st February 2012, 15:17
you were expecting to see something completely new then?!
It’s refined version of last year’s car of course!
andae23 (@andae23) said on 1st February 2012, 12:14
Is it possible McLaren tries to hide their exhaust-system and therefore put that ugly wart on the side ???
BBT (@bbt) said on 1st February 2012, 13:49
No, the rules say where is is this year, you can’t hide it anywhere.
Snafu (@snafu) said on 1st February 2012, 14:08
yes, maybe…
Snafu (@snafu) said on 1st February 2012, 14:18
after seeing this photo i think its actually the real deal and part of the car…not something to hide the exhaust.
andae23 (@andae23) said on 1st February 2012, 15:19
I guess you’re right, but it looks so awkward…
BBT (@bbt) said on 1st February 2012, 20:30
It could be different come racing, bigger opening or slightly different angle but it will be in roughly the same place, it can be hidden as such.
I assume you mean they’ll try some different options, if you do then I’d agree… they will.