Williams FW38 Mercedes

[LookBackTime]

[Sevach]

Felipe talking about updates(specifically nose and FW) and ambitions for 2016.

As an observation, that sure looks like the car is running with a lot of rake in that video.

[LookBackTime]

The rake!

[bill shoe]

If you compare the best apples-to-apples images from the excellent 2016 Comparison thread, you can see rear diffuser heights relative to the driveshaft/rear-lower control arms. The pictures are low speed, so near static ride-heights? It appears the "rake-leading" Red Bull has ~ 10 mm more diffuser height than the Williams. This difference occurs over ~ 3000 mm wheelbase, so rake angle difference (if leading edges of tea-trays are same height) works out to 0.2 degrees. This seems irrelevant, even by F1 standards. Maybe the significant of additional rake is how it changes the vertical position change of things like front wing, rear wing, diffuser, etc. But here's the part where I admit I have no idea.

[tomazy]

A few things of note. FW38 hot air exit is much smaller, its suspension is much thicker and the packaging of the Renault engine high up is much less bulky.

[bill shoe]

I started to criticize the way you lined up the two cars, but I think I misunderstood your point so I won't comment on that.

Your pic gives me a wonderful idea. Can we merge the Williams and Red Bull together into a super-racer for particular circuits? A left-Williams and right-Red Bull would be perfect for circuits with lots of straight-line accel followed by high-speed left-hand sweepers. But the ensuing team would be low-key & politically-savvy at clockwise circuits, and whiney & self-immolating at counter clockwise circuits... Or would it be the other way around? Confusing. Don't tell the people in the RB thread.

[Sevach]

Is Williams going for a "lightweight" Mclaren bell rear suspension with those thick arms?

Particularly the lower one.

[Juzh]

A few things of note. FW38 hot air exit is much smaller, its suspension is much thicker and the packaging of the Renault engine high up is much less bulky.
http://s8.postimg.org/gbzsli76d/fw38rb.jpg

Renault packaging is not less bulky. Only williams packaging itself is. Mercedes has no protruding bulges and is very similar to red bull, with the exception of almost nonexistent hot air exits.





The difference is pretty obnoxious.

[Raleigh]

Williams engine packaging is much the same the same as merc, the massive mercedes airbox is disguising the bulk of their engine packaging because the transition is much smoother.

Red Bull/Renault engine packaging is tighter, and red bull have blended the sidepods/engine/airbox more smoothly.

[Juzh]

Williams engine packaging is much the same the same as merc, the massive mercedes airbox is disguising the bulk of their engine packaging because the transition is much smoother.

Red Bull/Renault engine packaging is tighter, and red bull have blended the sidepods/engine/airbox more smoothly.

Engine packaging is the same because engine component positioning is the same. Ancillaries are entirely different story.
Mercedes airbox is somehow disguising engine cover bulges? I'm sorry, but difference between mercedes and williams is night and day.

[Raleigh]

This is what you are seeing, identical between all Mercedes teams. Williams bodywork is very "shrink-wrapped", they have a narrower airbox than either RB or Mercedes and this make the engine cover itself look bulkier.

[ME4ME]

http://cdn.speednik.com/files/2016/02/2 ... -18-21.jpg

This is what you are seeing, identical between all Mercedes teams. Williams bodywork is very "shrink-wrapped", they have a narrower airbox than either RB or Mercedes and this make the engine cover itself look bulkier.

You are wrong. Just look and compare the head protection area. Williams is much bulkier at that hight.

[RicME85]

Its to do with their low drag philosophy isnt it? The area in question forms a sort of teardrop shape, starting wide then smoothly curving into a tighter shape.
IMO its just down to the teams approach to dealing with airflow over the car and not packaging.

[Raleigh]

Comparison (used logos on the airbox to get the horizontal positioning of lines right and head protection for height).

Mercedes is the same over engine and bulkier airbox, Red Bell engine cover tighter (and much tighter than either Merc car going forwards, just look at the area around head protection).

[LookBackTime]

The most interesting thing: FW38 is 100 mm longer, wheel to wheel, than previous car !!!

http://www.auto-motor-und-sport.de/form ... 57315.html