Mercedes GP W02

[Ferraripilot]

Can't imagine the vents incorporated to the back area of the bodywork could not move the required CFM to properly vent from the radiator intake. Seems like a clever idea to place the radiator intake air where you want it rather than Red Bull's solution which is essentially one large exit with concentrated blowing on the beam wing.

[Morteza]

maybe the radiator inlets are a bit big -but where are the exits? they got 4 little sharkgills each side +those at the cockpit sides...+ a little bit at the trailing edge of the engine cover....

That's exactly what I was thinking about. What's the point here?

[GTO]

Their lack of adequate outlets may be evident by the heat burns at the back cover. What are the colored strips on rear floor?

[atanatizante]

What`s new in this second stage upgrade :

- "bumpy" rear floor (replaced the little barge board near the exhaust)
- continuous rear beam wing
- 3 pillars on each side of the outer diffuser
- central upper flap on the outer diffuser
- now there are vertical gills to the RW endplates
- gills on each side of bodywork near the driver`s safety cell
- reshaped outer mirrors
- horizontal Gurney flap style on both side of the nose cone
- slimmer brake ducts and a twisted little flap also seen at McLaren
- FW with cascade winglets a la Renault
- twisted nose pillars attached to the main plain wing

Anything else?

[n_anirudh]

Revised sidepods tested earlier this week. (?)

[raymondu999]

Are there any other real updates to the sidepods other than the forward-swept intake design?

[i70q7m7ghw]

No. As someone said earlier in the thread, it would be silly to manufacture and install the current sidepod configuration only to throw it away and install another one a few days later.

[Blackout]

New sidepods inlets are narrower but a bit longer than the previous ones.

The updates I saw are
-new Fw
-new nose fins/bargeboards
-new bargeboards
-new sidepod deflectors
-new floor (turning vanes + floor + diffuser)
-new sidepods/bodywork
-new exhausts

Beam wing looks the same to me, as well as RW (Merc has two versions with different moveable wings)

inlets:

[luca]

Schumacher was using the old front wing during the few install laps he made today.

[onewingedangel]

They still have a structure in the middle of the sidepod, so wouldn't be surprised to see new sidepods, if not in Australia then for the start of the European races.

Would there be any other reason they'd have such a structure half-way down a sidepod intake?

[i70q7m7ghw]

They still have a structure in the middle of the sidepod, so wouldn't be surprised to see new sidepods, if not in Australia then for the start of the European races.

Would there be any other reason they'd have such a structure half-way down a sidepod intake?

I suspect having the structure there means the top edge of the sidepod doesn't have to be so bulky.

[raymondu999]

Isn't there a regulation stating how the crash structure cannot be in free air?

[i70q7m7ghw]

Isn't there a regulation stating how the crash structure cannot be in free air?

Sounds sketchy, what's defined as the crash structure? Stick another layer of carbon fibre around it and paint it silver, does it stop being a crash structure?

[volarchico]

Isn't there a regulation stating how the crash structure cannot be in free air?

Sounds sketchy, what's defined as the crash structure? Stick another layer of carbon fibre around it and paint it silver, does it stop being a crash structure?

Discussed previously in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=9192&p=224337&hili ... re#p224337

[luca]

[...]
Mercedes were also able to run through the raft of updated parts they had brought to this test.

On Friday, a new front wing, different brake ducts and turning vanes were added to the new diffuser and exhaust system, which had been fitted earlier in the week.

Brawn said: "They all seem to be working. The front wings, as with every other team, are quite a complex area as they affect quite a lot of the dynamics of the car and we've got two different front wings at the moment.

"I think the structure of the package, the bodywork, the exhaust, the floor [and] the brake ducts have all looked very good.

"The front wing we're still playing with to determine which of the three we prefer. It might be down to drivers."

Last week, Brawn told BBC 5 live that he believed the Mercedes was a second off the pace.

Asked if the team had now closed that gap, he said: "I think we have. It's so difficult to judge what other people have done.

"Ferrari are here with a completely new bodywork package; I don't know what Red Bull have done.

"I think most people will have their definitive car. I think we've definitely moved forward, as always it's a moving target.

"You know if you're in deep trouble and we're not in deep trouble, we're fairly respectable.

"Whether you're going to be able to nibble at the front, you honestly don't know.

"The drivers are giving us good feedback. The car is more consistent now, we are able to make changes to it that have an effect. Everything is moving in the right direction."
[...]

Full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsp ... 422249.stm