Mercedes-AMG F1 W10 EQ Power+

[jh199]

What are those small intakes for? The 5 small slots on the bardgeboards toward where the chassis would sit. Is it for some miniscule cooling somewhere?

[DiogoBrand]

https://postimages.org/

Did they try some high rake setup with Russell on Wednesday or it`s just the photo view angle?

That doesn't look like too much rake, seems to me like the usual from Mercedes.

What is the disadvantage of more rake?

Makes for a higher CoG and less mechanical grip at the rear. It also requires some special airflow management to seal the sides of the floor, and I believe you also need a very good rear suspension setup for it to work properly.

[Suvesh]

https://postimages.org/

Did they try some high rake setup with Russell on Wednesday or it`s just the photo view angle?

That doesn't look like too much rake, seems to me like the usual from Mercedes.

What is the disadvantage of more rake?

Makes for a higher CoG and less mechanical grip at the rear. It also requires some special airflow management to seal the sides of the floor, and I believe you also need a very good rear suspension setup for it to work properly.

Why less mechanical grip at the rear? Also I'm sure Merc are capable of designing the correct aero to seal the floor, and suspension etc like Red Bull have been doing. So what's the biggest reason they've never switched to the high rake design whilst everyone else has? Can't be just CoG.

[NathanOlder]

What is the disadvantage of more rake?

I believe it would also let them run the front wing closer to the ground for a greater ground effect.

Would that not be the opposite case ? If you have your car sat in front of the FIA then surely you will have the front wing as low as possible with the high rake. Then when the car squats while going at speed , the front wing will raise away from the ground as the rear of the car squats more ?

[DiogoBrand]

https://postimages.org/

Did they try some high rake setup with Russell on Wednesday or it`s just the photo view angle?

That doesn't look like too much rake, seems to me like the usual from Mercedes.

What is the disadvantage of more rake?

Makes for a higher CoG and less mechanical grip at the rear. It also requires some special airflow management to seal the sides of the floor, and I believe you also need a very good rear suspension setup for it to work properly.

Why less mechanical grip at the rear? Also I'm sure Merc are capable of designing the correct aero to seal the floor, and suspension etc like Red Bull have been doing. So what's the biggest reason they've never switched to the high rake design whilst everyone else has? Can't be just CoG.

The reduced mechanical grip is a consequence of the higher CoG, also the compromises made on the suspension to allow for the higher rake may reduce mechanical grip as well.

Mercedes are probably more than capable of making the car work with higher rake, but they probably have a philosophy where that wouldn't benefit them, otherwise they'd be doing that already.
It's not uncommon for them to use completely different concepts from everyone else, like lower rake, the more traditional front wings in comparison to Ferrari, the rounded nose without the thumb at the end and so on. Just because they're not copying every idea introduced by the others, doesn't mean they're less competent, likely it's quite the opposite, as the results show us.

[dans79]

What is the disadvantage of more rake?

I believe it would also let them run the front wing closer to the ground for a greater ground effect.

Would that not be the opposite case ? If you have your car sat in front of the FIA then surely you will have the front wing as low as possible with the high rake. Then when the car squats while going at speed , the front wing will raise away from the ground as the rear of the car squats more ?

I don't mean a high-speed, I mean at lower speeds when cornering. At high speed when the back squats the front should come up some, and ideally if properly designed you would shed drag at the front and the rear.

[zibby43]

Another shot of the "skinny" RW.

Also note the new front wing flap configuration (particularly the uppermost flap).

https://twitter.com/SmilexTech/status/1 ... 0488460289

[dans79]

Another shot of the "skinny" RW.

Also note the new front wing flap configuration (particularly the uppermost flap).

https://twitter.com/SmilexTech/status/1 ... 0488460289

It looks like the uppermost front wing elements are made of two different pieces, almost like Cascades building to the wing.

[zibby43]

Another shot of the "skinny" RW.

