Team: Toto Wolff (Executive Director - Business), Paddy Lowe (Executive Director - Technical), Andy Cowell (Executive Director of Mercedes AMG Powertrains), Niki Lauda (Chairman), Bob Bell (TD), Aldo Costa (ED), Geoffrey Willis (Technology Director), Ron Meadows (SD), Andrew Shovlin (CRE), Simon Cole (CTE), Matthew Dane (CM) Drivers: Nico Rosberg (6), Lewis Hamilton (44) Team name: Mercedes AMG F1 Petronas
A place to discuss the characteristics of the cars in Formula One, both current as well as historical. Laptimes, driver worshipping and team chatter do not belong here.
The main plane seems to be very stable, it is the back of the wing that is bending like crazy. That's going to bring some nice advantage on the straights.
All i see is a lot of $$$ spent on this car. The detail is very high.. it's almost like a 2008 level of detail.
Lord knows how much was invested into this year, but the car seems to have a lot of downforce by sheer number of surfaces.
The engine's power is more than likely why they can do this kind of thing.
ringo wrote:All i see is a lot of $$$ spent on this car. The detail is very high.. it's almost like a 2008 level of detail.
Lord knows how much was invested into this year, but the car seems to have a lot of downforce by sheer number of surfaces.
The engine's power is more than likely why they can do this kind of thing.
I personally consider 2008 era cars to have less attention to detail because freedom was so much greater. Now, I guarentee they run many more iterations with much finer detail changes. These days, DF is won in micro geometry changes rather than macro. I see this as one of the main reasons Merc's huge spending spree produced results, because aero has gotten so fine and detailed more money can translate to more speed almost on 1:1 basis.I definitely agree that when you look at this car it looks like $$$$$£££££€€€€€.
“To be able to actually make something is awfully nice”
Bruce McLaren on building his first McLaren racecars, 1970
“I've got to be careful what I say, but possibly to probably Juan would have had a bigger go”
Sir Frank Williams after the 2003 Canadian GP, where Ralf hesitated to pass brother M. Schumacher
ringo wrote:All i see is a lot of $$$ spent on this car. The detail is very high.. it's almost like a 2008 level of detail.
Lord knows how much was invested into this year, but the car seems to have a lot of downforce by sheer number of surfaces.
The engine's power is more than likely why they can do this kind of thing.
I personally consider 2008 era cars to have less attention to detail because freedom was so much greater. Now, I guarentee they run many more iterations with much finer detail changes. These days, DF is won in micro geometry changes rather than macro. I see this as one of the main reasons Merc's huge spending spree produced results, because aero has gotten so fine and detailed more money can translate to more speed almost on 1:1 basis.I definitely agree that when you look at this car it looks like $$$$$£££££€€€€€.
I agree with that - probably the figures invested in this car are huge. I think Mercedes were all-in for 2014 and it was a make it or break it year for them. If they failed in this year, Daimler would have probably pulled the plug on the F1 team, so no wonder that they worked their asses off to build a good car.
"...and there, very much in flames, is Jacques Laffite's Ligier. That's obviously a turbo blaze, and of course, Laffite will be able to see that conflagration in his mirrors... he is coolly parking the car somewhere safe."Murray Walker, San Marino 1985
I still remember two years ago when Massa was trying a new front 'flexy RB' wing on his Ferrari during FP. That front wing flexed so unbalancing, because the whole wing started to shudder and hit the surface of the track on high speed. This looks entirely different, more detailed and more R&D'ed. You look at it shuddering and you see immediately that main plane stays in place, but every part of the wing moves with the energy accordingly. This car literally has 'wings'.