We interrupt the busy pre-season work of McLaren engineers Tim Goss, Matt Morris and Peter Prodromou to find out just what makes 2015’s MP4-30 car tick, and to understand what it takes to design a Formula 1 to the 2015 technical regulations.

To reflect McLaren-Honda’s roots, which began back in the 1980s, our trio of engineers found inspiration in the strangest of places – firstly, they were let loose in the closed confines of McLaren’s Formula 1 windtunnel; secondly, they got to let their hair down after discovering a diverse collection of iconic ’80s’ toys that were just ‘randomly’ left in the tunnel, including a selection of spaceships, Slinky springs, BMX bikes and toy cars.

Using those unlikely props, the trio attempts to explain optimum ERS placement, the new-for-2015 nosebox regulations, and that eternal F1 conundrum: how to balance downforce vs drag…