Mercedes W12

[zibby43]

Seems like Merc’s ability to start to understand the ‘21 PU has unlocked the ability to better setup the car (better setups, a wider range of setups, etc.), curing the rear instability and improving performance in medium and high-speed corners.

Some hardware-related details re: the choice to run the high-downforce RW:

“The engineers of the Anglo-German team reassembled the puzzle piece by piece. One of these is the increase in performance of the German power unit released at Imola, which made it possible to use a high-load rear wing in Barcelona to stabilize the rear and "cure" the tires of that axle from deleterious overheating.”

”The W12 has instead found the right “balance” , as the engineers of the Anglo-German team call it; the 'optimal' set-ups, due to the obvious adaptations to the different circuits, are now easier to search for. Up to Portimao the W12 excelled over the RB16B in the slow. In Barcelona, ​​due to a particularly loaded set-up and useful to protect the rear tires, in medium and high speed corners. All thanks to the performance and efficiency of the PU.”

https://www.formu1a.uno/dallimportanza- ... in-spagna/

[zibby43]

A few more photos of the revised floor fin in Imola:



"Instead of catching the air flow early, the new appendage is installed much further back, closer to the tyre, and directs the flow more firmly towards the inner side of the wheel, in order to chase away the turbulence created by its rotation (disturbances that constitute the so-called "tyre squirt")."

https://f1i.autojournal.fr/magazine/mag ... cretement/

Credit to u/b2bL44 for the find + translation

[DarthPlagueisTheVise]

[PhillipM]

They look like they're back to the pre-test levels of flex on that Red Bull, seems to be pushing the floor down too, maybe closing the diffuser down some as well.

[Just_a_fan]

Surprised by how much the fin and T-wing vibrate on the Merc. Not surprised that they do vibrate - they are thin sections, just surprised that the team allow it and live with it. Can't help the rear wing to have those items flapping around in front of it.

[djones]

The video above is really good. I saw some people on another forum saying the Merc wing bends too.... but not on that evidence.

Given Merc have not even started with the larger updates to their car, this must be making them laugh. The new testing from the French GP is going to set Redbull back for sure and they were already starting to lose the early advantage.

[El Scorchio]

Thanks for that.

There is a tiny bit of movement on the Merc wing too but nowhere near enough. (edit- as much! (as the Bull))

Whoever mentioned the shark fin- that was really interesting too. The Bull one is absolutely static while the Merc one is really oscillating.

[Just_a_fan]

Whoever mentioned the shark fin- that was really interesting too. The Bull one is absolutely static while the Merc one is really oscillating.

That was me . It's worth noting that the Red Bull airbox spine extends much further back than the Merc one. The Merc fin is pretty much a flat thin panel.

[El Scorchio]

Whoever mentioned the shark fin- that was really interesting too. The Bull one is absolutely static while the Merc one is really oscillating.

That was me . It's worth noting that the Red Bull airbox spine extends much further back than the Merc one. The Merc fin is pretty much a flat thin panel.

https://albumizr.com/ia/ce3e03e02059573 ... e6e4f0.jpg

https://cdn-1.motorsport.com/images/amp ... ar-det.jpg

Yes sorry- it was only two posts above! It was a bit lazy of me not to just look.

That's a great comparison shot. The difference in the fins is huge and I hadn't even clocked it before. That area of the W12 really is tiny.

[dans79]

Surprised by how much the fin and T-wing vibrate on the Merc. Not surprised that they do vibrate - they are thin sections, just surprised that the team allow it and live with it. Can't help the rear wing to have those items flapping around in front of it.

I wonder how much it really matters with the drs actuator and goosenecks right behind it. That area of the wing is probably already an aerodynamic mess.

[PhillipM]

Don't think it matters at all - the air is causing the vibration, not vice versa.

[Just_a_fan]

Don't think it matters at all - the air is causing the vibration, not vice versa.

Yes and no. The vibration is caused by vortex shedding. This shedding occurs whether the object is rigid or not, but obviously a non-rigid object will be deflected by the alternating pressure gradient as the vortices are shed from alternating sides. Deflection will then change the resultant structures.

[PhillipM]

Which might not be a bad thing, if the deflection from the shedding narrows the effected area.

[zibby43]

Rake angle of the W12 at Barcelona, via Gary Anderson of The Race:



Compared to the RB:



Full gallery:

https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-and ... 1-in-2021/

[SuperCNJ]

Whoever mentioned the shark fin- that was really interesting too. The Bull one is absolutely static while the Merc one is really oscillating.

I'm not convinced that the movement in the merc shark fin is intended. I think it's a result of having such a tall and thin cantilevered "panel" compared to other cars such as the RB. There is just not enough stiffness in such a tall and thin piece to prevent it "wobbling" in the wind.