Mercedes W13

[ringo]

Ferrari floor is less convex underneath ans has a gentler profile towards the wider portion off the underfloor. The mercedes vanes also seem closer together and more agressively turned towards the sides.

[toraabe]

Ferrari floor is less convex underneath ans has a gentler profile towards the wider portion off the underfloor. The mercedes vanes also seem closer together and more agressively turned towards the sides.

Yes. Although it also has a large flat area at the middle, it seems so be less aggressivly tuned.. Both are suffering from porpoising. I think that the flat area of the Mercedes is just too large and hence the downforce point is moving..

[carisi2k]

You guys don't seem to see that the porpoising isn't the only problem with the W13. The other problem is that the floor is flexing at the same time as when the car is porpoising. I noticed this during FP1 when Lewis and George were firing sparks all over the place. So my thinking is that the Ferrari is able to recover because the floor isn't flexing as you know it has an actual sidepod that helps keep the floor solid while the Merc doesn't.

I suspect Mercedes know this but have been keeping it quiet. Also I suspect this is why you are seeing a grumpy Lewis because he knows he has no chance this year.

[IGOSNELL]

Is there not more to Mercedes problems than the floor. Strange that the slimmest bodied car on the grid has these problems. It's the airflow over the top of the car not the problem? If it was just a floor issue they surely would have replaced it by now.

[IGOSNELL]

Does the Merc not have the shortest of the floors thereby inducing a vacum affect quicker than compeditors?If so that would explain the porposing and why it happens at lower speeds than others, the air has a shorter distance to travel.

[Magicsenna_41]

I suspect Mercedes know this but have been keeping it quiet. Also I suspect this is why you are seeing a grumpy Lewis because he knows he has no chance this year.

Yeah, good for Mercedes that FIA has no subscribtion to F1TV.
Lets see how far they can go with this secret

[atanatizante]

The diffuser is one of the updates they were brought here...

- firstly, is this diffuser a part of the new floor that was covered in that picture from one of the above posts?
- secondly, did they have a chance to test it or in FP1 track conditions didn`t allow them to do that?
- thirdly, could they test it now in FP2 knowing it`s a dry track or they are not allowed to do that due to the parc ferme rule from yesterday's qualy?

[carisi2k]

Is there not more to Mercedes problems than the floor. Strange that the slimmest bodied car on the grid has these problems. It's the airflow over the top of the car not the problem? If it was just a floor issue they surely would have replaced it by now.

I don't think the floor design is the problem so much as the flexing is making it act like a tyre in many ways and upsetting all the aero philosophy. It makes perfect sense that the slimmest car would have these problems as there is no bodywork to help support the floor like there is on most of the other cars. The short term solution would probably be to put more material in to the floor (extra weight) or bring back the Barcelona sidepod although that wasn't that much larger then what they have now.

In previous years they would have probably had a whole new car for Australia, however this is the cost cap era and so it isn't that simple unless they want to break the cap.

[jagunx51]

[ogonek]

Porpoising is a little better today

[TotoWolf]

Porpoising is a little better today

100%

[214270]

Porpoising is a little better today

No DRS yest vs DRS allowed today. They’re also a bit heavier this session

[F1Krof]

What a disastrous car!

[AA_2019]

When it's as bad as this they might as well experiment with running the old spec car from the 1st Barcelona test with one car.

[101FlyingDutchman]

I’d agree. See if more bodywork controlling the floor flex makes the porpoising more predictable and can be more easily pinpointed. Maybe use FP1 of the next GP for that?