McLaren Switching to Higher Nose for Spain

After the mid-season tests at Mugello, McLarenMcLarenUnited Kingdom, 1963 > present92 models
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has decided to switch to a higher nose for the Spanish Grand Prix at Catalunya this weekend on the MP4-27McLaren MP4-27United Kingdom, 2012 > 20125 photos
.

The new nose sits much higher than the previous design with longer pillars leading to the wing. Although it is still not a stepped design like those used on the rest of the cars this season.

McLaren only tested the new nose during the final moments of the the testing at Mugello. It plans to run the higher nose in practice for the Spanish Grand Prix and, assuming there are no problems, it will run it in the race. 

"There's a reasonable chance we will see it on Sunday, which will be the first time our drivers experience it. We got a lot of feedback from Mugello, so we have the data to set it up and can find the performance on track," said Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren team principal.

Whitmarsh did not go into specific detail about the effect of the wing but hinted that improved the effect of the rear wing. 

"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," said Whitmarsh.

Whitmarsh seems unsure if the team will be successful in Spain this weekend. While the team was able to find improvements in Mugello, it is possible that other teams found equal or better improvements.

"We had an interesting data gathering test at Mugello, and we will see at Barcelona but we expect to put that knowledge to good use," said Whitmarsh.

Source: Autosport