Mercedes GP MGP W01

[autogyro]

Rosbergs results make it difficult to fully agree but I do, based on what we know.
It would make sense that Rosbergs side of the pit was tasked with the car as it is until Spain and Schumaker concentrated on the 'new' car.
This would account for his inconsistant pace in the current car and his continual smile.

[dren]

Auto Motor und Sport had an article on Tuesday last week.

It didnt specify that Mercedes stopped developments on the W01, but it did say the factory was working flat out on "solutions for europe" and had been for the last 2 months since the first test sessions showed the balance issues.

My take on that was (after also reading Brawns comments in Valencia in February) They found a problem, and they are working on measure to correct that.

Brawn himself said a month before Bahrain they had an extensive package they would put on the car for Bahrain which didnt show up. So my thinking is they waited and honed these updates to fit better with the Longer wheelbase W01.

With around 450 staff Mercedes GP can ill afford to flog a lame donkey for 4 races and then expect to have a working upgrade package in time for Spain.
The strakes on the nose are really only a minor revision that can be performed whilst "on the go" as they have been for 4 races.
The stall wing device is very much a work in progress and can be made to work on the longer wheel base car with no issue at all. So this update is really just being tested on the current car so it can be used effectively on the upgraded one.

Of course Im speculating by matching news stories from various sources, so I could be wrong. But the current car has had no real change to it since Bahrain(stall wing and starkes apart)which adds fuel to what Im saying.

I just Hope Loic Bigois and the engineering team have found a solution to what is an underperforming car. (respect to Rosberg for being 2nd in the WDC at this stage of the season with the fourth best car, he needs some recognition!)

I have to agree with that. I just figured the updates did show up in Bahrain, but weren't as exstensive to the eye as we anticipated they would be. Small changes to the diffuser, the nose starkes, slight front wing change. I thought the sidepods were slightly refined along with the exhaust covers too.

I'm hoping we'll see a heavily revised car for Spain with a nice performance gain to match.

[ArchAngel]

Wild speculations abound amongst sports media and Mercedes fans in F1 regarding what the highly-anticipated upgrades
to the car will be when the team finally arrives in Barcelona.

Some speculate that Mercedes will use an innovative [gull-]wing solution that will make the W01-B a time[-attack] machine,
with said wings stalling more efficiently than McLaren's f-duct once the car hits 88mph.




Others think they'll drop the drooping nose in favor of a more robust overall design & construction that can plow through
heavy traffic and survive mid-grid argy-bargies, especially given Schumacher's tendency to qualify well down the order.




Sorry, folks. This 3-week break is driving me nuts!

[autogyro]

Bottom one needs a front roll bar.

[bill shoe]

Hmmmm. We know the Mercedes is understeering based on clear public comments. I previously assumed this meant the wheelbase will increase for more rear weight, but currently I'm low-ish confidence on that. I do think the change in wheelbase, whichever way, is probably to locate the fuel tank at the desired c.g.

How about an F1T gold star to the first person who locates clear Mercedes comments about the direction of the change or clear pictures of the difference?

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Clear picture of the difference?

Its not out yet Bill.....

[Timstr]

Hmmmm. We know the Mercedes is understeering based on clear public comments. I previously assumed this meant the wheelbase will increase for more rear weight, but currently I'm low-ish confidence on that. I do think the change in wheelbase, whichever way, is probably to locate the fuel tank at the desired c.g.

How about an F1T gold star to the first person who locates clear Mercedes comments about the direction of the change or clear pictures of the difference?

I've said t since the car launch that the car 'looks' front heavy. Very subjective, but I look at the distance from the front wheel center line to the back of the driver. Looks very short compared to other cars. The shorter that distance, the more weight a car has over its front axle.
Why the doubt? Your earlier explanation makes a lot of sense.

[The FOZ]

I don't think they will add any spacers as it will compromise siffness.
They will just drag the front suspension forward. Not an uncommon practice.
McLaren did the opposite with the MP4-24 last year.
See animation in the video:
The chassis homologation rules can be found in the Sporting regulations.

Mercedes are lengthening the wheelbase to shift weight distribution further forward. Stretching the front suspension forward would shift the weight distribution further to the back.

They would have to move the rear suspension further rearward relative to the heavy parts of the car to achieve both a longer wheelbase AND increased weight on the front wheels.

