Just_a_fan wrote: ↑31 Jul 2023, 18:21
AMG.Tzan wrote: ↑31 Jul 2023, 18:16
Some said it was because Mercedes were running softer springs all weekend! Did you notice any other car bouncing from the onboard?? What about Russell who was using the high df rear wing??
Others appear to have had bouncing. Both Mercs bounced.
But the car is getting quicker so the drivers will moan but they'll put up with bouncing in a faster car rather than a smooth ride in a slow one.
Mercedes can't do much about the rear suspension this season so the drivers will just have to put up with it this year. Hopefully the team will change the suspension and reduce/remove the bouncing whilst increasing car pace.
It has virtually nothing to do with suspension, just ultimate instability of the aero platform in producing an oscillation that's effectively uncontrolled. The answer is in aero solution.
Soft springs are a red herring, misnomer. They have to be able to support the vehicle under full downforce loading, there's not actually much choice but to resist the platform load the aero generates.
If the "spring" rate is increased (as they were doing with W13) the spring ultimately stops moving, handing the acceptance of load to the tyre, which is another giant spring, all but undamped too.
The chassis can only operate it's spring and damping within the response of the tyre, else the suspension is effectively isolated if above that threshold, rigid in other words.
W14 looks to only be less susceptible to this phenomenon by alteration from FIA in floor mod stipulated geometry. As soon as they get more load out of the diffuser/floor they are heading back to cancellation of that effect with this concept.
The success here is that they made more load from the floor, and less rear wing flap. The problem is using that gain within their still same overall aero concept. The signpost is large and not pointed in this direction.
No doubts here that they've accumulated valuable data for 2024, if they choose to use it.