Mercedes W14

[Goblin42]

W14's new floor edge details

[zibby43]

Former F1 engineer breaks down the upgrades at around 7-min mark:

[krisfx]

Nice to get confirmation that the wishbone change was for better sidepod cooling. Don't think people will stop talking about anti-dive though...

They are avoiding any suspicions of the suspension used primalarily for aerodynamic reasons is what.

Cooling flow is an aerodynamic effect, is it not?

It doesn't matter either way as the rules allow an aerodynamic fairing on the suspension leg. The wishbones are designed and moved primarily for aerodynamic effect in most cases. Everyone knows it.

[Hoffman900]

Former F1 engineer breaks down the upgrades at around 7-min mark:

https://youtu.be/4TdJBzzQFME

The W14 always had anti-dive as has been designed into Formula 1 cars going back to the late 1960s with the Lotus 72. Pitch sensitivity has always been well understood, the aerodynamicists that came into F1 int he 1970s and 1980s were from the aerospace world where pitch sensitivity is a huge component of their work, and suspension designers have been working to limit it to control the aero platform for 50 years.

If they installed “more anti-dive” it’s about angling the arms to suit the new aeroflow concept and they can work around the mechanical downsides of more anti-dive by other means.

Here is something no one has been able to answer, how much “dive” is there really on a F1 car anyway? Express it in ride height change at the front axle… it’s not much at all. What does more anti-dive do to the car while accelerating out of a corner and down a straight away? How does it control bumps? How are we changing the roll pitch and contact patch under steady state cornering? How does more anti-dive effect brake balance? Adding more anti-dive can also cause jacking issues.

It’s just not that simple

[pursue_one's]

(Sidepod design change)The extra surface area will increase downforce and the new design meant the team had to redesign the car's radiators that sit under the bodywork.

It does mean the car is now slightly heavier by around 500 grams but it means that the new Silver Arrow looks more like their rivals.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/22490826 ... erstappen/

[PlatinumZealot]

Nice to get confirmation that the wishbone change was for better sidepod cooling. Don't think people will stop talking about anti-dive though...

They are avoiding any suspicions of the suspension used primalarily for aerodynamic reasons is what.

Cooling flow is an aerodynamic effect, is it not?

FIA treat it as a separate function. Brake ducts, driver cooling holes aka s-duct, brabham fan car etc are some examples of "cooling" exploitations.

[AR3-GP]

They are avoiding any suspicions of the suspension used primalarily for aerodynamic reasons is what.

Cooling flow is an aerodynamic effect, is it not?

FIA treat it as a separate function. Brake ducts, driver cooling holes aka s-duct, brabham fan car etc are some examples of "cooling" exploitations.

All cars have to have 5 suspension members per corner. FIA cannot ban suspension arms because it has an aero benefit.

[PlatinumZealot]

Cooling flow is an aerodynamic effect, is it not?

FIA treat it as a separate function. Brake ducts, driver cooling holes aka s-duct, brabham fan car etc are some examples of "cooling" exploitations.

All cars have to have 5 suspension members per corner. FIA cannot ban suspension arms because it has an aero benefit.

Thinking you are not getting what I'm saying... Depends on what the arm is doing FIa can direct that it be modified.

Remember up to 2012 or so... Formula 1 cars had pivoting steering arms/ track rods that were driven by cams in the upright. As the suspension compresses the track rods would change their angle of attack significantly. This was effectively banned by new rules.

Another example of when a suspension function was accused as having primarily aerodynamic influence was the FRIC suspension of 2010 to 2014 and Mercedes suspension of 2021.

So all I'm saying is that with the statement made, Mercedes are wisely disassociating their new suspension upgrade with any sort of aerodynamic function....

We all know it's to help the floor in some advantageous way that only RedBull, Aston Martin have "unlocked" so far.

[astrowill]

W14B running on track with the cooling lourves blanked:

https://twitter.com/NaturalParadigm/sta ... 41282?s=20

[Vanja #66]

Is this a roughly accurate comparison?

The original photo is heavy on fish-eye, everything is distorted... Still, anti-dive is increased however you look at it. Clearly not the only function, but it did increase.

[wogx]

[Venturiation]

[krisfx]

FIA treat it as a separate function. Brake ducts, driver cooling holes aka s-duct, brabham fan car etc are some examples of "cooling" exploitations.

All cars have to have 5 suspension members per corner. FIA cannot ban suspension arms because it has an aero benefit.

Thinking you are not getting what I'm saying... Depends on what the arm is doing FIa can direct that it be modified.

Remember up to 2012 or so... Formula 1 cars had pivoting steering arms/ track rods that were driven by cams in the upright. As the suspension compresses the track rods would change their angle of attack significantly. This was effectively banned by new rules.

Another example of when a suspension function was accused as having primarily aerodynamic influence was the FRIC suspension of 2010 to 2014 and Mercedes suspension of 2021.

So all I'm saying is that with the statement made, Mercedes are wisely disassociating their new suspension upgrade with any sort of aerodynamic function....

We all know it's to help the floor in some advantageous way that only RedBull, Aston Martin have "unlocked" so far.

They really aren't. They explicitely said they've modified the suspension to improve wake positioning. Whatever way you spin it, cooling, laptime, wake control is an aero function and because there are now a lack of devices forward of the sidepod inlet, it's highly likely that it IS to somewhat benefit cooling, as the sidepods will have a very different onset requirement.

It's not that deep man, every F1 team uses suspension for downwash/wake control and have been for decades, this isn't the "gotem" you think it is.

[Venturiation]

Gonna be getting some shots of the W14 floor

we are getting the most detailed shots of floor ever look at this

[AR3-GP]