The sidepods were shrunk in the bottom-front section. Also visible in the drawing are the hot air vents on the top of the sidepod, just in front of the double winglets. The rear of the car increasingly resembled that of the Ferrari F2004, with the bodywork covering just the area of the torsion bars.
Engine failures plagued the first half of McLaren's season, an issue related to the nature of the V10's installation and the car's tight rear-end packaging. As well as engine vibration, the cooling difficulties that had hampered the MP4-19's development remained and venting sufficient hot air from...
McLaren tried to correct a chronic lack of downforce at the front of the car by introducing a new front wing featuring a deep spoon profile and a double flap, successfully increasing front-end grip and stability. At the rear of the car (not pictures) additional air vents improved heat evacuation...
