carisi2k wrote: ↑04 Mar 2023, 01:41
I don't think the floor aside from not being optimised or as efficient as Red Bull or Aston Martin is the main problem. The main problem I believe is that they aren't controlling the wheel wake because they don't have a proper side pod. We have proof in images from this very thread showing the dirty air going in to places it shouldn't be. Without barge boards the sidepod is needed to keep control the air to the rear. The mid wing is not capable of doing this.
This seems to be the consensus in this thread and I'm not at all saying I don't buy it; however, if it's true that their sidepod concept is the biggest thing holding them back, what's gonna stop them from finding significant pace when they have their sidepod change ready?
I don't really understand the overlap between the people who think the sidepods are to blame and the people who think Mercedes are doomed. Aren't the side pods one of the easier things to develop mid-season? Aston Martin brought an entirely new sidepod concept midway through the season and then kept developing it, so clearly, it's possible cost-cap wise.
Personally, I do think the sidepods are a part of the problem, but I believe Mercedes when they say it's not where most of the performance is, because ironically, that would be fantastic for Mercedes. They'd have all this performance just waiting to be unlocked. I fear that the problems with the Mercedes run much deeper than that and will be hard to fix mid-season (or clearly even over the winter) but I'm curious to hear y'all's thoughts!