2023 car speculation

[georgekyr]

I think at spa merc will be the fastest..

Honestly I don't believe it. It has been a fair amount of time since this TD has been out. If the top two were really doing this, they would have found a solution by now if it was that important to their car performance.

Well there's no need to implement a solution when the new rules have not kicked in. Reap the benefits of what you have already, until you're not allowed to. That way it gives them more time to finalise and develop the new solution.

It makes no sense to lose something when you do not have to. I bet there were tests in free practise, but the full removal/update of the relevant parts will come at Spa.

[PlatinumZealot]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm. In other words other teams have to remove their ice skates.

The ICE skate guides air under the floor but most importantly keeps the floor just nay high above the ground at a controlled height even at different roll angles.

Mercedes has not adopted this. They put metal blades on the edge of the floor and use bleed off gillls instead of using the ICE skate.

[AR3-GP]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm.

I don't understand how one is linked to the other.

[Just_a_fan]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm.

I don't understand how one is linked to the other.

If the flexi floor is banned, the teams will need to run the car slightly higher to avoid wearing the plank, etc., add that to the soon-to-be-mandated lift of the floor edge by 15mm and you'll get close to that 20mm floor edge raise mentioned.

[PlatinumZealot]

Yea and I think the Ice skate count as part of the floor. Perhaps Mercedes has learned to develop the floor without the Ice skates in anticipation of this rule change.

[AR3-GP]

This is all largely conjecture/speculative and not much to do with the W13. The only factual information is that the W14 floor edge will be raised by 15mm and that's still not much to do with the W13.

[Cs98]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm. In other words other teams have to remove their ice skates.

No it doesn't mean that at all, you are conflating two different issues. The flexi-floor TD comes in next race. The 15mm floor edge raise is for next season by which time the floors will have been re-designed.

[Cocles]

I'm not sure they're conflating it. Mercedes believes that if the floor plank is unable to flex, RB and Ferrari will have to raise their floor a bit. No one is specifically ordering them to raise their floor for 2022; it's just something they'd have to do to avoid the plank wearing too much if it can't bend up into the car anymore.

In 2023 everyone will be specifically ordered to raise their car up a bit.

Mercedes already had to raise their floor (because the W13's plank never flexed), so they'd be ahead of the game on this development.

[PlatinumZealot]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm. In other words other teams have to remove their ice skates.

No it doesn't mean that at all, you are conflating two different issues. The flexi-floor TD comes in next race. The 15mm floor edge raise is for next season by which time the floors will have been re-designed.

The ice skates are integral to the flexi floor.

[Henri]

The flexi floor ban mean the floor edges have to be raised 20mm. In other words other teams have to remove their ice skates.

The ICE skate guides air under the floor but most importantly keeps the floor just nay high above the ground at a controlled height even at different roll angles.

Mercedes has not adopted this. They put metal blades on the edge of the floor and use bleed off gillls instead of using the ICE skate.

Mercedes are saying red bull and ferrari will lose 3 tenths.. i.m convinced merc will be the fastest car for the rest of the season

[saviour stivala]

A compromise has been reached after the FIA has rejected to back Mercedes requests in full. The floor edges + diffuser throat will be raised 15mm and not 25mm.

[Stu]

As previously suggested, the simple way to achieve this is to increase the plank thickness.

A little strange to mandate an increase in throat height though, considering that other teams are not restricting themselves on this dimension in the same way that Mercedes/AMG have chosen to.

[Stu]

Yea and I think the Ice skate count as part of the floor. Perhaps Mercedes has learned to develop the floor without the Ice skates in anticipation of this rule change.

But the Merc does feature ‘skates’ at the floor edge and has done for some time.

[chrisc90]

This is presuming that Mercedes aren’t running their floor at the lowest height on the edges of the floor at present. You only have to watch videos to see the edge of the Mercedes’ floor at the rear practically drags along the floor on cornering.
So to say it’s giving Mercedes an advantage - I feel is a bit ‘wrong’ as if merc need
To raise their floor up 15mm next year too, it will lose them downforce.

I think people are getting confused with people thinking the floor is already ~15mm above the stated regulations for this year.

[PlatinumZealot]

Yea and I think the Ice skate count as part of the floor. Perhaps Mercedes has learned to develop the floor without the Ice skates in anticipation of this rule change.

But the Merc does feature ‘skates’ at the floor edge and has done for some time.

This are not the same in function when you look at it.

Mercedes metal floor edges are strictly for wear purposes. And the stand-offs on top allow slight flexing of the edge.

Ice skate of Ferrari and redBull keep a gap to the road when the bottom of floor flexes and also guide air near the diffuser throat.