Mercedes AMG F1 W03 (pre-launch speculation)

[xpensive]

Nonetheless, it does show how strikingly shorter the Merc's wheelbase was. We're still none the wiser about why that was, but no matter, I doubt whether Willis in particular will allow that to happen this year. Surely what they come up with for this season can't be as bad as what they've come up with for the last couple, and in the latter days of Honda? The delay in testing is certainly a sign that things have been 'rearranged' IMHO.

My theory says the reason why MGP spent the past two years without a "Technical director", is that he was working out of Stuttgart all the time where he dreamt up these ideas as gokart-wheelbase, strange airbox and even stranger xhaust.

Just like the Flat-12 marvel for Group C 20 years ago.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

I do wonder how many times something needs to be posted on the SWB W02 and the teams reasoning for it for people to understand.
Read giblets post as to the why....

[munudeges]

There was no reasoning on why the W02 was the way it was. It made no sense and it was quite clearly wrong on so many fundamental levels. You look at the wheelbase of ever other car and they were all variations on the same theme. It was only Merc who thought they could do what they did. One has to wonder how they got it so wrong.

I do really wonder how many times that has to be posted, in crystal clear and visual clarity no less, until that becomes clear.

[marcush.]

ermr..let me tell you something :I hear some strange voices from direction Sindelfingen that would hint x is spoton .I´m in no position to confirm this but certain infos I got make me wonder what is or was going on there..
my wild guess is ,Brawn sent the first draft of W01 to the three pointed star telling them he was unable to get the car ready if Mercedes ois not committing .
Stuttgart looked over the project and transferred all data into Catia V5R19 using the OEM Startmodell frame and gave their input ...culminating in a full blown project for 2011 with the SWB W02 ...
I may dream but ....

[dren]

There was no reasoning on why the W02 was the way it was. It made no sense and it was quite clearly wrong on so many fundamental levels. You look at the wheelbase of ever other car and they were all variations on the same theme. It was only Merc who thought they could do what they did. One has to wonder how they got it so wrong.

I do really wonder how many times that has to be posted, in crystal clear and visual clarity no less, until that becomes clear.

The thought process AKA "the reason why" has been posted I don't know how many times. There is even an Autosport article on it. Did you miss that? Did you miss Brawn's quotes in the media? A short diffuser for better flow makes perfect sense. I don't know how many fundemental levels it was wrong on? I can think of one, a high CofG due to packaging constraints. It wasn't the best route compared to some of the competition but it certainly performed better than several teams with longer wheel bases.

I'll quote you... "I do really wonder how many times that has to be posted, in crystal clear and visual clarity no less, until that becomes clear?"

[dren]

ermr..let me tell you something :I hear some strange voices from direction Sindelfingen that would hint x is spoton .I´m in no position to confirm this but certain infos I got make me wonder what is or was going on there..
my wild guess is ,Brawn sent the first draft of W01 to the three pointed star telling them he was unable to get the car ready if Mercedes ois not committing .
Stuttgart looked over the project and transferred all data into Catia V5R19 using the OEM Startmodell frame and gave their input ...culminating in a full blown project for 2011 with the SWB W02 ...
I may dream but ....

Sounds very likely...

[marcush.]

it is wild and i´m a bit surprised it was not even mentined in german press until now ,but considering they know each other personally very well Norby has enough power to force von Saurma or his excollegues at AMuS not to print a word about this ....
At least it would explain why Bigois ,Brawn did not face a head chop...

[dren]

it is wild and i´m a bit surprised it was not even mentined in german press until now ,but considering they know each other personally very well Norby has enough power to force von Saurma or his excollegues at AMuS not to print a word about this ....
At least it would explain why Bigois ,Brawn did not face a head chop...

Yes, it certainly does. And it may also explain why they quickly went out and hired a bunch of people.

[munudeges]

A short diffuser for better flow makes perfect sense.

No, it doesn't. Longer wheelbases are there to improve the aerodynamics (contrary to what many believe) and ensure less restricted airflow due to narrowing the bodywork, lowering the centre of gravity and helping cooling as a result. There is of course, a limit to that that other teams found collectively. The only time you'd go against the grain, as McLaren did from 2007, was if you had specific information on the tyres that would give you a beneficial mechanical benefit. That's the kind of definitive reason you'd be looking for. Anything else is just hot air, much like their diffuser.

We have all the bogus reasoning behind this decision that proved to be wrong, but we still don't know how Merc arrived at something so completely different to any other team. I'm sorry, but that reason has not been put up anywhere. We've got excuses, but no reason. There's a difference.

[elf341]

I also think marcush/x might be close to the mark with the Stuttgart W02 influence.

It also stinks a little bit of another occasion in the Brackley team's history, when Honda churned out the RA107 - perhaps confirming again that being a successful auto manufacturer does not guarantee an immediate grasp in the business of Formula One.

This might have worked in the 30s, and 50s. Then, succeeding in the auto industry was about producing the best car, period. But nowadays, it seems to me that being successful in the auto industry is about producing a car that is cheap, reliable, and functional. Formula one seems to me to be about perfection in every area, almost irrespective of costs, trying not to over-engineer anything, and with time as the primary constraint, not money.

I imagine after the bigwigs saw that W02 was a bit of a dog early season, they quickly acknowledged that they should authorise Brawn to bring in some traditional F1 talent.

I personally have high hopes for the W03 under Bell's stewardship.

[xpensive]

I also think marcush/x might be close to the mark with the Stuttgart W02 influence.
...

Why conclusively, Brawn at last had the go-ahead to hire the Technical Director(s) he wanted, and boy did he go for it!

[yener]

Nice shots! You can compare the cars really good on this one.

I also believe a swb means less DF in general because i believe the car will have more downforce when you have more surface.

Also you can see how beautifull shaped the backside of the RBR is. Designed to put as much air as possible true the diffusers. And when you go in a corner, that shape will produce less resistance then all the other teams. (area behind the sidepods)

What i also like to mention is that Merc AMG already anounced that the involvment of
aldo and bob will not be 100%. They signed too late to have all the influence on the new car. The 2013 car will show the real involvment (effect) and strenth of the "big names".

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

There was no reasoning on why the W02 was the way it was. It made no sense and it was quite clearly wrong on so many fundamental levels. You look at the wheelbase of ever other car and they were all variations on the same theme. It was only Merc who thought they could do what they did. One has to wonder how they got it so wrong.

I do really wonder how many times that has to be posted, in crystal clear and visual clarity no less, until that becomes clear.

Totally illogical post.

They didnt get it "so wrong". They finished 4th remember. More long wheel base cars finished behind them than ahead, clear?

[xpensive]

In support of my own conspiracy theory; Coming up with an odd-ball solution like the SWB, is very typical for an engineer from outside of the business, like "why haven't anyone thought about this before"? And that applies not only for F1.

Hence, the SWB was not conceived from within the establishment F1 engineering environment, not a chance.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

So a benz engineer dreams up a SWB W02 and it's 4th fastest?
They wouldn't have the know how... And would be racing virgins if that was the (unlikely) case.