Mercedes W15

[Powerslide]

There’s another one I feel gives a little more insight on the floor

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/21003 ... IF04Go0i0=

Floor to me looks quite shallow in height

Brightened up a bit so you can see more detail in the floor

does not look too different to last years

[Emag]

Apart from the clever front wing, there is nothing too crazy going on with this Mercedes tbh.

And I feel like the effort spent on trying to make that front wing work might have been better spent elsewhere.

I really doubt the effectivity of the generated vortex is anywhere near what it was on previous generation cars. Especially without a designated bargeboard to control it away from the leading edge of the floor. But also, with the rest of the flaps taking the full width from nose to endplate, the vortex strength shouldn't be comparable to what it used to be.

The uneven spread and higher load at the front which comes as a consequence of getting rid of half of your top flap, also means they are limiting their aero balance adjustability (to a certain degree).

They are suffering in high speed corners with what seems to be a severe understeer problem, which makes the car behave erratically when drivers demand more rotation from it.

Just speculation on my part, but I get the feeling this front wing of theirs might be doing more harm than good. Could be something which in theory looked good, but might be too difficult to manage/control when adding the many more variables of real track conditions.

[venkyhere]

There’s another one I feel gives a little more insight on the floor

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/21003 ... IF04Go0i0=

Floor to me looks quite shallow in height

Brightened up a bit so you can see more detail in the floor


https://i.imgur.com/yuvjjfc.jpeg

What's going on towards the rear, where the plank ends and diffuser starts ? Looks like some kind of 'mouse-hole'/'parachute' forms the lateral boundary of the diffuser. Or is it an illusion from floor damage / angle of the image ?

[Stu]

Apart from the clever front wing, there is nothing too crazy going on with this Mercedes tbh.

And I feel like the effort spent on trying to make that front wing work might have been better spent elsewhere.

I really doubt the effectivity of the generated vortex is anywhere near what it was on previous generation cars. Especially without a designated bargeboard to control it away from the leading edge of the floor. But also, with the rest of the flaps taking the full width from nose to endplate, the vortex strength shouldn't be comparable to what it used to be.

The uneven spread and higher load at the front which comes as a consequence of getting rid of half of your top flap, also means they are limiting their aero balance adjustability (to a certain degree).

They are suffering in high speed corners with what seems to be a severe understeer problem, which makes the car behave erratically when drivers demand more rotation from it.

Just speculation on my part, but I get the feeling this front wing of theirs might be doing more harm than good. Could be something which in theory looked good, but might be too difficult to manage/control when adding the many more variables of real track conditions.

I think that the ‘problem’ with the floor is now apparent…

…and if they are looking to solve the whole floor issue they have focused on the wrong end of it. The front (specifically the area around the outer strakes) is so vanilla (2022 FIA render…!) & unevolved when compared with some others.

[Rootsap]

There’s another one I feel gives a little more insight on the floor

https://media.gettyimages.com/id/21003 ... IF04Go0i0=

Floor to me looks quite shallow in height

Brightened up a bit so you can see more detail in the floor


https://i.imgur.com/yuvjjfc.jpeg

What's going on towards the rear, where the plank ends and diffuser starts ? Looks like some kind of 'mouse-hole'/'parachute' forms the lateral boundary of the diffuser. Or is it an illusion from floor damage / angle of the image ?

Could you draw some arrows on the picture? I don't see it

[venkyhere]

Could you draw some arrows on the picture? I don't see it

[Rootsap]

Could you draw some arrows on the picture? I don't see it

https://i.imgur.com/10AOoCQ.png

Thanks,
It doesn't look like damage I think.
Not quite clear but I think the darkest part (top circle) is just shadow

[ltitus8900]

Could you draw some arrows on the picture? I don't see it

https://i.imgur.com/10AOoCQ.png

Thanks,
It doesn't look like damage I think.
Not quite clear but I think the darkest part (top circle) is just shadow

To me, it is how the plank merges with the rear of the crash structure. I do not see anything clever going on.

[kimble]

Did anyone notice the vibration on one of the small winglets around the barge board area on the rear facing TV feed? It was moving quite significantly horizontally and made me wonder if that could be causing some issues.

[Vanja #66]

There's a curious detail on that floor and it's visible on both photos and looks the same, so it's not a reflection/glitch of a photo. It looks like an indent in the floor roof, spanning across entire tunnel width. Not sure what it is supposed to do, if it really is a local increase in tunnel roof height.

[Farnborough]

I'm seeing similar .... like someone has rolled a inverted dip in there with a small paint roller ..... so to speak, in giving it that form.

Was waiting for underfloor picture this to offer theory, that being they've essentially constrained themselves with internal components sited low down inside the sidepod enclosure (zero architecture legacy ? ) that still avoids an increase in underfloor "void" size and landscaping, to free up their floor thinking aero map. It still seems to be one of the major differentiators in MB ground effect philosophy vs their successful contemporaries.

[Stu]

I see it too!
I think that the RB had something similar on its RB18 floor from 2022, Perez showed the world in Monaco.
It’s like it is intended to be a small pressure recovery zone after an early throat.

[lucafo]

There's a curious detail on that floor and it's visible on both photos and looks the same, so it's not a reflection/glitch of a photo. It looks like an indent in the floor roof, spanning across entire tunnel width. Not sure what it is supposed to do, if it really is a local increase in tunnel roof height.

https://i.ibb.co/VYPMHD0/8fouw58sx7qc1.png

Isn't that the end of the bottom SIS enclosure?

[Vanja #66]

Isn't that the end of the bottom SIS enclosure?

No, the SIS tube is about 600-700mm forward

[Jdn1327]

Hope I'm describing this correctly...would it be correct in saying that the Mercedes diffuser area is far less than that of RB and mclaren? Seems like a lot of inefficiency in the rear of the floor in terms of volume.