McLaren’s Chief Technical Officer (Chassis) Tim Goss labelled himself a “big fan” of Renault’s engine layout, as the team launched its 2018 Formula 1 challenger, the MCL33.
McLaren used Honda power units from 2015 to 2017 but has switched to Renault on a three-year deal, resulting in a tweaked design approach, due to differing layouts.
Goss explained that McLaren has opted for a “neat and tidy” solution for its packaging, with the greatest focus coming on the intricacies of switching to Renault power.
“That change has been a big deal,” said Goss. “Even though the regulations state that the front and rear engine mounts need to be the same for every manufacturer, the layout of the engine, its architecture, is very different from before.
“There are two families of engine out there; the Mercedes and Honda concept, with the compressor at the front of the engine, turbine at the back, MGU-H sat in the vee; and the Ferrari and Renault approach, where the turbo-charger is at the back of the engine, and the MGU-H sits forwards into the vee.
“Each of those approaches has its pros and cons, but I’m actually quite a big fan of the Renault approach.
“Making the switch had a big impact on the installation of the engine. The advantage of the Renault layout means that we can push the engine forwards, but then you have the compressor at the back of the engine, so you’ve got to get the outlet pipes forward without impacting the packaging.
“We had to redesign the back of the chassis, the gearbox bell-housing area, the rear suspension, and the cooling layout. That was two weeks of intense effort to get right.
“But it was something we were somewhat prepared for, because we knew it might happen, and it’s amazing what people can do in such a short space of time when the chips are down and you’ve got a really clear mission.
“So now we’ve got a really tidy packaging solution; the gearbox and rear suspension designers did an unbelievable job to redesign everything.”
The MCL33 is scheduled to make its track debut at Navarra today (Friday).
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