shamyakovic wrote: ↑13 Mar 2022, 17:22
Most of these were true statements though, they did struggle with the car early 2017, RB were a challenge early 2018, the 2019 one was after the first test before the massive upgrade package so probably also true at that stage. 2020 the only negative comments he gave was around engine reliability and of course they did have issues in 2021 during the first half of the season finding the sweet spot.
For those who scratched the surface and looked deeper into the data, such statements were really blowing smoke up the ar*e. 2019 was the only year where even the available long run data pointed deficit in Mercedes case because the upgrade package didn't provide instant results and it took until the last day of the second test to nail down the setup sweet spot. So it could be forgiven to think the picture available would have pointed a Ferrari lead.
https://f1metrics.wordpress.com/2017/03 ... -analysis/
https://f1metrics.wordpress.com/2018/03 ... -analysis/
https://f1metrics.wordpress.com/2019/03 ... -analysis/
But this year though even the long run data is not really favoring Mercedes. The guy who used to do that analysis on f1metrics has stopped doing it since last year. But having followed the methodology, it's not hard to understand how to interpret the long run data. Unlike 2019, the problems of the current car appears to be stemming from a completely surprising issue. The data so far points at a deficit for Mercedes. What remains to be seen is, are they in a similar situation to 2019 and it's a matter of understanding setup or it is that the porpoising issue is so beyond setup control that they have to work on new solutions to cure the problem in which case, it may take more than just the start of 1st race of the season.
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/the- ... s/8952995/
As our exclusive photograph (below) shows, late on Saturday Mercedes took the saw to the innermost underfloor strake, removing some of the lower edge, in an effort to change flow distribution out and across the forward section of the floor and into the underfloor and diffuser section.
Their final few runs of the session were also completed with the W13’s underfloor having been doused with flo-viz, in order that it might get some visual confirmation of the competing flow structures and hope that it might provide some further feedback on the direction it might need to take to solve the ill effects that the phenomenon creates.
The move to cut the floor shows that Mercedes is trying to find a way to get rid of the porpoising problem without having to raise the ride height so much that it loses its peak downforce.
