Mercedes GP W02

[Byronrhys]

Q: If you could throw away the worst part of the 2011 car, what would that be?
RB: That is a big question! We get no testing so you have to learn from what you’ve done. There are probably some things that we did with the tyres and with the exhaust - that now have evolved - that were not optimized. The wheel base perhaps, the fuel weight, the fuel distribution - things like that, that if we were starting tomorrow we would do differently. They are not the whole picture of why we are not better off, but they are contributing. But these are naturally things that we will change for next year with the knowledge that we have. There is nothing dramatically wrong - it is a strong evolution that is needed and not a revolution.

[AbbaleRacing77]

Most teams have been funneling air under the car via small channels in the sides of the splitter but mercedes is using a hybrid version of what renault has done with their FEE except without the exhaust and just channeling air coming off the splitter. I have to believe that this is their way of exploiting a loophole forbidding no holes in the floor by channeling it in from the front and therefore its not a hole, producing a similar but smoother effect to what renault is doing. This combined with their new red bull style exhaust will be very interesting to watch this weekend as long as they can manage tires.

[hardingfv32]

If the flow is to go under the side-pod, why is the flow being directed at a 45 deg angle to the center line of the car? Why not a straight shoot at the floor?

Brian

[hecti]

If the flow is to go under the side-pod, why is the flow being directed at a 45 deg angle to the center line of the car? Why not a straight shoot at the floor?

Brian

because you want to have the least amount of air underneath the car as possible, ie check out bernoullis principal of floatation.
sorry im drunk right now but i would give a better explanation if i wasnt...

[Javert]

Ok, they knew their exhaust system was not optimal
So why they waited months to change it ?
McLaren made a new floor and new diffuser in 2 weeks ...

Interesting pics, maybe Mercedes could be the second force in qual

[Rikhart]

That barge board thing has been there for a couple of races now.

[Rikhart]

They added yet another HUGE hole, just above the exhaust. Its almost a winglet...

[marcush.]

Everything will converge to 1 design.

There is one optimum.

No ... Brainer.

but -Mclaren and RedBull are looking dramatically different...in shape and concept...where is the convergence here..apart from those things that are written down in the regs?

[madly]

Very interesting photos found on: http://yfrog.com/user/Clausell_F1/photos

[dren]

Q: If you could throw away the worst part of the 2011 car, what would that be?
RB: That is a big question! We get no testing so you have to learn from what you’ve done. There are probably some things that we did with the tyres and with the exhaust - that now have evolved - that were not optimized. The wheel base perhaps, the fuel weight, the fuel distribution - things like that, that if we were starting tomorrow we would do differently. They are not the whole picture of why we are not better off, but they are contributing. But these are naturally things that we will change for next year with the knowledge that we have. There is nothing dramatically wrong - it is a strong evolution that is needed and not a revolution.
Q: There will be a regulation change in the use of exhaust blown diffusers from Silverstone. How will that affect you?RB: That whole matter still has to be revealed. We know what we are doing with the Mercedes engine, but we don’t know what Renault or Ferrari is doing so it is impossible to judge how much these things will affect. It will change the mapping we have to use because we have been developing the engine mapping towards the diffuser - as everybody has. Whether it will affect us more or less with our engine or our floor design will become clear in the next few races. I don’t think that it will be a big difference here (Valencia) - maybe a little bit because we can’t use some of the qualifying modes - but the big difference will come at Silverstone. To be honest, we’ve new floors coming over the next few races which are focused on this technology and we have got to understand how much of it we still can now neutralize and how much we can still benefit from. We’ve got to assess in the next few races what the best direction is, because the direction might change with the interpretation of the regulation. It is not a new regulation; it’s simply an interpretation of an existing regulation.

[dren]

[mep]

rp -polyamide- as windform xt and others is not suitable for this sort of temps.it will deform -melt.
the melting point is below 180°C so not windform xt http://www.windform.it/PDF/SCHEDA_WF_XT_2_0_ENG.pdf:

I´m rewferring to the exhaust cover ,not the brake ducting which is indeed winform xt 2.0 or equivalent.

Might it be some ceramic material (white colour, heat resistant)?

Are both cars running it or maybe just one for comparison?
Schumacher is a good amount ahead of Rosberg in FP2.
If yes then it really makes a big difference and should have been on the car long time before.
Hmm on the pictures shown above I don't see it on both cars?

[Ferraripilot]

Any word on how the EBD setup worked?

[Adamski]

So it is the third bodywork option since Thursday that I have noticed on this car.
1 - the new and white floor with a Red Bull style blown diffuser & no vents
2 - the picture above, that we have seen on practice 1
3 - finally, the one we saw in Canada - they use it on practice 2

Can anybody explain, what are the differences?

[marcush.]

I have not seen them running the new exhaust configuration ...in Fp1 or 2

but whatever they do the car is a lot more competitive now and Schumacher is on one level with Rosberg.