Mercedes W12

[mkay]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

[FDD]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

It is not that simple. They have to change the aero philosophy of the car completely, starting from the front wing down to the rear of the car.

[mkay]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

It is not that simple. They have to change the aero philosophy of the car completely, starting from the front wing down to the rear of the car.

Note that I said bend the floor at the rear of the car, not raise the floor (i.e., increase rake) which I understand would cause a complete re-think of the car’s aero.

[Sieper]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

That is not allowed. At least, if I understand you correctly. The diffuser can be at a mandated maximum angle only, measured against the floor. If you then say, yes my diffuser is at that angle but I have just bend the entire floor at the start of the diffuser So I still adhere to the limit, that won’t be allowed.

[FDD]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

That is not allowed. At least, if I understand you correctly. The diffuser can be at a mandated maximum angle only, measured against the floor. If you then say, yes my diffuser is at that angle but I have just bend the entire floor at the start of the diffuser So I still adhere to the limit, that won’t be allowed.

Even if it is allowed it is not that simple.

[zibby43]

Really good stuff by Scarbs addressing how the interaction between the reduced-span rear brake winglets, low-rake floor, and rear tires are affecting Merc in '21.

Scarbs also adds that the scope of development here, particularly for Mercedes, will help troubleshoot this area quickly without '21 being a write-off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kvvsQzvPUg

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

I think the most likely/plausible development is continued tinkering with the furniture at the rear edge of the floor. It's a very, very difficult area to simulate, so having the substantial chunk of rear-world data, combined with the past few weeks Merc has had to analyze it, I would keep a close eye on that section of the car at Imola and Portimao.

[PlatinumZealot]

This may sound very stupid but why couldn’t Merc just bend the floor/diffuser upwards to offer a better seal?

It is not that simple. They have to change the aero philosophy of the car completely, starting from the front wing down to the rear of the car.

Note that I said bend the floor at the rear of the car, not raise the floor (i.e., increase rake) which I understand would cause a complete re-think of the car’s aero.

They can do it..
But... Only for a 100mm distance from the edge.

A 100mm curving up at the edge of the surface on the reference plane is allowed.

They wavy edges at the front of the car were born from this rule.. But it seems the edge of the floor is not the issue, it is the area deeper insisde near the dissuer.

[dans79]

They wavy edges at the front of the car were born from this rule.. But it seems the edge of the floor is not the issue, it is the area deeper insisde near the dissuer.

That's correct, the wedge taken out of the floor in front of the rear tires, has made the rear break ducts more important to keeping tire squirt out of the diffuser. The changes to the rules make it harder to do this for low rake cars than higher rake ones. To be clear the rake itself has nothing to do with it, just the relative position of the ducts to the floor.

[zibby43]

Forgot to mention this, but I recently read a comment from Mark Hughes regarding Merc's token expenditure on the W12.

He said there's been some chatter that Merc narrowed the monocoque around the leading edge of the side pods. He revealed this in a comment on one of his articles at The Race.

It's yet to be confirmed, but I figured with all of the outstanding technical eyes here, it's an area we can scrutinize in past/future photos.

[HungarianRacer]

Forgot to mention this, but I recently read a comment from Mark Hughes regarding Merc's token expenditure on the W12.

He said there's been some chatter that Merc narrowed the monocoque around the leading edge of the side pods. He revealed this in a comment on one of his articles at The Race.

It's yet to be confirmed, but I figured with all of the outstanding technical eyes here, it's an area we can scrutinize in past/future photos.

How would that even work though?... I recall James Allison saying in the "The 2021 Mercedes F1 Car EXPLAINED!" video (which was recorded just before the Bahrain test) that the W12's homologated components aren't just merely copies of it's predecessor's, but many of those parts, including the monocoque itself are in fact previously raced units from last season (hence why he had no 2020 car to compare the new one to)... Have they chiseled that part off of last year's chassis?

[ScrewCaptain27]

Rear suspension is multi-link, with very oddly shaped lower wishbones. Now we can tell where the tokens went.

[HungarianRacer]

Rear suspension is multi-link, with very oddly shaped lower wishbones. Now we can tell where the tokens went.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202104 ... 555a85.jpg

Source article?... The suspension arms themselves are not token-bound parts, so as long as the gearbox carrier/rear crash structure remains unmodified (James Allison's comments seem to imply that much), it's a "free" modification for them, if I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong...

[ScrewCaptain27]

Rear suspension is multi-link, with very oddly shaped lower wishbones. Now we can tell where the tokens went.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202104 ... 555a85.jpg

Source article?... The suspension arms themselves are not token-bound parts, so as long as the gearbox carrier/rear crash structure remains unmodified (James Allison's comments seem to imply that much), it's a "free" modification for them, if I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong...

According to the Italian version of Motorsport.com, at least one on the gearbox casing as the lower mounting points are different.
Link: https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-me ... i/6201106/

[HungarianRacer]

Rear suspension is multi-link, with very oddly shaped lower wishbones. Now we can tell where the tokens went.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202104 ... 555a85.jpg

Source article?... The suspension arms themselves are not token-bound parts, so as long as the gearbox carrier/rear crash structure remains unmodified (James Allison's comments seem to imply that much), it's a "free" modification for them, if I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong...

According to the Italian version of Motorsport.com, at least one on the gearbox casing as the lower mounting points are different.
Link: https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-me ... i/6201106/

How can they be so positive about this witout a single photo comparison?... From they way the article came out of Google Translate, they aren't even pointing to any direct evidence, they're just basically saying that the shape of the arms are different, therefore the mounting points must be different too...

Also, stating that the Red Bull team "managed to interpret the 2021 aero regulations more brilliantly", and the seemingly exclusive information of the overheating Mercedes PU in Bahrain don't help the article's credibility with me, frankly...

[Marty_Y]

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/81643/ru ... icker.html

I don't know if it's just because he gets asked questions about the subject but Russell always seems to be commenting on Mercedes and the W12.