Mercedes AMG F1 W03 (pre-launch speculation)

[yener]

What i noticed is that Ross Brawn was so relax during this interview. The last years especially at the begin of the season RB was always serious and didn't look happy.
In this one he is so easy going, relaxed and calm.
I think that's a sign of things on the wo3 are going well.

As usual he aint saying anything about the WO3

Michael is in top shape so let's see what they will do in testing.

[Byronrhys]

What i noticed is that Ross Brawn was so relax during this interview. The last years especially at the begin of the season RB was always serious and didn't look happy.
In this one he is so easy going, relaxed and calm.
I think that's a sign of things on the wo3 are going well.

As usual he aint saying anything about the WO3

Michael is in top shape so let's see what they will do in testing.

I want them off the pace by 3-6 seconds at all the testing sessions no time for glory guys.

[Metalrulz]

Hey guys, i've been following f1 technical for over a year and a half and finally decided to join inn...

What role will Aldo costa play in the team as with Ferrari he used to be the chief designer. does it mean that mercedes got fed up of Loic Bigois and his mistakes and decided that they finally needed a good aerodynamist?

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Hey guys, i've been following f1 technical for over a year and a half and finally decided to join inn...

What role will Aldo costa play in the team as with Ferrari he used to be the chief designer. does it mean that mercedes got fed up of Loic Bigois and his mistakes and decided that they finally needed a good aerodynamist?

Welcome metalrulz.

Costa is overseeing the mechanical side, And Willis will be doing the aero/windtunnel.
Bigois may be THE man, or he could be average. But he maybe overworked, looking at the progress Mercedes have made with aero(or lack of it, witness their front wing for example) it seems he's overworked or lacking in extra hands.

OR, there maybe no better to replace him at present.

Either way I feel the W03 will be last chance saloon for him.

[yener]

I copied this from the wo2 topic, but its relevant for the W03.
They are working on a "Fduct" in the front of the car.
Unfortunately, they have been so stupid to test it at the GP of Japan so the other teams will copy and it won't give them any advantage .

Still very clever IMO.

http://img1.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Mer ... 545256.jpg
http://img3.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Mer ... 545254.jpg

[dren]

It's good to see some design ideas starting to surface now for next year. Hopefully the team has the hydraulic suspension coupling all sorted if they plan to use it next year. Their KERS is sorted as well. So once the W03 is launched, the team should be able to get right on it without having nagging reliability issues and set-up issues.

With the team testing a newish front wing, will the overall shape stay for next year or will they change to something else?

[ajprice]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95536

Brawn saying that using the exhaust to blow the diffuser isn't completely impossible with the 2012 rules as they are, denying that Mercedes are doing anything but other teams might be. Between the lines that might be a politician's answer to say that Mercedes are doing something with the exhaust for 2012 .

[Richard]

That headline about being "worried" is journalist hype. When you read Brawn's words you see he is saying that no rule can be 100% perfect. For a TD in F1 that's like saying bears poop in the woods.

Teams go through a period of finding the best regulations they can with good spirit and proper intent, and then you reach a stage where those regulations are fixed with the best intent. But if an engineer comes along with a good idea we have to consider it

[Ferraripilot]

I copied this from the wo2 topic, but its relevant for the W03.
They are working on a "Fduct" in the front of the car.
Unfortunately, they have been so stupid to test it at the GP of Japan so the other teams will copy and it won't give them any advantage .

Still very clever IMO.

http://img1.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Mer ... 545256.jpg
http://img3.auto-motor-und-sport.de/Mer ... 545254.jpg

I'm not so sure they are worried about others seeing it as we might think. This could be a giant Brawn snowball which provides only a glimpse of what he has in mind. If Brawn didn't want anyone seeing it, I'm sure no one would have seen it. Also, I agree with Whitmarsh in that even if teams started toying with this concept now it would be too late as the concept of the front wing blowing under the car cannot just be deduced in a virtual sense but rather with lots of wind tunnel work which of course does not happen overnight.

[Tyler]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95536

Brawn saying that using the exhaust to blow the diffuser isn't completely impossible with the 2012 rules as they are, denying that Mercedes are doing anything but other teams might be. Between the lines that might be a politician's answer to say that Mercedes are doing something with the exhaust for 2012 .

I sincerely hope that if the guys at Merc believe that the diffusor can still be blown, that they have something in the pipeline.
To recognize a hole in the regs which could be exploited by other teams, only to do nothing about it yourself is a great way to start the season on the back foot and set themselves up for failure and not something they should be doing given their lofty targets.It's almost like accepting defeat before the new season has even started.
I'll be extremely disappointed in Brawn and his team if this turns out to be the case.In fact I will lose all my faith in and respect for Brawn if this happens
Then again, perhaps Brawn and co. realize there is absolutely no way of getting around the regs and are just attempting to play mind games with the other teams and send them down a dead end.

[aleks_ader]

Then again, perhaps Brawn and co. realize there is absolutely no way of getting around the regs and are just attempting to play mind games with the other teams and send them down a dead end.

Maybe? Who knows?

[gridwalker]

With the latest clarification on 2012 engine mapping, I doubt any loophole will be fully exploitable. Hopefully this will reduce the field spread.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

If the exhaust needs to be a certain height with no exception made, I see no reason for concern. Perhaps the wording of the phrases need tightening up so as we dont have "interpretations" of what is legal.

There should be no doubt surrounding this.

[atanatizante]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95536

... Mercedes are doing something with the exhaust for 2012 .

On other forum there are rumors that Mercedes is working on with the intermediate portion of the exhaust pipes ... How come? By running them through the floor to get underneath the diffuser and finally brakes the floor once more to end up where positioning of exhaust tailpipes are required for 2012 regs. These pipes are flattened and has a rake to do better aerodynamically. But most important fact is that they are positioned traversal/perpendicular to the longitudinal car`s axis in order to stay in the diffuser`s air flow energizing this particular area of diffuser, therefore lowering the pressure and hence increasing DF. Pipes are spread to the entire diffuser width maximizing the effect.

A secondary effect is the fact that running them with a rake they act as a wing hence increasing even further DF.

Another way, but least effective, is to run them above the diffuser ...

[aleks_ader]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/95536

... Mercedes are doing something with the exhaust for 2012 .

On other forum there are rumors that Mercedes is working on with the intermediate portion of the exhaust pipes ... How come? By running them through the floor to get underneath the diffuser and finally brakes the floor once more to end up where positioning of exhaust tailpipes are required for 2012 regs. These pipes are flattened and has a rake to do better aerodynamically. But most important fact is that they are positioned traversal/perpendicular to the longitudinal car`s axis in order to stay in the diffuser`s air flow energizing this particular area of diffuser, therefore lowering the pressure and hence increasing DF. Pipes are spread to the entire diffuser width maximizing the effect.

A secondary effect is the fact that running them with a rake they act as a wing hence increasing even further DF.

Another way, but least effective, is to run them above the diffuser ...

Where is the opening of the flattened exhaust? Perpendicular to longitudinal car axis! That make sense! Beacuse they could keep the aproximatly (engine mapping is forbiten and limited is flow of gases when gas padle is off) same efect of EBD.

Could you draw that? [-o<