Mercedes AMG F1 W04

[bonjon1979]

Blimey, looking at this, you have to say that this years car is so much more refined.

[Adamski]

At least as Schumacher fan I have a good answer on why Michael hang on his helmet last year. This car is an absolute evolution of the W03. It looks like they made some work on the rear end where they struggled most last year.

If they can extract good speed from this evolution and more consistent tire usage I still bet it won't be enough to beat Lotus, Mclaren, Ferrari and Red Bull.

Of course a tremendous development could change things but ahead of 2014 it's unlikely they will focus too much on this car.

[FrukostScones]

yep, it looks better than I expected.

[dren]

[Crabbia]

The side pods are very similar the the F2012, in that they are elongated, and they have a "tube" for the exhaust that resembles the acer ducts of last year. i wonder if they are going after what ferrari attempted with the acer ducts, blowing the brake ducts / diffusor endfences. but the similarities between these side pods and the F2012 launch side pods are striking.

[Morteza]

Here comes the stupid question of mine:
Are those BBS rims on this car?

[MercAMGF1Fans]

From the press release

The aerodynamic design philosophy has been optimised around a new five-element front wing design and a second-generation Coanda exhaust at the rear. The car retains pushrod front suspension and a pullrod rear suspension, aimed at optimising tyre life and performance, while the rear end has been aggressively packaged to optimise aerodynamic development potential. The F1 W04 also does away with the stepped nose design of its predecessor thanks to a small ‘vanity panel’, which was found to offer a small gain during aerodynamic testing. The car completed its final mandatory FIA crash test on 15 January.

full pressy here..
http://mercamgf1-fans.com/2013/02/04/me ... -in-jerez/

[matt_b]

Now I've sen it from more angles it looks like they have changed quite a bit. That promo reveal picture on their wensite was very clever as it gave nothing away and made you think they had done nothing. Its that old saying the devil is in the detail.

[PlatinumZealot]

Alot of improvements I see.
The car looks much more refined now.. More than like due to Aldo Costa. There are small fins near the cockpit, neater gills near the exhausts, protruding front wing (Harking back to Toyota F109).. the car looks nice.

Bad points I think, are the bulky sidepods and the corner treatment of the diffuser. They should have went for more compact side pods and a fully slotted diffuser. Hopefully they have a package that addresses these weak areas.

[Forza]

[Tim.Wright]

Now I've sen it from more angles it looks like they have changed quite a bit. That promo reveal picture on their wensite was very clever as it gave nothing away and made you think they had done nothing. Its that old saying the devil is in the detail.

Now put a helmet on and go back and read the speculation thread from the weekend...

[Ferraripilot]

Looking forward to seeing the new 5 element front wing.

Definitely some F2012 influence with the sidepods. Sidepod intake is smaller. Nice looking frontal sidepod view profile, not really an undercut, they're just slanted, compact, and low. Exhaust blowing appears optimized. New rear brake ducts (they look very complex) Good evolution overall here.

[Nando]

Interesting exhaust exits compared to let´s say Mclaren.
These look less angled as i believe Mclaren essentially points theirs straight at the tires.

[Morteza]

Interesting exhaust exits compared to let´s say Mclaren.
These look less angled as i believe Mclaren essentially points theirs straight at the tires.

Exactly. MP4-28's exhausts exactly aim at the exhaust. This is not the case with W04.

[silversurf3r]

Look at the floor just behind the exhausts close to the tyres. There appears to be a distinct cut away or at least a section where the floor folds down almost. Could this be a gambit to blow the exhausts under the floor into the diffuser?