Mercedes W12

[michl420]

if merc allow a bulge like that the gain should be pretty... decent one would think?

I think a bulge in that area has very little, if any, impact. It`s too far away from any critical aero parts. I mean look what Alpine has done.

[aleks_ader]

At end of V8 era with Merc, Ferrari, Force India and many others we got that bulges on engine covers. Ofc V8 were bigger and longer from architecture standpoint so they hit limits early. Plus now we got Halo vortices witch should help in attaching flow in that area. Or at least made effect less prominent. Not concern if better overall flow structure overweigh the slight bugger with that bulge.

[PlatinumZealot]

That is big azz diffuser throat.. not sure if that's legal?! An illusion? Or testing equipment. We have seen testing equipment mounted here in the past.

[FittingMechanics]

That is big azz diffuser throat.. not sure if that's legal?! An illusion? Or testing equipment. We have seen testing equipment mounted here in the past.

I think they said they covered it up, so probably just something to block view.

[godlameroso]

But they don't have to do that if they don't want to. It's not a requirement in order to go non-DAS this year. If they can get more from the tokens used elsewhere then that's where the tokens will be used.

So we will need to see a modified tub to be able to say they've done that.

Mercedes themselves stated they were going to use tokens at the front. I suppose it's to change things up front since they got rid of DAS. That's speculation on my part, but they are on record saying tokens were spent at the front.

James Allison said today they have not stated where their tokens were spent.

"We have spent our tokens, but we won't reveal how we used them just yet. That'll become clear in good time," he added, ominously.

If you have a statement to the contrary, it would be very interesting.

Look at where the steering rack tie rods are mounted on the W12 vs the W11. If you have to change the pick up points on the tub for the lower wishbone and steering rack tie rods, wouldn't that take 2 tokens?

[godlameroso]

Did Mercedes spend its tokens copying RB16's dual bulkhead?

[El Scorchio]

Mercedes themselves stated they were going to use tokens at the front. I suppose it's to change things up front since they got rid of DAS. That's speculation on my part, but they are on record saying tokens were spent at the front.

James Allison said today they have not stated where their tokens were spent.

"We have spent our tokens, but we won't reveal how we used them just yet. That'll become clear in good time," he added, ominously.

If you have a statement to the contrary, it would be very interesting.

Look at where the steering rack tie rods are mounted on the W12 vs the W11. If you have to change the pick up points on the tub for the lower wishbone and steering rack tie rods, wouldn't that take 2 tokens?

No idea of the specific ins and outs of what and where requires a token and what doesn't.
Do you have anything from the team saying they were spending the tokens up the front or is it nothing but speculation on your part?

[nevill3]

Any body know what this cut out could be

[PlatinumZealot]

Look at where the steering rack tie rods are mounted on the W12 vs the W11. If you have to change the pick up points on the tub for the lower wishbone and steering rack tie rods, wouldn't that take 2 tokens?

Not for punching holes and the like.

[ENGINE TUNER]

Any body know what this cut out could be

https://i.imgur.com/ScoAv6R.jpg

Cover plate for access electronics or something else

[FittingMechanics]

Any body know what this cut out could be

https://i.imgur.com/ScoAv6R.jpg

Looks more like a reflection or a shadow than an cut out.

[jjn9128]

https://i.imgur.com/OCRVBWU.png

That is big azz diffuser throat.. not sure if that's legal?! An illusion? Or testing equipment. We have seen testing equipment mounted here in the past.

Looks like a pretty standard F1 diffuser to me. There's a bit of foreshortening from the angle of the image but the diffuser kick of a modern diffuser, since '09, is pretty extreme. The top surface also doesn't follow the bottom surface, instead it's designed to create as high a pressure as possible to increase downforce.

Any body know what this cut out could be

https://i.imgur.com/ScoAv6R.jpg

Cover plate for access electronics or something else

This ^

[Manoah2u]

Any body know what this cut out could be

https://i.imgur.com/ScoAv6R.jpg

Cover plate for access electronics or something else

you can see still a light reflectively flowing on top of it, it's not open, it's a shadow of something else.

[cheeRS]

if merc allow a bulge like that the gain should be pretty... decent one would think?

I don't feel that this bulge will have a significant negative effect aerodynamically.

I understand what you're saying, but this is not how F1 teams think and absolutely not how Merc engineers think. The whole philisophy of the team is essentially, "hundreds of tiny gains add up to big, significant ones".

Thus, a bulge like that on an otherwise shrinkwrapped engine cover means that it is a quite important bulge, lol. It terms of how much sheer downforce it gives away or drag it adds, we'll never know.

[godlameroso]

James Allison said today they have not stated where their tokens were spent.

"We have spent our tokens, but we won't reveal how we used them just yet. That'll become clear in good time," he added, ominously.

If you have a statement to the contrary, it would be very interesting.

Look at where the steering rack tie rods are mounted on the W12 vs the W11. If you have to change the pick up points on the tub for the lower wishbone and steering rack tie rods, wouldn't that take 2 tokens?

No idea of the specific ins and outs of what and where requires a token and what doesn't.
Do you have anything from the team saying they were spending the tokens up the front or is it nothing but speculation on your part?

Well they have not stated it directly, indirectly they have stated they did NOT change their transmission, or rear end of the car. Because they no longer have DAS, because they have opportunity to reposition the front lower control arm and steering rack, one would logically conclude the tokens were spent on the front.