bonjon1979 wrote: ↑23 Mar 2022, 11:57
It's very clear that the car is being run in a hugely compromised state. If they do manage to sort it out, and run the car in anything like it's proper set up then it looks like it could be an absolute monster. It's a big if though...
If we think back to McLaren's 'suspension blockers' all their sims told them it was a massive step forward but in reality, on track it was a very 'peaky' downforce generator which the drivers couldn't rely upon. I remember Jensen saying when it works the grip is on another level but that grip can disappear in an instant.
I think Merc have got a systems that on paper performs amazingly well and in the sim but in the real world the performance is, like McLaren's blockers too 'peaky' to be usable. I looks to me like they're generating too much downforce that their suspension cannot support it, as soon as the floor hits a critical distance they get slammed into the tarmac.
The reason it's not going to be a quick fix or just a new floor is because to not leave performance on the table will require a redesign of their suspension in order to better support the downforce levels they're generating. If they can make the floor less 'peaky' with a suspension that can support higher loads Merc could have a rocket on their hands.
I don't think other teams have fixed their porpoising issues, I don't think many teams are generating anywhere near the downforce from the floor that the Merc is. Look at the McLaren, they didn't solve porpoising, they just don't have any downforce.
We will see floor and suspension development go hand in hand and we'll eventually see nothing but skinny wings on the cars as teams learn to keep their cars sucked to the floor over a wider range of cornering speeds. Suspension development is going to be taken to whole new levels with this formula.
If I'm talking out of my arse please shoot me down.