Mercedes GP W02

[bot6]

That hole looks like it's the new starter hole, on the right of the crash structure. The beam wing has not changed, but the diffuser has, especially in its central part with the starter hole plugged. I think HRT went for a similar solution. The cooling opening above the crash structure seems smaller too.

[McG]

I think this Merc looks just as good and as purposeful as the Red Bull. It didn't last year, it looked clumsy.

It looks lovely.

[atanatizante]

Things I have noticed today:
...
- The new brake ducts don't seem very different

They do because now they are slimmer and has a twisted flip on top of them and a turning vane beneath the duct:



I think they are trying to reproduce McLaren style brake duct & stuff:



How about the "silver tape" between the inner rim and the top of the duct? It` a sensor?

[marcush.]

that spray pattern in front of the rear wheels is the wake going inside the rears?

[luca]

According to a user on the AutoSport Forum, Norbert Haug was in a live chat on bilde.de yesterday and he said that they will bring something new for almost every race and they want to gain at least a tenth every race weekend with new developments.

Source: http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?s ... try4892706

[hollowBallistix]

As usual very nice drawings and lots of information from scarbs.
But to be honest i don't understand why downforce generation in front of the wheel is not good, and an explanation that it's because area in front of the wheel is in front of the wheel just makes no sense to me.
One can argue, that this section of wing, generating more downforce, would change direction of flow more upwards (that's where downforce comes from).
Flow would later hit this wheel a little bit higher, shifting high dynamic pressure area on the tyre up, creating some downforce.

My guess is that generating downforce directly in-front of the wheel is not the designers top priority, more important is the control of the air flow over & around the wheel, even though downforce is still being generated in this area of the front wing it's not the main priority.

[bot6]

As usual very nice drawings and lots of information from scarbs.
But to be honest i don't understand why downforce generation in front of the wheel is not good, and an explanation that it's because area in front of the wheel is in front of the wheel just makes no sense to me.
One can argue, that this section of wing, generating more downforce, would change direction of flow more upwards (that's where downforce comes from).
Flow would later hit this wheel a little bit higher, shifting high dynamic pressure area on the tyre up, creating some downforce.

Basically, as it spins, the tyre creates a kind of downwash in front of it. The rubbber of the tyre moves down as the wing rolls, bringing the air down with it. This causes so much disruption in the flow in front of the wheel that the outer edge of the wing is basically useless for creating downforce. That part of the wing can, however, be used to channel as much of the flow as possible away from the tyre (above it or to the side of it), reducing the drag caused by the wheel. That is what the winglets on the side of the wings are for.

[ringo]

You want to maximum down-force all over the wing.
It is true what you say about the tyres, there is a pressure field that makes the rear edges of the wing almost useless.
But this is more reason to crank as much down-force on those sections.
The slot may in fact have to do with the flow going between the wheels, they probably gain more from there than if it were on the outside.
So i guess Mercedes were just being cautious with making to much changes to an already perfect wing.

I don't think that they are out of the woods yet though. If they can catch up so quickly, any team can.
It's the performance differentiators that count, and this car doesn't have anything sacred on it.
If force india spend the right money in the right places, they can be just as good as merc for example.

It's the teams with the innovations that will have the edge in the long run.

[marekk]

As usual very nice drawings and lots of information from scarbs.
But to be honest i don't understand why downforce generation in front of the wheel is not good, and an explanation that it's because area in front of the wheel is in front of the wheel just makes no sense to me.
One can argue, that this section of wing, generating more downforce, would change direction of flow more upwards (that's where downforce comes from).
Flow would later hit this wheel a little bit higher, shifting high dynamic pressure area on the tyre up, creating some downforce.

Basically, as it spins, the tyre creates a kind of downwash in front of it. The rubbber of the tyre moves down as the wing rolls, bringing the air down with it. This causes so much disruption in the flow in front of the wheel that the outer edge of the wing is basically useless for creating downforce. That part of the wing can, however, be used to channel as much of the flow as possible away from the tyre (above it or to the side of it), reducing the drag caused by the wheel. That is what the winglets on the side of the wings are for.

Thanks, now it makes sense to me.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Ringo

I disagree. The car is unique in a few ways, firstly its the shortest car on the grid. So whatever makes it work is done so using this philosophy which no one else has actually attempted. It would take more than a shortened wheelbase to attempt to match what Mercedes have. You will be well aware of the implications involved with weight transfer and aero configuration changes, it would be tantamount to a new car.

Secondly you have the front wing, 2 elements with a slot. Who else has this? It will be more than just cope and graft, and there is a very big IF here that mercedes are front runners. I naturally hope they are but no way can any one say for certain the w02 is a winner just yet.

[Tamburello]

It will be more than just cope and graft, and there is a very big IF here that mercedes are front runners. I naturally hope they are but no way can any one say for certain the w02 is a winner just yet.

I find it hard to believe that they've gained the one second of pace that they were behind the front runners from the previous test with just these updates. It took Renault all year to gain 2 seconds last season so it would be some achievement if team can gain a second with one update package, especially in light of the comments by Haug that they want to bring updates to every race which will hopefully gain them a tenth.

[The FOZ]

I find it hard to believe that they've gained the one second of pace that they were behind the front runners from the previous test with just these updates. It took Renault all year to gain 2 seconds last season so it would be some achievement if team can gain a second with one update package, especially in light of the comments by Haug that they want to bring updates to every race which will hopefully gain them a tenth.

Looking at the bodywork being run prior to this test week, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise. First, the bodywork was very rough. That hurt laptimes.

The wing and exhaust fitted last week were both capable of making significant downforce gains.

In my view, the other big problem they've (mostly) resolved was cooling. The early car had major heat problems, requiring several panels to be open - this killed aero efficiency.

That these updates were able to gain such a margin of time is an indication of the quality of the W02's design - it's difficult to find much improvement in a design already near it's maximum potential. A design capable of much greater performance will allow these large leaps. The relative quality of all the cars will be revealed in 12 days - I think we have a very interesting season ahead.

[luca]

From AutoSport Forum:

On AMuS Brawn said the current exhaust solution is a compromise between performance and reliability but they're keeping an eye on other solutions which might be faster (like Ferrari's and RedBull's).

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Lovely shot of the W02 on full lock with Schumacher at the wheel.

[raymondu999]

Did he just get a rear onto the painted kerb? Or?