Best Weekend with McLaren at Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix

There’s always an indescribable ecstasy watching our favorite wheels cross the finish line first, holding the winner’s trophy high up in the air – raising a toast for more victories. Last weekend was like no other. McLaren appearing in both the Indy 500 and the Monaco F1 Grand Prix (the only team to be involved in both racing events) was a culmination of the best 24 hours for a sports purist. Unfortunately, the heavy downpour at Monte Carlo delayed and shortened the Grand Prix to just 64 laps (scheduled for 77 laps); while in Indianapolis, rains during the practice days made it difficult for the participants to rehearse for the race or to get their cars heated up for a wild chase.

Indulge yourself into motorsport racing with some info on McLaren racing, the technical difference between the Indy and the Formula One cars', results from last weekend’s racing events, and insights on how Fidelity CFD solutions can help improve the aerodynamic performance of these racing cars.

About McLaren Racing

Based in England, McLaren Racing Limited is a British motor racing team formed in 1963 by the McLaren automotive group. Having won 183 races, 12 driver championships, and 8 constructor championships, McLaren is the second most successful team in Formula One after Ferrari and is best known as a Formula One constructor. From 1968 to the present, they have had their engines manufactured by different automotive leads, returning to Mercedes engines in 2022, after their last deal in 2014.

Every 17 minutes, the McLaren MCL35M (the racing car) is updated, using data gathered from their racing cars, towards improvements for enhanced performance. The new technologies that are implemented in commercial automotive are often solutions that were tried and tested by the racing cars during the various motorsport competitions. Along the line, we have McLaren Applied harnesses developed over decades of competition at Formula One, being used in diverse industries such as health, public transport, and automotive.

For the Formula One championship this year, we have Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo as race drivers, and Stoffel Vandoorne, Nyck de Vries, Oscar Piastri, and Colton Herta representing the test drivers. For the IndyCar series, McLaren Racing has joined hands with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports and comes with the new name Arrow McLaren SP marking a new chapter for the team. Patricio O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist, and Juan Pablo Montoya are the drivers of the Arrow McLaren SP team for IndyCar racing this year.

Technical Differences between the Indy and the Formula One Cars

Formula One cars are the pinnacle of automobile technology. Complex engineering and leading-edge technology that goes into their vehicle construction set them apart from the others in the game. They use high-performance engines estimated at a 1000 hp rating, while Indy cars have an engine power rating of around 550 to 750 hp. Although Formula One and Indy cars appear to be similar in size, the latter is usually smaller. Both cars can reach a maximum speed of about 225mph,  but F1 cars this year are built for speed through corners, while Indy cars can achieve higher straight-line speed.

The cars in Formula One are tied up with automobile manufacturers to produce their unique engines. While for the Indy series, the engines are supplied by specific manufacturers. For the third generation of the IndyCar series, the engines are supplied by Chevrolet and Honda, and for the upcoming fourth-generation series, i.e., for the 2024 season, the engines are expected to have a power of 900 hp with an increase in engine displacement from 2.2 to 2.4 liters.

Another aspect that sets apart Formula One from IndyCar is that, in the case of the former, everything is constructed from scratch while in IndyCar, only the external body of the vehicle is manipulated or played with for better aerodynamic performance. For safety reasons, Formula One has a halo, a T-shaped beam to protect the driver's head, while Indy cars have a cockpit protection system which comprises the halo mandated by Formula One and a reinforced windscreen.

Result Polls for Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500 Racing

From the Monaco F1 Grand Prix that was held last weekend, i.e., on the 29th of May, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez made his debutant win by 1.1 seconds, followed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in the second place and Max Verstappen in the third, breaking his streak of three wins in previous races. We had Lando Norris from McLaren starting at the 5th position and finishing at the 6th while Daniel Ricciardo started in the 14th position and finished at 13th, and we’re at the edge of our seats as they prepare for upcoming races.

At the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500, although Scott Dixon started the race in dominating fashion, Marcus Ericsson put Patricio O’Ward behind before the final lap and won the race by three seconds. Tony Kanaan secured the third position; he missed the second position by two seconds. We had Rinus VeeKay, Callum IIlott, and Romain Grosjean in the bottom three positions, as they slam their cars against the wall in between the 200 laps of the Indy500 racing.

Cadence Fidelity CFD Technology for Improved Car Performance

CFD solutions have a lot to offer in terms of reducing the aerodynamic drag and in maintaining the downforce, avoiding cars from porpoising down the tracks, taking into consideration the safety of the vehicle and the driver, and Cadence Fidelity CFD solutions can help improve the performance of racing cars.

Cadence is now a proud Official Technology Partner of the McLaren Formula 1 Team, and we are looking forward to seeing our CFD solutions being used to improve the efficiency and performance of vehicles in the automotive industry. To learn more about the partnership between Cadence and McLaren Racing Ltd., refer to the blog on Cadence Shifts into High Gear with the McLaren Formula 1 Team.

For more information on Cadence Fidelity CFD for Automotive design, click here.