[Timstr]

I don't think they will add any spacers as it will compromise siffness.
They will just drag the front suspension forward. Not an uncommon practice.
McLaren did the opposite with the MP4-24 last year.
See animation in the video:
The chassis homologation rules can be found in the Sporting regulations.

Mercedes are lengthening the wheelbase to shift weight distribution further forward.

I don't believe that is true.
AMuS reportS the front axle will move 5 cm forward, moving weight to the back. And I believe them. They're fairly well informed.
Even th BBC reported this, although their explanation is rubbish.

BBC: The modified car for Barcelona will feature a significantly longer wheelbase, allowing the front wheels to be sited further forward in relation to the cockpit.
This is intended to speed airflow along the car and increased the downwards thrust upon the front tyres.

[The FOZ]

I don't think they will add any spacers as it will compromise siffness.
They will just drag the front suspension forward. Not an uncommon practice.
McLaren did the opposite with the MP4-24 last year.
See animation in the video:
The chassis homologation rules can be found in the Sporting regulations.

Mercedes are lengthening the wheelbase to shift weight distribution further forward.

I don't believe that is true.
AMuS reportS the front axle will move 5 cm forward, moving weight to the back. And I believe them. They're fairly well informed.
Even th BBC reported this, although their explanation is rubbish.

BBC: The modified car for Barcelona will feature a significantly longer wheelbase, allowing the front wheels to be sited further forward in relation to the cockpit.
This is intended to speed airflow along the car and increased the downwards thrust upon the front tyres.

That could be. I was thinking of static weight distribution, not downforce weight distribution.

[Timstr]

I don't think they will add any spacers as it will compromise siffness.
They will just drag the front suspension forward. Not an uncommon practice.
McLaren did the opposite with the MP4-24 last year.
See animation in the video:
The chassis homologation rules can be found in the Sporting regulations.

Mercedes are lengthening the wheelbase to shift weight distribution further forward. Stretching the front suspension forward would shift the weight distribution further to the back.

They would have to move the rear suspension further rearward relative to the heavy parts of the car to achieve both a longer wheelbase AND increased weight on the front wheels.

BTW, the longer wheelbase is not the target, but rather a revised weight distribution. The longer wheel base achieves it by moving the front axle forward.

[PlatinumZealot]

Yes. But it's obious. Not like they guys did it for extra legroom..hehe.

On the nose, I am one of the people that want to see a change to a RedBull style nose. I just think the current one can be better.

[bill shoe]

Hmmmm. We know the Mercedes is understeering based on clear public comments. I previously assumed this meant the wheelbase will increase for more rear weight, but currently I'm low-ish confidence on that. I do think the change in wheelbase, whichever way, is probably to locate the fuel tank at the desired c.g.

How about an F1T gold star to the first person who locates clear Mercedes comments about the direction of the change or clear pictures of the difference?

I've said t since the car launch that the car 'looks' front heavy. Very subjective, but I look at the distance from the front wheel center line to the back of the driver. Looks very short compared to other cars. The shorter that distance, the more weight a car has over its front axle.
Why the doubt? Your earlier explanation makes a lot of sense.

Some of your recent posts suggest the direction of the wheelbase change may already be close to a known thing. At any rate I have uncertainty because DaveW and others have discussed plausible scenarios where the understeer could be caused by insufficient weight on the front which causes cool front tires and low grip. I think my underlying logic about changing the wheelbase to put the fuel tank in the correct location is good, the only question is the direction of the change.

[mike]

Some of your recent posts suggest the direction of the wheelbase change may already be close to a known thing. At any rate I have uncertainty because DaveW and others have discussed plausible scenarios where the understeer could be caused by insufficient weight on the front which causes cool front tires and low grip. I think my underlying logic about changing the wheelbase to put the fuel tank in the correct location is good, the only question is the direction of the change.

that may well be true, in qualy when the car is light the front is struggling to heat up the tires, while in the race the rear is tored out quickly compared to other cars, ie roseberg's front vs button/lewis front inters.
and because schumacher is heavier than roseberg the affect increase makes him burn the rears and therefore lack the required rear grip.
i mean wouldn't it be easier to drop the nose by a few inches to lower the c.g in the front to induce oversteer?

[ringo]

No one is taking note of the gear box?
The gear box is basically the rear of the chassis, depending on how long it is, that will determine the rear axle distance, then there is the driveshaft angle, when viewed from above.

The oil tank can also be place between engine and gearbox instead of fuel tank and engine to affect weight distribution as well. Don't know if this has any influence on the existing tub though.