Mercedes AMG F1 W03 (pre-launch speculation)

[spadeflush]

Managing expectations is important after missing targets in 2010/11.

I go with merc honing the car for the extra tenth, and then test it.
IF they have something it's been kept quiet.

I have a feeling they DO have something radical. They have been uncharacteristically quiet this year. Any news of the W03 crash test?

[raymondu999]

I seem to remember that the Toyota DDD was conceived as an engineer had left Honda and brought the idea along with him? Then Williams got a trickle of idea through the Toyota partnership they had

[allstaruk08]

i thought toyota was just an engine supplier to williams? why would they give williams aerodynamic ideas?

[raymondu999]

Honestly my memory is fuzzy of the whole thing - But I seem to remember that there was a link between Toyota having a DDD; Williams having a DDD and hat Toyota was the engine manufacturer.

[Hemsy]

Honestly my memory is fuzzy of the whole thing - But I seem to remember that there was a link between Toyota having a DDD; Williams having a DDD and hat Toyota was the engine manufacturer.

No it was a Super Aguri engineer who came up with the idea of the DDD. Super Aguri being Honda's B-team, the knowledge was transferred to Honda and subsequently Brawn GP.

[MIKEY_!]

I recall hearing that too. So in fact Brawn had not much at all to do with the concept of the DDD. Ha!

[MercAMGF1Fans]

Omnicourse is claiming that Mercedes has a secret solution that it doesn't want people to know, hence skipping the first test.

http://www.omnicorse.it/magazine/14560/ ... e-dassetto

Typical, I'd take this with a grain of salt and hold my breath while doing it. There could be truth to this, but I'd put money on the fact that MGP are skipping the first test to optimize their car in the windtunnel.

I'm with you there, I only put so much stock into Omnicourses stories. And I agree that they more than likely want the extra time to develop the car. But honestly if anyone is going to have a secret or groundbreaking solution for 2012 Mercedes ranks at the top of my list.

ok.. got that translated by an italian friend.
she says it basically says that Merc needed more prep time to get the RRH (Reactive Rideheight) system working better, and that it's the same thing as what Renault(lotus) announced this week. And that it's a fairly different from the renault incarnation.

Also, that Mclaren are quite behind in the development of this idea

---
As it's known that talk of this idea had been around for a few year, it does seem to me that as it came from renault - Bob Bell more specifically back in the renault days, who, then was the TD at renault may have the best interpretation of the RRH.
so Merc may well have the best developed RRH come the start of the season?

[Coefficient]

williams and toyota had the DDD as well, do you expect the same from williams

I think Williams and Toyota only had the DDD because Ross Brawn had been honest as FOTA chairman and exposed the loophole to the other teams. Brawn new it was too powerful a device to ignore so when he was ignored he went for it and some canny operators at Williams and Toyota twigged what was going on at the FOTA meeting and followed suit.

[Hemsy]

If Merc indeed have the reactive ride height system, then I don't find it unrealistic that they will be fighting for podiums. For the last two years Merc has been playing catch up whether it was the F-duct or the EBD. This is the first year that Merc seem to have hit the ground running which is a step in the right direction if they want to ultimately win the championship. By the way could Aldo Costa have something to do with it? Costa did arrive from Ferrari, who are also reported to have the system and it could be that because he joined so late that Merc need the extra two weeks to develop it.

[MercAMGF1Fans]

If Merc indeed have the reactive ride height system, then I don't find it unrealistic that they will be fighting for podiums. For the last two years Merc has been playing catch up whether it was the F-duct or the EBD. This is the first year that Merc seem to have hit the ground running which is a step in the right direction if they want to ultimately win the championship. By the way could Aldo Costa have something to do with it? Costa did arrive from Ferrari, who are also reported to have the system and it could be that because he joined so late that Merc need the extra two weeks to develop it.

yeah maybe, as Costa's main role is to be working around the suspension etc, so clearly they're hoping to maximize the lead time before production

[Mr.S]

It amuses me no end that you can see LRGP are going through a tumultuous time, yet you cannot fathom the Honda/Brawn/Mercedes metamorphosis was even more disruptive.


Oh well...

No they are not. JET quit it,it's getting dumber. Lotus lost Kubica on whom the whole car was based & their lead driver was Petrov who was regarded as one of the worst the previous season & was owned by Kubica & who is thought to be a PAY Driver.

Look let's be honest. Mercedes have a 7 time World Champ. & Nico,one of the quickest in F1. Anyways they failed. Period. And failed badly. Period.

It's up to them to succeed now. End of story. No use for excuses.

[Mr.S]

1 Tenth is nothing. If they are going for 1 tenth they should sell their car to HRT & even they will do a 100 % better job with those resources.

If they are loosing 33% of pre-seaon testing & are delaying their car launch compared to last year by almost 20 days then they BETTER have something "VERY GOOD". Reactive RIde Height,Forward F-Duct whatever. It better be very good & Mercedes better be within 0.5s off pole atleast. They need a 0.5 seconds step. Anything less than that is a Gigantic Failure.

[ArchAngel]

Managing expectations is important after missing targets in 2010/11.

I go with merc honing the car for the extra tenth, and then test it.
IF they have something it's been kept quiet.

I have a feeling they DO have something radical. They have been uncharacteristically quiet this year. Any news of the W03 crash test?

Let's not forget what Sam Bird said about Merc having something 'radicle' in the works. I wonder if, rather than a misspelling, that was actually a cryptic clue as to what Merc are keeping tightly under wraps? A RADiator with an icICLE (cone) in the sidepod inlet, perhaps?



Apologies for the comical intrusion. As you were, folks.

[shelly]

Interesting point is that Piola in October had suggested fron ride height control as the possible application of the front passive f-duct.

(Personally I found strange that Piola concentrated on that specific theme for two times in close succession, and I thought it was his choice to focus on that, or that he had had some hint)
Could the f-duct be part of a more complex system that integrates hydraulic a la lrgp and aero switch a la merc?

@jet: is it an example of conical becoming comical?

[munudeges]

It amuses me no end that you can see LRGP are going through a tumultuous time, yet you cannot fathom the Honda/Brawn/Mercedes metamorphosis was even more disruptive.

It wasn't. I know you dearly love to hang on to that notion JET, but it simply wasn't. LRGP are run by a bunch of questionable characters and they've clearly had finance issues that you can visibly see - sponsors and driver changes. They're not comparable in any way.

Merc took over a winning team at the end of 2009 that was flush with cash according to their very own accounts, and it's been a decline from there on in. The takeover should have brought more stability not less, so blaming factors other than the team and management simply not being good enough doesn't wash.

Anyway, I eagerly await what this brilliant new innovation might be.