Mercedes AMG F1 Team 2012

[raymondu999]

I must add though that I believe now with Costa on board that this will no longer be an issue.

Costa's arrival could help, it could hinder - don't forget last year (and the year before; to an extent) the Ferrari's issue was that it was TOO mild - especially on the fronts

[Crucial_Xtreme]

I must add though that I believe now with Costa on board that this will no longer be an issue.

Costa's arrival could help, it could hinder - don't forget last year (and the year before; to an extent) the Ferrari's issue was that it was TOO mild - especially on the fronts

I think much of that was due mostly to the atmosphere in Maranello. Engineers being too scared to try something new. Costa is very experienced & very good at his job. I think he will thrive at Mercedes AMG & help develop the W03 quite well.

[raymondu999]

I wasn't talking of a mild design. I was talking mild on tyres

[Crucial_Xtreme]

I wasn't talking of a mild design. I was talking mild on tyres

Doh. Well I still stand by what I said. :p

Yeah maybe so, but he has two others to confer with. Also Tombazis had much to do with that as well. Time will tell.

[atanatizante]

abit of a mystery is their trouble to make the front wheels last.According to Rosberg this was one of the main deveelopment areas for the last day but they could not solve that issue...so we can conclude the car is not yet fully understood by the team .
Hopefully they find a solution to make them last and that should improve their longruns dramatically (you don´t have to nurse the fronts and can exploit the rears more...) so there is hope but also fear.
Funny how they swing from front tyre eating W01 to rear tyre eating W02 and back to front tyre eating W03..

No correlation between CFD model and the wind tunnel data?

BTW, did any staff member said something about this?

And last but not least: is the new simulator bringing any new benefits? ... maybe setup wise?

[marcush.]

as for the load transfer..you are right but only as far as the suspension movement is unrestricted.

modern racecars do not have any significant droop it does not need much body roll to lift a wheel so your options in terms of soft springs are limited.


as for Rosbergs comments:what else could you interpret into his words-he said we tried the whole day to improve the setup but could not find a solution to improve degradation of the fronts....I´d say it pretty much says ..there was no solution and possibly they have no idea IF there is a solution to this issue...at least it was not available or identified on the day...I cannot imagine clear ,shovlin and all other seasoned engineers would not find a proper setup if it was in the range of adjustability.
either some springs or damper options were not available or they need to go back and redress their sims and redesign some of their components-eg find a solution to not chew up their fronts without loss of grip.

Brawn was not as concerned and put this issue towards the barcelona track characteristic and said it would possibly not tranlate to other tracks.

[Hemsy]

People are simply exaggerating what Rosberg said. The situation is not as bad as people are putting it out to be. Firstly the W03 is a brand new car and has completed just one test! This means they have yet to figure out the best compromise between performance and tire life. Remember last year in pre-season testing, everyone was complaining how fast the Pirellis were wearing out yet once everyone got to grips with their new cars and the tires, they did just fine. Secondly the temperatures at the test were very low. This would have led the tires to grain a lot faster. Thirdly Barcelona is very hard on the tires with its high-speed corners and this should not be a problem on other tracks. I would wait until the end of the 2nd Barcelona test before drawing any conclusions.

[NewtonMeter]

People are simply exaggerating what Rosberg said. The situation is not as bad as people are putting it out to be. Firstly the W03 is a brand new car and has completed just one test! This means they have yet to figure out the best compromise between performance and tire life. Remember last year in pre-season testing, everyone was complaining how fast the Pirellis were wearing out yet once everyone got to grips with their new cars and the tires, they did just fine. Secondly the temperatures at the test were very low. This would have led the tires to grain a lot faster. Thirdly Barcelona is very hard on the tires with its high-speed corners and this should not be a problem on other tracks. I would wait until the end of the 2nd Barcelona test before drawing any conclusions.

Fully agree with this.

One should remember that Barcelona is a track that exaggerates ANY weakness in a car. Exactly why it's a very suitable test venue. Therefore, what we see in Barcelona is worst case scenario and certainly not applicable to the entire season.

That being said, no one should be under the illusion that Merc will be in the hunt for poles and wins just yet (an admission that's not nice to come to terms with for a merc fan) and the pace of the Ferrari in the last day does concern me somewhat.

But if the W03 can come within, say 0.5 - 0.6 of the fight at the front, I'd be satisfied for now.

[dren]

do people think the duct feeds to the hole directly? or is it trying to make a positive pressure above the duct which would cause negative pressure underneath the area forcing air upwords from the floor?

im not sure just how much air actually comes out from around the engine cover though do people think its possibly the aim?

