Mercedes AMG F1 W06

[Artur Craft]

It always caught my eyes, since last year, how Mercedes is the only team with a FW shaped like this:


You can quickly compare with others here:
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 42#p557542

I wonder if that isn't one thing which they could improve on W06(or is everybody wrong or Mercedes found a trick here)?

They run the inner part of the flaps with too much AoA(that's why there is that curve/fold). I can't think of possible benefits of sending airflow that high early on as it's an airflow which you would, supposedly, want to directly reach the undercut, and then, cokebottle.

On the outer flap, it's understandable as you will need high AoA at some point in the FW(afterall, downforce is needed) and there seems to be the most efficient place as it helps decrease the drag around the front tires vortices.

You can say: "They have CFD/wind tunnel and all the resources, so they know far better than any armchair on the internet" which is perfectly true. But so does every other team and nobody else does this with their FW.

Sorry if this was discussed already.

[Moose]

It's most likely a sign that Merc are getting more than enough air to the rear of the car. It's the style of wings we saw teams running pre-2009, when they were front downforce limited, rather than rear. You should get really worried when they bolt a snow plow on too.

My pet bet is that the bat wing is something to do with their secret. I suspect it's generating a pair of vortices under the car that are ending up in some way aiding the diffuser.

[Owen.C93]

It's just to help push more air around the front tyres.

[Moose]

It's just to help push more air around the front tyres.

Well no, it's not - the reason that the other teams run a very steep outer edge to the front wing, and a not so steep inner part is because the outer air is going to hit the tire and get messed up no matter what you do with it. Thus, you might as well get as much downforce out of it as you can before it hits the tire. The inner bit is the area where the air isn't going to get messed up by the tire, so they run it shallower. The fact that Merc is running this area steep as well suggests that they don't need to keep air clean in this area - they can exploit it at the front of the car. Somehow else they're getting that air supply to the back.

[MercAMGF1Fans]

Is the merc a shorter wheelbase than a lot of the others? Do we have a 2015 car comparison thread yet?

the W05 was 4800mm in overall length (Official release)
the W06 is 5000mm in overall length (Official release)

[GrizzleBoy]

It always caught my eyes, since last year, how Mercedes is the only team with a FW shaped like this:
http://s12.postimg.org/hngeiemf1/W06_jerez.jpg

You can quickly compare with others here:
http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewto ... 42#p557542

I wonder if that isn't one thing which they could improve on W06(or is everybody wrong or Mercedes found a trick here)?

They run the inner part of the flaps with too much AoA(that's why there is that curve/fold). I can't think of possible benefits of sending airflow that high early on as it's an airflow which you would, supposedly, want to directly reach the undercut, and then, cokebottle.

On the outer flap, it's understandable as you will need high AoA at some point in the FW(afterall, downforce is needed) and there seems to be the most efficient place as it helps decrease the drag around the front tires vortices.

You can say: "They have CFD/wind tunnel and all the resources, so they know far better than any armchair on the internet" which is perfectly true. But so does every other team and nobody else does this with their FW.

Sorry if this was discussed already.

If you look at the inner most part of the FW flaps from directly head on, they've always looked more like vortex generators to me the way they have such sharp tips that look as though they're meant to be cutting through the air instead of passing smoothly through it.

Having the high AOA could be for stronger vortex creation as the air would be more violently "disturbed".

Also, if you wanted to stop the low pressure area directly behind the rest of the front wing sucking in/messing with air from around the nose area that feeds the rest of the car downwind, wouldn't having a strong vortex coming off the tips of the inner FW be a good idea as a vortex of air is less easily disturbed than a "flat" stream, no?

Having one element tip stacked on top of and behind the other would also make the overall vortex stronger assuming the individual vortices work together.

Hopefully at least one part of that was correct/relevant.

/armchair aero

[stefan_]

2015 Winter testing | Session 1, Day 1 - Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (01.02.2015)













2015 Winter testing | Session 1, Day 2 - Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (02.02.2015)

[FrukostScones]

[Aaronque]

can we get any positives on this one?? those vortex!!!!

[Kiril Varbanov]

can we get any positives on this one?? https://d1zucocqrua2yq.cloudfront.net/v ... deshow.jpg https://d1zucocqrua2yq.cloudfront.net/v ... deshow.jpg those vortex!!!!

Lovely images. The wing-tip vortices are a spectacular image, just as well as those sparks. I mean, it's a deviation from the otherwise sterile world of F1!

[FrukostScones]

DRS and spark blocks are working

[Aaronque]

floviz paint on the W06 obviously they are well ahead in terms of "testing" their car

[Aaronque]

Meanwhile Vettel is at the moment pushing his ferrari or threatening mercedes maybe?

[Thunder]

Meanwhile Vettel is at the moment pushing his ferrari or threatening mercedes maybe?

Forget Test Times. Nothing more to say really.

[kooleracer]

Great picture from the new front brake "ducts" solution.