Mercedes AMG F1 W03

[elf341]

Horizontal calipers is something Newey likes and he first started with them when at McLaren (although I think they have now switched back to vertical), and brought in at red bull too. Could this idea be Willis originated given his familiarity with RB5/Newey aero philosophies?

[Owen.C93]

McLaren and many others now use the low horizontal calipers. Originally they had problems with debris settling in the caliper but I think they've overcome all those early problems now.

[nacho]

What was interesting that in Monaco the car didn't seem to eat tires at all, quite the opposite now infact.

[marcush.]

the car is brilliant and sure worth more than a single win this year.
My feeling is that Mercedes indeed are the first to crack the tyre riddle their longruns were impressive maybe too conservative from the pitwall...they could have charged further on with the options methinks.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

the car is brilliant and sure worth more than a single win this year.
My feeling is that Mercedes indeed are the first to crack the tyre riddle their longruns were impressive maybe too conservative from the pitwall...they could have charged further on with the options methinks.

Agreed.
What I think has helped them no end is lightening the gearbox with its Carbon case. They had the know how from the Honda days, and it was a mystery to me why it was ditched in the W01-02.
As the F1.com piece mentions, this lightens the rear end and gives the team more setup options which have a direct influence on tyre deg.

[Th0R]

Why would a team bring a "b-spec" version of a car to a course like monaco. I can understand the revised rear suspension for more mechanical grip, but i dont understand all the aerodynamic improvments like new nose and new sidepods and so on. These are parts which can't be evaluated at this type of course, so why show them there.

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Why would a team bring a "b-spec" version of a car to a course like monaco. I can understand the revised rear suspension for more mechanical grip, but i dont understand all the aerodynamic improvments like new nose and new sidepods and so on. These are parts which can't be evaluated at this type of course, so why show them there.

When a flaw has been pinpointed, like say tyre deg, then you can actually make inroads with upgrades.
Take the carbon case gearbox...according to ESPIemporium it save multiple KG's on the rear end. You'd still need to run the KG's but you can at least chose to put the mass lower and wider than previously.
This will have a knock on effect on Tyre wear, Jersey tom will testify this. I hope.....

Plus showing anything in this era of Pirelli tyres, is not as revealing as it otherwise might have been in the last few years.
What works for one team will not necessarily work for another, and this has amplified this year.

[Jon]

Why would a team bring a "b-spec" version of a car to a course like monaco. I can understand the revised rear suspension for more mechanical grip, but i dont understand all the aerodynamic improvments like new nose and new sidepods and so on. These are parts which can't be evaluated at this type of course, so why show them there.

Maybe they really wanted to win here????

[Huntresa]

Why would a team bring a "b-spec" version of a car to a course like monaco. I can understand the revised rear suspension for more mechanical grip, but i dont understand all the aerodynamic improvments like new nose and new sidepods and so on. These are parts which can't be evaluated at this type of course, so why show them there.

Maybe they really wanted to win here????

Test time is test time, its better then nothing.

[marcush.]

an improvement is an improvement ,Monaco or not .
The push at the rear they made is considerable with everything new from the engine rear face to the back...new uprights ,brake drums ,carbon fibre gearbox ...in fact the biggest upgrade ever coming from Mercedes GP -with new sidepods and a new front nose ...very impressive.

[Th0R]

i totally understand the suspension parts. I was just aiming at the aero parts. I can't see any real use for revised aero in monaco. The drag doesn't matter there. And my concern was that merc revealed interessting parts much too early in the past (DDRS last season). Even if the other teams cant use their innovations directly. It is an advantage for them if they know them earlier.
The argument with the test time doesnt count i think. The are no high speed corners in monaco and no long straights. It's hard to test parts which will only have an impact on the cars performance at high speeds when you cant drive high speed. And to be honest the aero of merc seemed already superb the last races, so no need to rush there. Of course it's nice to see that now there is a big update for the merc, but it should be allowed to question the timing of this package.

[PhillipM]

Drag matters everywhere, even in Monaco.

[JayeOFarrell]

Martin Brundle mentioned in the commentary that they use so called 'Dirty Drag' aero setup at Monaco where you accept you have the drag because you need the mechanical and ultimate down force in the low traction corners. If the revised aero parts limit the drag then you have limited the amount of 'Dirty Drag' you have to deal with at Monaco. So to me it makes perfect sense to try and improve your aero balence and drag there.

[raymondu999]

As long as it's not at the cost of downforce, it should be fine. You'd take a draggy-but-downforce-laden setup in Monaco any day over a drag-free but downforceless setup.

[wunderkind]

the car is brilliant and sure worth more than a single win this year.
My feeling is that Mercedes indeed are the first to crack the tyre riddle their longruns were impressive maybe too conservative from the pitwall...they could have charged further on with the options methinks.

Agreed.
What I think has helped them no end is lightening the gearbox with its Carbon case. They had the know how from the Honda days, and it was a mystery to me why it was ditched in the W01-02.
As the F1.com piece mentions, this lightens the rear end and gives the team more setup options which have a direct influence on tyre deg.

They probably didnt have the resources to continue with the carbon fiber gearbox casing after the Honda withdrawal. The composites group was probably pared down to the bone. The carbon 'quality' problems we saw on the W01 and W02 may be evidence of defficiency in this area at that time. Also, a carbon gearbox casing was probably not necessary with EBD and the old Bridgestones as they were more durable and consistent (wider operating window) and any problems could have been dealt with largely by set-up changes.

It's great to see Mercedes coming out with an extensive update so early and seeing the updates bringing the desired results.