Good thread about Merc's weekend (posted before the race) :
(in French, but translate works well)
I think dampers with less travel were part of Mercedes solution to solve their porpoising issue. This limited them on how soft they can go at the rear and this resulted in a lack of mechanical grip. But on the other hand Hamilton should be able to recognize the lack of mechanical grip and lack of downforce at the rear of course. So if there really was a lack of downforce at the rear, it suggests that there might be an aero-problem in that aera that i do not want to bring up again.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑28 May 2022, 22:41Hamiltonsay front downforce is great, but resr downforce is lacking in Monaco.
Could be that the side pod wing does not work well at low speeds? Or maybe the floor just needs more tweaking?
Did Hamilton actually say those words attributed to him? I bet he meant low speed rear end mechanical grip not 'downforce'.Andi76 wrote: ↑31 May 2022, 07:13I think dampers with less travel were part of Mercedes solution to solve their porpoising issue. This limited them on how soft they can go at the rear and this resulted in a lack of mechanical grip. But on the other hand Hamilton should be able to recognize the lack of mechanical grip and lack of downforce at the rear of course. So if there really was a lack of downforce at the rear, it suggests that there might be an aero-problem in that aera that i do not want to bring up again.PlatinumZealot wrote: ↑28 May 2022, 22:41Hamiltonsay front downforce is great, but resr downforce is lacking in Monaco.
Could be that the side pod wing does not work well at low speeds? Or maybe the floor just needs more tweaking?
Additional insulation?
Can we get some context on the pic?
I have to disagree about Mercedes not being at the top suspension-wise. It is true for pre-2012, but most of the 2014-2020 success was due to their ability to set the car aero platform, thanks to their suspension system. For the first few years engine was also a big contributor, but that advantage diminished over time, while the superiority in the stability of the aerodynamics remained. Not to mention the big gains obtained when they were able to lower the cars on straights to gain more top speed last year. And all this has a lot to do with suspension.NL_Fer wrote: ↑31 May 2022, 17:53If it is about the suspension, it would explain overall good performance of the Ferrari customer teams, since they buy the parts.
Also suspension has been Mercedes’ least strong point of the car since the start. They had a fast car in 2012 but lost it in tyre life. Also during the hybrid area we have seen them struggling on tracks like Monaco and Singapore multiple times, with bad grip and keeping the temps in the operating window. Their rear axle always looked a bit limited on traction, compared to Ferrari and Redbull.