Giorgio Piola and Matt Somerfield:
Mercedes continue to pile on the pressure, having concentrated on updates at the front of the W07 during the first week of tests, the team has mounted a totally revised rear wing assembly on day one of the second test.
The new wing features two much taller leading edge tyre wake slots, rather than the short singular slot. You'll also note that it has carefully shaped the endplate just under the flapped section to define the flow structures.
The cutout behind the flapped region has also been revised as the team explore ways of changing how the tip vortex forms, as this can be damaging to performance.
Meanwhile, the serrations used by Mercedes, rather than vertical strakes used by other teams, to entice upwash have been increased in frequency from two to three.
The flaps have also undergone some changes from the first test specification, with the upper flap now featuring a straight outer edge, whilst the centreline V groove has been shrunk too (marked in yellow). Meanwhile, the centreline dip has been inverted (marked in purple).
It is our understanding that the first test specification is more of a lower downforce configuration, and will still be used during the season. Whilst this new specification is the first look at what we can expect to see at some of the higher downforce tracks.
