McLaren continues to make great strides in Formula 1. After the fight in 2018, they improved massively over the next two seasons, finishing third in the constructors’ championship this F1 season.
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One of the main talking points this season is McLaren’s reunion with Mercedes. The former initially worked with the German team from the 1995 F1 season. However, they terminated the contract after the 2014 season.
During this time the British team won three world championships; Mika Häkkinen won two of them in 1998 and 1999, while Lewis Hamilton won his first world title with the team in 2008.
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McLaren has a new Mercedes engine in the 2021 F1 season
In 2019, the British team signed Mercedes as an engine supplier from the 2021 season. They were the only team to switch engine suppliers this season, with the remaining teams sticking to their engine supplier from 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic that took the world by storm last year, most F1 teams kept much of this season’s cars as they did last season.
McLaren didn’t have that choice, however, as they signed the deal with Mercedes in 2019. Therefore, they had to use the two development tokens each team received to accommodate the new Mercedes engine.
Formula 1 F1 – Austrian Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Styria, Austria – July 4th, 2021 McLaren’s Lando Norris at the REUTERS / Lisi Niesner race
The engine with the title Mercedes-AMG M12 E Performance weighs 150 kg. With the engine mounted in the center, the MCL35M weighs a total of 752 kg without fuel.
It consists of a powerful 1.6-liter six-cylinder internal combustion engine with a maximum speed of 15,000 revolutions per minute. In addition, it consists of energy storage devices that can produce up to four megajoules per lap.
The British outfit renames the car because of the unit
To accommodate the engine, McLaren production manager Piers Thynne explained the changes made to the car.
Formula 1 F1 – Monaco Grand Prix – Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco – May 20, 2021 McLarens Daniel Ricciardo in action during practice REUTERS / Gonzalo Fuentes
He said, “It has made a tremendous change and essentially we have built a new car. The number of new parts for the MCL35M is roughly the same as when building the MCL35.
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“The rear of the chassis and the bell housing around the engine have changed a lot to adapt to the new engine.
“The change of the unit changes the architecture of the car and the way everything is packed, so that the entire cooling layout and all piping, be it for liquid or air, as well as all electrical wiring harnesses and control boxes have changed.”
McLaren has signed a contract with Mercedes for the use of the engines until the 2024 season. With the new tech regulations going into effect next season, one can only wonder how high McLaren can go.
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