Mercedes AMG F1 W07

[bhall II]

It's peculiar, and none of the answers thus far seem particularly satisfying, given the hype that has surrounded this thing. But, I don't have anything better, so.... :-"

Whatever the case may be, here's some mental fodder. (Note: only the top panel in the first image depicts W07. The rest are W06 from last year's post-race test in Brazil.)



I wonder if it's just skimming off air flow that otherwise loses enough dynamic pressure to become relatively stagnant when allowed to continue uninterrupted along the original streamline.




Note: offset pitot tube

[mantikos]

Toto and Mercedes sure do have a pretty good PR team and have the press eating out of their hands...wheres all this innovation promised?

Don't know about innovation, but we sure found the whining ^

[Just_a_fan]

Perhaps it just cleans up the boundary layer behind the pylons. This would improve flow quality to the turning vanes below the tub. We know those vanes generate significant downforce in their own right by reducing pressure on the underside of the tub. They also have an influence on the downforce produced by the floor. There was a good article in, I think, Racecar Engineering. It showed significantly different glow when the vanes were removed.

[tony77g]

Focus on -Duct Mercedes
http://www.f1sport.it/2016/02/f1-s-duct ... -regolare/

[bhall II]

Perhaps it just cleans up the boundary layer behind the pylons.

A thickened boundary layer is synonymous with stagnation.

Two other points: the new design seems to be straighter in profile, and the radius of the curvature that marks its transition to the chassis appears to be smaller. However, it could just be optical trickeration.

Mk I

Mk II

Mk I

Mk II

If it's real, though, it's not an illogical development, as a straightened profile will cause more air flow to spill over the sides...

[noel]

Quick question, how do we know the new config didn't pass the deflection test? I've literally only seen this on two sites. Motorsport.com, and here - someone linking to motorsport.com.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programme on those beautiful vortices. With all these tweaks, Costa may have just surpassed Newey. Man, do I want to see CFD images...

[kreuzass]

The first time i saw the new nose i was just smilin' and i still do

The surface area is a bit larger and more straight. Nice

[bonjon1979]

Quick question, how do we know the new config didn't pass the deflection test? I've literally only seen this on two sites. Motorsport.com, and here - someone linking to motorsport.com.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programme on those beautiful vortices. With all these tweaks, Costa may have just surpassed Newey. Man, do I want to see CFD images...

No cars wing has passed the FIA deflection tests because they only do them at gps not tests

[mantikos]

Quick question, how do we know the new config didn't pass the deflection test? I've literally only seen this on two sites. Motorsport.com, and here - someone linking to motorsport.com.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programme on those beautiful vortices. With all these tweaks, Costa may have just surpassed Newey. Man, do I want to see CFD images...

We know, because the FIA hasn't conducted the official tests - aka no one has passed the test that has not happened.

As to the aero, Costa is not the aero guy on the team - but I agree, the entire team has done a beautiful job. So many innovative concepts.


EDIT: Oops, someone had already answered it before me.

[PlatinumZealot]

Maybe Scarb is reading F1Technical :
https://twitter.com/ScarbsF1/status/702833699277168641

He is a long time member you know.

[kreuzass]

It was already there

Let me quote myself from page 5

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cbz_onPWIAAJFhw.jpg:large
Mercedes have added a dog-legged turning vane that hangs off the horizontal connector to the sidepod vane.

Via @theWPTformula

Let me quote myself too. From page 2

...
http://i.imgur.com/zwi18mX.jpg
...

[De Jokke]

http://nl.motorsport.com/f1/news/rosber ... an-675745/
In dutch but mains things are:

They know where they are (prob. 1st) in the pecking order

small probs detected thanks to high mileage!

almost always been running with lots of fuel

[atanatizante]

What`s the purpose of those 2 updates?
I think the new nose together with serrated barge-boards will add DF to the front of the car.
Why? There are at least 3 reasons for that:
1. Coz this year strategy is to have a higher DF setup with a higher RW AoA, bearing in mind they could compensate with their increased power from the 2016PU,
or,
2. Coz they found something new at the back of the car, which give them more DF?
or,
3. Coz these 2 updates are working together in conjunction in order to run the diffuser harder, hence increasing the DF ?
I strongly believe it is the latter ...

It seems that now it`s very hard to find something in order to increase the DF at the back of the car (maybe in this area the law of diminishing returns acts at the most) ...
So they have to get it indirectly by focusing their attention at the front of the car, with updates that are firstly believed to increase DF at the front but instead their main purpuse is to increase DF at the back ...

Coz I don`t think they are chasing primarily DF to the front and as a consequence at the end of the road they found DF to the back, isn`t it? Their primarily goal was to find more DF to the back, isn`t it?

[Moose]

Perhaps it just cleans up the boundary layer behind the pylons.

A thickened boundary layer is synonymous with stagnation.

Two other points: the new design seems to be straighter in profile, and the radius of the curvature that marks its transition to the chassis appears to be smaller. However, it could just be optical trickeration.

I have no idea why you would want to create a vortex where you show one - Ferrari wanted the air to flow off the side of the nose for good reason - if it flows straight up the nose, all it does is hits the drivers head (the one bit you have no aero control over), gets messed up in all kinds of weird ways, and is of no further use.

[thomin]

On a different topic: looking at the air box being so big and segregated into three parts, can anyone see a similar move as in 2010 coming along with the left and the right part eventually moving backwards and only the middle triangle-shaped part remaining where it is?