Mercedes W14 Speculation Thread

[zeroday]

what could he be talking about? or is it just an ad for the video?

Reads just like an ad for the video, even going as far as adding the obligatory red arrow that points to nothing relevant, to get people thinking it means something. They all do this for clicks.

[Venturiation]

We are in the final hours
Do you think we will see Mercedes innovate or just a faster W13

[continuum16]

We are in the final hours
Do you think we will see Mercedes innovate or just a faster W13

Boring answer: both. I don't think the car will be massively different than the W13, but for Mercedes' sake it should be faster. My expectation is that they've basically re-made the W13 but so that the ideal operating window is actually achievable in the real world and not just on the sim. I'm sure there'll be a few innovations, but not to the same extent as the W13 had vs. its competition. Innovations just have to be new, they don't always have to be an improvement...

[chrisc90]

I reckon they going to fool us again like last year and bring a different car to the test day to what was launched.

[continuum16]

I reckon they going to fool us again like last year and bring a different car to the test day to what was launched.

They could, but last year there were two tests and the car they took to Barcelona was more or less what they had at the shakedown. With only one test I don't think that they'll take that approach this time around. If they spend the time and money to make two different specs like last year and then show up to the first race woefully lacking understanding, then to me it would seem they haven't learned anything in 12 months. But I concede that the people at Mercedes probably know more than me, so I won't be surprised either way. Unless the car still bounces like a basketball.

[Venturiation]

I reckon they going to fool us again like last year and bring a different car to the test day to what was launched.

They could, but last year there were two tests and the car they took to Barcelona was more or less what they had at the shakedown. With only one test I don't think that they'll take that approach this time around. If they spend the time and money to make two different specs like last year and then show up to the first race woefully lacking understanding, then to me it would seem they haven't learned anything in 12 months. But I concede that the people at Mercedes probably know more than me, so I won't be surprised either way. Unless the car still bounces like a basketball.

And they need to see if correlation is good with the sim

[zeroday]

So apparently Merc's clever interpretation/innovation in Austin, but never used, on the wing is allowed for 2023 based on the revised rules.

[Venturiation]

https://i.imgur.com/o5cBIBX.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/3cWcRvX.jpg

So apparently Merc's clever interpretation/innovation in Austin, but never used, on the wing is allowed for 2023 based on the revised rules.

can it be more extreme?

[Venturiation]

not sure if it's the W14 under

[Cs98]

Lewis did an interview with Heikki Kovalainen and said that they did have to turn down their engines to help with the bouncing, so that could very well be the reason for them finding the extra hp.

3 other teams running that engine, no indication it was any better in their cars, and they weren't porpoising nearly as bad.

Also, Merc weren't porpoising in the latter half of the season, so they could run their engine full power. IIRC there was a slight improvement in performance, but it was due to changes to the ERS deployment/cooling and driveability. Still, they were bleeding time on the straights after that.

[carisi2k]

So there is alot of downsides in the zeopods design but what did mercedes engineers find in it that made them want it?

Remember that this is a team of 100+ engineers working on this and each one has tought of the downsides that we are talking about

but there has to be a reason that they want to keep it
Mercedes said that they explored the other teams design ( ferrari and redbull) and binotto said the same about merc but it was hard to make it work

They are still lost as far as I am concerned. I still don't think they really know why there car did what it did last year. I'm not talking just about the porpoising but the aerodynamic instability that resulted in the crashes at Austria and there scary rides at Baku. I don't think they know how to fix that problem or more specifically they are following a path that is a lie in the small pod. They are seeing something in there tools that isn't there in reality.

Every other car has a proper sidepod including Williams who also tried a smallish sidepod and this should speak volumes as to why Mercedes is going to struggle again this year.

[carisi2k]

Also, Merc weren't porpoising in the latter half of the season, so they could run their engine full power. IIRC there was a slight improvement in performance, but it was due to changes to the ERS deployment/cooling and driveability. Still, they were bleeding time on the straights after that.

Yes they were still porpoising at the end of the season. The porpoising never went away but what people don't understand is that the porpoising wasn't there main issue. There main issue was there flexing floor, small pod and extremely stiff suspension causing significant aerodynamic instabilities. Again Baku and Austria are the main examples.

[Holm86]

So there is alot of downsides in the zeopods design but what did mercedes engineers find in it that made them want it?

Remember that this is a team of 100+ engineers working on this and each one has tought of the downsides that we are talking about

but there has to be a reason that they want to keep it
Mercedes said that they explored the other teams design ( ferrari and redbull) and binotto said the same about merc but it was hard to make it work

They are still lost as far as I am concerned. I still don't think they really know why there car did what it did last year. I'm not talking just about the porpoising but the aerodynamic instability that resulted in the crashes at Austria and there scary rides at Baku. I don't think they know how to fix that problem or more specifically they are following a path that is a lie in the small pod. They are seeing something in there tools that isn't there in reality.

Every other car has a proper sidepod including Williams who also tried a smallish sidepod and this should speak volumes as to why Mercedes is going to struggle again this year.

Or maybe they're just chasing that silver bullet, if you follow in others footsteps you'll never be in front. And all the other teams have chosen to go the way red bull or Ferrari did, but to be in front of them, you need to perfect their concepts better than they do themselves, and that's very difficult.
So I guess Mercedes are chasing the other way to make a fast car, and if they can perfect their own concept, maybe they can beat everyone else. And they have to see something in their simulations that make it worth chasing.
Last year their concept was based on running the car as low as possible, but they couldn't without porpoising so they had to compromise too much. Maybe this year, with the raised floor edges, they can run low enough to get their concept working without porpoising.

[zeroday]

Last year their concept was based on running the car as low as possible, but they couldn't without porpoising so they had to compromise too much. Maybe this year, with the raised floor edges, they can run low enough to get their concept working without porpoising.

Good point.

[AR3-GP]

Last year their concept was based on running the car as low as possible, but they couldn't without porpoising so they had to compromise too much. Maybe this year, with the raised floor edges, they can run low enough to get their concept working without porpoising.

Raising the floor edge is just a downforce offset.