Duh.wunderkind wrote:First of all, I don't think the W04's backend ever 'snapped' out totally spinning the car during the entire Jerez test. I think what Gary Anderson meant was the backend of the car snapped(as in oversteered) coming out of the corner requiring the driver to put in some hefty opposite lock to correct the car.
No one, really no one, understood it in as "drivers spinning". Everyone understood it as a sudden lack of rear end grip.
Duh.Providing there is no mechanical problems on the car, the problem is most probably grip related.
If there is a sudden lack of grip then of course the problem is grip related. The difference here is if it is A lack of mechanical or aerodynamic grip.
IndeedThe W04 seems to have less downforce than the McLaren, Red Bull, and the Lotus.
Nope, it just means that the car is less quick, not that their car is going all kinds of directions where it shouldnt go. What you are saying is the same as "only the Merc drivers are pushing the car to the limit."That meant the W04 has a narrower performance plateau and Hamilton and Rosberg were dancing on and off that narrow plateau going in and out of the corners. The cure is more downforce, lots more!
And downforce wouldnt help if the problem is mechanical, which it seems to me.
Let's just go through it with my armchair expertise;
Earlier there was stated that the car was understeering under corner entry, and has snap oversteer on corner exit.
Rosberg also stated that the car was lacking a bit in front end grip.
In the past test, Merc tried a 5 plane front wing. The goal of multiple planes is that it creates a less sensitive wing, at the expense of (possibly) a bit of downforce. This goes perfectly with the "the car is lacking front end grip" and the "the car is understeering on corner entry". Since then, under braking, the front end will move closer to the ground, and so would the front wing. This, in turn will cause a loss of downforce under braking/corner entry, therefore the 5-plane front wing was tried.
And why I think the snap understeer is mechanical, and not aerodynamical.
1. On corner exit, a car just simply doesnt out of a sudden loose rear df, certainly not with the exhaust blowing the diffuser.
2. if there was a lack of rear df it would be more noticable under braking since then there is less exhaust blowing, thus less rear df. Yet, there is a lack of front end balance under this condition.
3. Because they now (finally) have a decent EBD they see an improvement in rear df, thus a rear balance shift, making a sudden loss of rear end grip due to aerodynamics less likely.
4. It seems mechanical because of the way it is presented, like said, a sudden loss of rear df on corner exit doesnt seem that likely.
I must say I have less knowledge of suspension and tires, but I am confident the snap oversteer is caused my a mechanical problem, and not by aerodynamics.
