Mercedes AMG F1 W04

[Just_a_fan]

I think all of the teams suffer from hot areas of bodywork - look at the teams using pads on the rear of the sidepods when handling the cars after a run. I wouldn't be surprised if the issue with Mercedes' paint discolouration is as much to do with the paint / colour used as anything else.

I'd paint those areas black (or leave them as unpainted carbon if the finish is good enough) to prevent discolouration being a focal point for comment; it would also help heat rejection slightly as the darker surface would emit better than the silvery painted finish.

[gray41]

[Just_a_fan]

I find it interesting how the new front wing employs 5 elements from the end plate to the flat portion of the main plane. It seems most teams opt to have multiple elements at the very outboard area near the endplate, then transition to 3 elements, then just before the flat portion air directing winglets are employed. Mercedes continue to use the 'r' winglot to direct air over Mercedes complex main plane. No one else joins 3, 4, or 5 in this case elements to the inboard area of the main plane so I obviously wonder about the benefit they must see from doing it this way. It is certainly a complex approach though.

Gary Anderson says:

"Mercedes have brought a new front wing to Jerez and Nico Rosberg is running it on Thursday. We talked about their front-wing problems earlier and this one is definitely a step forward. It is a five-element wing, but what's unusual is that it has five elements all the way from the endplates up to the start of the FIA-defined aerodynamically neutral section in the centre of the wing. The large number of elements is a good idea in front of the front tyre because the team want to have enough wing shape to give good downforce during braking, but when the driver turns into the corner, the blockage created by the front wheels is removed, and in that situation it's easy for the airflow to separate and for the car to lose downforce. The slot gaps between the elements of the wing help stop that happening. But inboard of the front wing, the more slot-gaps you have, the less downforce you can create. So most teams will have fewer elements inboard of the tyre. Having said that, it is a step forward and it will give them more consistent downforce, and less understeer mid-corner, if not perhaps more overall downforce."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/21360298

[Ferraripilot]

Gary taking my work again is he. haha.

[Unc1e_M0nty]

Where are these holes you speak of...cause your image is the side of the side pod NOT the front that you are talking about and I don't see any holes

that image was in the post I responded to.

take a look at this image:

http://www.formule1.nl/media/uploads/me ... 7707.8.jpg


You can see the holes and the tape covering them down near the "energy" printing.

Ummm I see it now, look like its been patched up, maybe damage from yesterdays shunt

[Lurk]

I agree, it is a patch. No way a team would put hole to cool the car here.

[Shrieker]

Looks like as you say; because of the damage. If you zoom in it's clear that the hole edges are irregular. That points to damage rather than purpose built holes.

[Raptor22]

I don't think that's the new front wing Brawn was talking about. It is just the old one with some tweaks.

In Brawn speak that = new front wing...

[Huntresa]

I don't think that's the new front wing Brawn was talking about. It is just the old one with some tweaks.

In Brawn speak that = new front wing...

Brawn said 5 plane, this is that. Alot different then last years

[stefan_]

[The FOZ]

Ugh. Can we get something straight about this so-called "cooling problem" people like to talk about the second they see discolored bodywork?

First, the discoloration we're seeing is only noticeable because the base color of the sidepods is very light. You'd never see it on the Lotus, hardly see it on the F138, and you wouldn't see it on the RB9. The only color worse than silver for showing discoloration is white. Therefore, treating this as a "Mercedes-only" problem is incorrect.

Second, this discoloration is caused by radiant heat, and the single greatest source of this is the exhaust piping. Not strictly a cooling problem, as the exhaust pipes in every F1 car radiate enough thermal energy to discolor silver paint. What's going on here then? Radiant energy levels are squared as distance is halved, so it's easy to see how a small difference in distance between exhaust piping and bodywork can make a large distance.

What's the takeaway here? Mercedes are taking packaging seriously, and trying to have the slimmest sidepods possible, by keeping internal airspace to a minimum.

This has very little to do with radiators, sidepod inlets, or the like. Allowing more air beneath the engine cover would alleviate this problem, but the drag it causes would be too detrimental to performance, and further, could lead to catastrophic destruction of bodywork, as we saw with Sauber a season or two ago.

[wesley123]

Ugh. Can we get something straight about this so-called "cooling problem" people like to talk about the second they see discolored bodywork?

First, the discoloration we're seeing is only noticeable because the base color of the sidepods is very light. You'd never see it on the Lotus, hardly see it on the F138, and you wouldn't see it on the RB9. The only color worse than silver for showing discoloration is white. Therefore, treating this as a "Mercedes-only" problem is incorrect.

Yes, you would see it worse, but you will actually see it. Have we seen it? No.

What's the takeaway here? Mercedes are taking packaging seriously, and trying to have the slimmest sidepods possible, by keeping internal airspace to a minimum.

Other teams have much smaller sidepods and none of them have such of a problem.

This has very little to do with radiators, sidepod inlets, or the like. Allowing more air beneath the engine cover would alleviate this problem, but the drag it causes would be too detrimental to performance, and further, could lead to catastrophic destruction of bodywork, as we saw with Sauber a season or two ago.

I agree, there isnt a cooling problem.

[Ferraripilot]

From Nico's commentary that there is a bit of understeer causing unbalance I believe we can deduce that the car needs more front wing dialed in to combat understeer. This is a good thing as it means the back end is more stable causing the front to not bite as it should. The previous cars have always had too much oversteer with the latest generation front wings and the team could not run them fully until the back end were more sorted. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more rake and wing angle run to make the front end sharpen up.

[Ferraripilot]

Ugh. Can we get something straight about this so-called "cooling problem" people like to talk about the second they see discolored bodywork?

First, the discoloration we're seeing is only noticeable because the base color of the sidepods is very light. You'd never see it on the Lotus, hardly see it on the F138, and you wouldn't see it on the RB9. The only color worse than silver for showing discoloration is white. Therefore, treating this as a "Mercedes-only" problem is incorrect.

Second, this discoloration is caused by radiant heat, and the single greatest source of this is the exhaust piping. Not strictly a cooling problem, as the exhaust pipes in every F1 car radiate enough thermal energy to discolor silver paint. What's going on here then? Radiant energy levels are squared as distance is halved, so it's easy to see how a small difference in distance between exhaust piping and bodywork can make a large distance.

What's the takeaway here? Mercedes are taking packaging seriously, and trying to have the slimmest sidepods possible, by keeping internal airspace to a minimum.

This has very little to do with radiators, sidepod inlets, or the like. Allowing more air beneath the engine cover would alleviate this problem, but the drag it causes would be too detrimental to performance, and further, could lead to catastrophic destruction of bodywork, as we saw with Sauber a season or two ago.

The paint is failing, not the component. That is the point I believe.

[illario]

Does that 'hot' outer area on the side of exhaust help air going more easily under the 'tunnel' - i don't know how it's called.