Also note the new front wing flap configuration (particularly the uppermost flap).

https://twitter.com/SmilexTech/status/1 ... 0488460289

It looks like the uppermost front wing elements are made of two different pieces, almost like Cascades building to the wing.

I think they just really cranked down the AoA on the top flap and it's creating that illusion. Flattened it out quite a bit.

[dans79]

I think they just really cranked down the AoA on the top flap and it's creating that illusion. Flatted in out quite a bit.

This looks different to me!

[Manoah2u]

I wouldn't at all be surprised if Mercedes is going to implement a Ferrari-style front wing.
it'll take some time to research, develop, test, and then produce it, but i'm sure that if it has any benefit,
which i do think it has and since Toto mentioned that Mercedes will take a look into it if it is in their benefit,
then it will be there way before the summer break and i expect it to be there by the first european grand prix.

even though Mercedes is still on top, there is no questioning that Ferrari has experienced a vast amount of technical malfunctions which have lead them to be behind Mercedes, but that is nothing aero-related.

It does very much seem that Ferrari is having the more 'functional' aero package right now, compared to Mercedes'.
So it would make sense that they'd follow that philosophy and implement it into their own, IF their chassis lends to such a thing offcourse.

Nevertheless, we are only 2 grandprix' into the season, so, time will have to tell.

[Just_a_fan]

Didn't Mercedes say they'd tried the Ferrari style wing and couldn't get it to work for them?

I don't think Mercedes will jump to any changes unless they're certain it'll be an improvement. They've won the last 5 seasons not doing it Ferrari's way, so they'll take some persuading to do things their way now.

[Jordan44]

I wouldn't at all be surprised if Mercedes is going to implement a Ferrari-style front wing.
it'll take some time to research, develop, test, and then produce it, but i'm sure that if it has any benefit,
which i do think it has and since Toto mentioned that Mercedes will take a look into it if it is in their benefit,
then it will be there way before the summer break and i expect it to be there by the first european grand prix.

even though Mercedes is still on top, there is no questioning that Ferrari has experienced a vast amount of technical malfunctions which have lead them to be behind Mercedes, but that is nothing aero-related.

It does very much seem that Ferrari is having the more 'functional' aero package right now, compared to Mercedes'.
So it would make sense that they'd follow that philosophy and implement it into their own, IF their chassis lends to such a thing offcourse.

Nevertheless, we are only 2 grandprix' into the season, so, time will have to tell.

Ferrari front wing could well be overhyped. An active F1 aerodynamicist did an anonymised interview with BBC F1. They think Ferrari's concept is fine now but in the future it will hold them back. Merc's wing can generate significantly more downforce at the front. When you develop the car and gain downforce at the rear, you also need to add more at the front of the car, otherwise it will completely throw the balance off. They think Ferrari are limited on development scope because of this.

[zibby43]

It does very much seem that Ferrari is having the more 'functional' aero package right now, compared to Mercedes'.
So it would make sense that they'd follow that philosophy and implement it into their own, IF their chassis lends to such a thing offcourse.

Nevertheless, we are only 2 grandprix' into the season, so, time will have to tell.

I don't know. Bahrain doesn't really challenge a car's aerodynamics much. Plus, it was only LEC that breezed through the Bahrain weekend. Hamilton very nearly bumped VET off the front row (and Bottas wasn't far behind HAM).

Mercedes seems to have more front downforce than Ferrari, which helped Merc tremendously in Australia. China is very reliant on front downforce as well.

Plus, Mercedes was faster than the Ferrari in all corners (except turn 2) in Bahrain. They've been the class of the field in slow corners this year (thus far), as well.

The aero and the mechanical grip on the platform seem quite solid at the moment. As you said, time well tell.

[DiogoBrand]

I wouldn't at all be surprised if Mercedes is going to implement a Ferrari-style front wing.

It would possibly require them to revise their entire concept down to the diffuser, also we have no guarantee that Ferrari's front wing concept is better. So perhaps you wouldn't be surprised, but I sure would.