Mercedes W13

[organic]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTHNxDnWAAA ... name=large

Has been posted on the previous page! But thanks nonetheless Very excited to see it run this weekend

Not a huge change to the floor area but could be that small changes can have large consequences when it comes to porpoising, as we saw in Miami Fri->Sat performance shift

[GrizzleBoy]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FTHNxDnWAAA ... name=large

My brain wants to believe that these types of flap can be some kind of air pressure stability device because of their ability to move and flex independently of the surrounding floor.

Would also be interesting if this type of flap would be good to install "skates" onto. It would mean that the floor around it could go right to the ground while these flaps are held open by skates preventing them getting past a certain distance to the ground.

Could help with underfloor airflow as the car gets lower to the ground.

Also looking at where the reinforcement is, it seems they expect this flap to hit the ground first, so it being able to move around could also help stabilise the seal to the ground?

[kalinka]

Looks like the sidepod shape changed slightly in area of the "PET" letters on the Petronas logo.

[AeroDynamic]

[pocketmoon]

Is that t-tray support unchanged ?

[adrianjordan]

Looks like the sidepod shape changed slightly in area of the "PET" letters on the Petronas logo.

Yeah, I see what you mean.... Though could also be a reflection of a light above the car

[kalinka]

Looks like the sidepod shape changed slightly in area of the "PET" letters on the Petronas logo.

Yeah, I see what you mean.... Though could also be a reflection of a light above the car

Yep, learned it the hard way Reflection is always at play. Need more pictures.

[AeroDynamic]

Is that t-tray support unchanged ?

https://i.ibb.co/vhTY0DR/t.png

[ringo]

https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... rage-1.jpg
https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... er-w-1.jpg

What is the black area to the right of the mechanic's knee?
Is this a new reprofiled floor?

[SuperCNJ]

You can't drive around on bump stops. There's no ride control.

I suggested some time ago that they could look at using aggressive progressive springs in their suspension which allow the normal compression up to a point beyond which the resistance increases significantly. That way they still have ride control but doesn't let the car get too low. But it's probably too simple and I'm sure Merc with their clever team of Engineers would have considered this if it were viable.

However I then had another idea - why not adopt a similar system to the Specialized Brain suspension system which has been used on mountain bikes for many years. This is a fully mechanical/hydraulic system which adjusts the stiffness to the load input. It can differentiate between load applied from above the bike (e.g. from the rider) and bumps from the road beneath and adjusts accordingly. Just a thought!

The Brain locks the suspension from chassis input (downward movement) from a weight in the damper, your car wouldn't get to ride low from downforce. Assuming it comes in late in the suspension travel, you'd still get the same issue as with rubber stops... suspension and tyre deflection. There is a reason why mountainbikes are moving to intelligent or electronically controlled suspension systems. You can't have those on F1.

Yeah, it wouldn't be exactly the same as the Brain system. Obviously, they would have to modify it to suit their needs perhaps tweaking the way it locks by allowing a progressive movement instead that counters the frequency of porpoising. I just thought the principle of the system could be applied given it is fully mechanical/hydraulic (and not electronic) and offers similar benefits.

[Goblin42]

Is that t-tray support unchanged ?

https://i.ibb.co/vhTY0DR/t.png

https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/mgl ... tail-1.jpg

is it only me or the Mercedes double T-tray flickers up compared to RB & AM

[PlatinumZealot]

Diffuser kick area has changed.
There is also a shallow side-bleed-off channel running on the side.
The edge of the floor meets the tunnel at a more acute angle and is flatter?

Guess the entrance guide vanes would have changed too.

[AMG.Tzan]

I wouldn’t call this a huge update like many rumors said before Barcelona!

All of the updates Mercedes has brought till now, are all updates that could have been on the car much earlier in the season…

That rear wing for example could and should easily have been manufactured by the 2nd round after what they saw in testing!

Mercedes look quite “lazy” let’s say to react this year! Don’t know why…understanding porpoising is an issue of course but just bringing updates may have helped them solve the problem through trial and error!

Anyway, really curious to see the results tomorrow!

[morefirejules08]

I wouldn’t call this a huge update like many rumors said before Barcelona!

All of the updates Mercedes has brought till now, are all updates that could have been on the car much earlier in the season…

That rear wing for example could and should easily have been manufactured by the 2nd round after what they saw in testing!

Mercedes look quite “lazy” let’s say to react this year! Don’t know why…understanding porpoising is an issue of course but just bringing updates may have helped them solve the problem through trial and error!

Anyway, really curious to see the results tomorrow!

Mercedes can’t afford the “trial and error” approach, they have less wind tunnel/CFD time than other teams and of course the budget cap to contend with so they have to be pretty certain upgrades will work before manufacturing parts

[matteosc]

I wouldn’t call this a huge update like many rumors said before Barcelona!

All of the updates Mercedes has brought till now, are all updates that could have been on the car much earlier in the season…

That rear wing for example could and should easily have been manufactured by the 2nd round after what they saw in testing!

Mercedes look quite “lazy” let’s say to react this year! Don’t know why…understanding porpoising is an issue of course but just bringing updates may have helped them solve the problem through trial and error!

Anyway, really curious to see the results tomorrow!

Mercedes can’t afford the “trial and error” approach, they have less wind tunnel/CFD time than other teams and of course the budget cap to contend with so they have to be pretty certain upgrades will work before manufacturing parts

Also, it is difficult enough to understand a problem on a "fixed" car. Bringing updates introduce another variable and makes the understanding of the phenomenon even more difficult.