That was there at launch. I don't know exactly what it feeds. It does look like it is feeding air to the beam wing though. I'm guessing it is blowing the beam wing and also the rear wing.

[Mr.S]

Nico Rosberg thinks that winning races in 2012 is not out of the question if the steps made in pre season testing can be converted into race pace on the track.

Mercedes launched their new machine, the W03, at the start of the week and completed substantial mileage at the Circuit de Catalunya during their four days of testing.

And Rosberg, who has had the better of illustrious team-mate Michael Schumacher over the past two seasons, is targeting bigger and better things in 2012.

"With a bit of luck, the win could have come in the last couple of years," Rosberg told F1 Racing magazine. "So if the new car is a bit better, the chances of winning are quite big. It felt completely natural to lead races.

"If I get the right car, which I can help build up myself, then I will win. Of course beating Michael gives me satisfaction. I was pleased to stay ahead of him last year, but the important thing is to win some races now. Last year wasn't a good season because it was a step back from my first season with Mercedes. Now it's important to turn the corner and improve."

[Mr.S]

Ross Brawn says Nico Rosberg is "definitely among the best drivers in Formula One" as a result of his ability to outperform his car in qualifying.

Mercedes launched the W03 ahead of the second test, and appears encouraged by the performance shown by its new car. The team has yet to win a race since taking over 2009 champions Brawn, and the team principal has insisted that in Rosberg and Michael Schumacher it has the drivers to deliver if given the car.

While speculation in Barcelona was on Schumacher's future, Brawn said that Rosberg had proven his worth for Mercedes by getting more out of the car in qualifying and allowing the team to start races further up the grid.

"In qualifying, [Rosberg] really can get the most out of the car. Nico comes closer to its limits," Brawn is quoted by Sport Bild. "I think we've often seen him in a better qualifying position than where I would expect the car to be. Nico might think this is normal, but it's not. For me, he is definitely among the best drivers in Formula One."

Rosberg finished ahead of Schumacher in the standings in both 2010 and 2011, but Brawn added that Schumacher may provide a more stern challenge this season.

"It could be that the new Pirelli tyres help him because you don't have to be quite as gentle with them as you did with the 2011 generation."

[Mr.S]

BTW Piece Massa has said Ferrari were in the doghouse & only since yesterday afternoon they have managed to get a decent direction regarding their car.

They have been unable to do more than 20-25 laps at a strech forget a race simulation. The Ferrari is rumoured to work on a "VERY SHORT WINDOW". I dont rule out Ferrari,they are Formula1's greatest team in history & can win the WDC any time.

But at present Mercedes should be slightly ahead of them atleast.

Yes Massa did say that, unfortunately though{for Merc) Mass and Alonso set times similar to the Merc even with a barely drivable car.

Mercedes times & Ferrari's times at Barca are like comparing Red Bull & HR's times in a race. On thumping great,the other an embarassement.

Againt this is limited to Barca test where Ferrari could not complete 20-30 laps at a strech. Mercedes did 2 Race Simulations & Nico's time was MUCH MUCH quicker than both Webber & Hamilton & decently quicker than Vettel. If they bang in the same times in the Barca GP then Mercedes will get 1-2.

But that is unlikely & testings means ---. They will probably falter & come 1.5-2s behind this time what happened with them failing to match their best testing time. Having said that they should beat Ferrari.

[dren]

Once Ferrari get their car sorted, it will be a beast. The Mercedes looks better than last year's W02, but I don't see it being a contender at all. It'll probably bag some podiums and maybe luck into a win.

Also, Nico is typically overly optimistic this time of year. He's said the same thing the last two years; and still no wins.

[marcush.]

my 2 cents:
If clear shovlin,Schumacher and Rosberg do not find a solution after 2 years setting up dogs then there was no solution available on the day-end of story.
Clearly all involved said they were indeed working on performance ,as the car had no technical issues .

What else do you need to get told ? usually the team has three FP and the Qualy to find the correct setup here they had 4 days !
and don´t forget they ran the car before in Barcelona .

[marcush.]

without a doubt ,podiums are not only a must but also a strong possibility with the base car as good as this.Especially with reliability very good the first races could bring them a good haul of points and the motivation to solve the issues the car apparently has.
i ´m sure Schu will close the gap even more and that will extract everything of Nico ..a very good driver combo..i have the feeling the quly war will still be won by Rosberg though.