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I know this is off topic but Silverstone Circuit really gets me wound up. Why oh why are there corners named, Abbey, Copse, Becketts & Maggots and straights named Wellington and Hangar? The answer is often because of history that has little or nothing to do with motor-racing, Wellington and Hangar being references to the time it was an airfield in the war and Abbey because some remains of an abbey were found close-by.
Surely most parts of the circuit should be renamed after the greats of British F1 and motor racing. It's good that the Hamilton straight is there but what about Hawthorn, Moss, Stewart and the Hills or, my personal favorite, Clark and Mansell . Non drivers like Chapman, Tyrrell, Williams, Newey & Barnard could also get a mention.
Maybe British F1 fans could lobby for some name changes.Ofcourse there might be arguments about who should be recognised in this way because there are not enough features to go round but that in itself wouldn't be a bad thing.
Britain has a wonderful motorsport history & it should be celebrated.
Rant over.
That is what was at those places in the 1940's when the track was first used. There was no need to invent names as that is what the places were. An Abbey, a copse and a hanger were on those corners. The new addition is where the new stands were built. its like saying why not rename London landmarks to Thatcher Square or Sunak park? cos in a few years the people will be forgotten, where as left alone a hundred years form now everyone will still know them and not squabble to rename them after someone who will not be known a decade later an renew the loop
When arguing with a fool, be sure the other person is not doing the same thing.
In Germany, similar rumors - and I emphasize - rumors - are surfacing that the W14 could be a similarly difficult birth as its predecessor... the aerodynamics are probably not as promising as hoped. But I stress, these are just rumors that don't have to mean anything. The other side is that 2022 also started with such rumors and they would add up with the rumor that big changes are already in the pipeline for the W14, which mean a departure from the previous vehicle concept. However, I personally can't imagine Mercedes being so wrong and repeating mistakes!
But anyway, here is the report from motorsport-total:
"Rumors: W14 is allegedly an aero flop
On Wednesday, the day of the presentation, there had still been rumors surrounding Mercedes, according to which the team might have made a false start in 2023. The wind tunnel, it was said, was not spitting out the figures it had hoped for, and in terms of aerodynamics it might have missed the targets it had set itself. And the first drive after the launch is also said to have caused problems.
Speculation within Twitteria was caused, for example, by the fact that Mercedes had initially planned a separate "Shakedown" tab on the media page, but this was suddenly gone again in the meantime. It wasn't until Wednesday evening that photos were published there after all, initially with a single driving image of Russell."
On Kyle Engineers video he spoke of many complex aerodynamic theories the W14 depends on to work — just like the W13. His emphasis was if the theories don’t hold on track —like they didn’t last year— it’s going to be trouble. I honestly can’t believe a brain trust like Merc could screw the pooch that hard twice in a row. I’ll believe it only if I see it.
It also a matter of strategy. In a cost capped era, it would be next to impossible to change design paths to follow RB or Ferrari or something in between and catch up. It would be a lost game. But supporting something different, which at least provides theoretical benefits can eventually give you more chances of being competitive.
Difficult decision to make, but I believe it's the correct one to be innovative. It is better to be remembered as the team that tried to boldly innovate and in the end did not manage it than being remembered as the team who got it wrong and was fast to copy others and not been able to catch up until the next rule change. Even from a marketing perspective...
Kravitz says this w14 is their one "last go" at giving this concept a shot, and that they even have a "plan B in production" which would be the RB/Ferrari way of doing things. He seems very confident about this being the case
“I don't expect to be fighting for the win in the first GPs of the season while I have more confidence for later, when the first updates on the W14 arrive.” in fact stated Lewis Hamilton on the sidelines of the presentation of his new 'black' weapon.
Last edited by organic on 21 Feb 2023, 13:49, edited 2 times in total.
They brought plan B to the Barcelona 2022 testing.
Whether they have the money and time to develop an new concept alongside the W14 is a different matter - and likely hugely restricted by the budget cap:
Kravitz says this w14 is their one "last go" at giving this concept a shot, and that they even have a "plan B in production" which would be the RB/Ferrari way of doing things. He seems very confident about this being the case
People knew about "0 pod" and were sketching it(pretty close) before it appeared in Bahrain, it's possible that people have good info on this.
Probably not the best thing in this resource limited era to be splitting CFD and wind tunnel time in different concepts however.
The problem is that last year Mercedes had no idea why they were quick at certain circuits for 75% of the season. So they have lost a ton of credibility regarding their own "predictions".
The W14 could very well be on pole in Bahrain. That's how chaotic Merc's understanding of their own car was last season....
The aero variables in yaw with this sort of concepts have got to be huge. That wing/pod structure has all sorts of complicated flow structures. This must be stretching simulations to their absolute limits
The problem is that last year Mercedes had no idea why they were quick at certain circuits for 75% of the season. So they have lost a ton of credibility regarding their own "predictions".
The W14 could very well be on pole in Bahrain. That's how chaotic Merc's understanding of their own car was last season....
If they sorted out weight, and top speed (drag/engine power) it would already be a big step, allowing them to be closer on most tracks, the rest can be improved during the season
there are talks of Mercedes potentially having a "b-spec" car ready to go if the main design for the w14 doesn't work as planned. is anyone else worried about designing 2 cars hampering merc in terms of finances and wasting precious time on a 2nd design?
there are talks of Mercedes potentially having a "b-spec" car ready to go if the main design for the w14 doesn't work as planned. is anyone else worried about designing 2 cars hampering merc in terms of finances and wasting precious time on a 2nd design?
It's very strange if it's true. It would imply dual windtunnel programs and expenses. This is very unlikely to be true imo.
I was talking about the development budget (which is rumoured to be only in the single digit millions). I'm certain Mercedes intends to remain under the budget cap.
That means that early season wave making will quickly exhaust their budget and they will have to stop, If these rumours of b-specs, revamps, and dual windtunnel programs come to fruition.
