Mercedes AMG F1 W04

[kris]

It seems they did plough too many resources in getting the DDRS to work,

My reading of the whole DDRS situation is that Merc fully expected the bendy front wings to be outlawed or tests so stringent that meant DDRS gave the greater performance.

If the flexi wings had be banned in one way or another Merc would've had a clear development lead in that area.

Hindsight is an exact science I was once told.

Alternatively their wind tunnel tests must have shown great promise.. The data probably did not corelate with on track data. The in depth analysis must have shown that the wind tunnel data was incorrect.. so with the knowledge of an unreliable wind tunnel and a car which was harsh on its tires they probably gave up development time for wind tunnel upgrade. The china result probably wasted more time and just helped those betting wind tunnel data was right.. so people who bet on it (aero head) were probably let go

[PlatinumZealot]

Mercedes did not have any flexi wings last year, because the DDRS ducts had to be in place, and those slot gaps had to be maintained.

It was mention by a Sauber engineer that the teams are reviewing the carbon layups for the new flexi wing restrictions this year.

[Mika1]

http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/news ... 21309.html

- Rosberg: The car has a lot more grip compared to the W03.
- Rosberg: A season like last year won't happen again. The team has more (skilled) employees.

[Ferraripilot]

Mercedes did not have any flexi wings last year, because the DDRS ducts had to be in place, and those slot gaps had to be maintained.

It was mention by a Sauber engineer that the teams are reviewing the carbon layups for the new flexi wing restrictions this year.

From what photos we have seen of RB9 so far, it appears they have deduced a way to make their wing flex again so I expect whining and copying to commence soon.

With regards to W04, I cannot see how beneficial a flexing front wing may be for them as the front end of the Mercedes is already quite soft and in turns we have evidence of the end plates nearly touching the ground depending on the direction the car is rolling at the time. I imagine a flexing wing would just scrape along at corners with the front end of this car being so soft.

[Ferraripilot]

http://www.motorsport-total.com/f1/news ... 21309.html

- Rosberg: The car has a lot more grip compared to the W03.
- Rosberg: A season like last year won't happen again. The team has more (skilled) employees.

Costa made a good solid basic car with much room to build on which is just what this team needs. I believe the development ceiling for this car is very high as opposed to several others we've seen this far which appear to be at or near their ceiling already. RB9 and F138 are prime examples of cars with every whistle in the book already sitting proudly atop it somewhere. Nico finally stating something objective (which he never does) is a very good sign

[ajdavison2]

Personally I would be happy with 4th in the WCC and maybe 2-3 wins with 4-5 podiums?

[gray41]

I think we would all bite your hand off if that was the offer.

[raymondu999]

Trackside impressions by Gary Anderson, from the latest edition of Autosport:

For both Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, the Mercedes seemed to have understeer. The rear would sometimes snap, but it wasn’t so much of a problem as it was for Sauber or Toro Rosso. When the drivers tried to push mid corner and get on the power earlier, the understeer was just magnified. That seems to be the characteristic that dictates the car’s outright pace.

[NewtonMeter]

...

Thank you for posting, very good to know.

I wonder if this was for high speed corners or slow speed corners? I'm reading it as being on slow corners, don't know how everyone else is reading this?

Ross (or someone from the team at least) mentioned how they developed this year's suspension to be easily adjustable. Let's see that in action to try and fix this.

[kris]

How is the new DRD different from the F-Duct? As I understand it both direct air on to lower flap of the rear wing to stall it.

[stefan_]

One of the differences that doesn't qualify it as an "f-duct" is that the driver has no influence on the system in directing the air or allowing/disrupting airflow to go to the main flap.

[kris]

One of the differences that doesn't qualify it as an "f-duct" is that the driver has no influence on the system in directing the air or allowing/disrupting airflow to go to the main flap.

I do understand that part.. I was wondering more in terms of the theory behind the concept?

[korzeniow]

I do understand that part.. I was wondering more in terms of the theory behind the concept?

So far Scarbs presented the best explanation of the DRD: http://scarbsf1.com/blog1/2012/09/01/lo ... -analysis/ with the most accurate drawnings

[PlatinumZealot]

One of the differences that doesn't qualify it as an "f-duct" is that the driver has no influence on the system in directing the air or allowing/disrupting airflow to go to the main flap.

I do understand that part.. I was wondering more in terms of the theory behind the concept?

Scarbs is always full of words but never numbers. He didn't say whether the Passive F-duct (that is what the DRD essentially) is, gives down-force or takes it away.. He also has no interior details on the switch itself.

Again guys, I will say this... most of these F1 "puzzles" are usually solved first on this very website, then copied by others. You can find the answer you just to have confidence and think for yourself, or even discuss the concept with others. Guys like Scarb's and Keith Kollantine aren't always right.

My preliminary CFD simulations show that the DRD is a down-force adder in its normal state. And when it switches the air jets turn off and the down-force and some drag is reduced.

[Cam]

....He didn't say whether the Passive F-duct (that is what the DRD essentially) is, gives down-force or takes it away..

Are you suggesting that the device employed could actually work in reverse, rather than what common convention suggests? That is, it removes downforce by default 'off' and adds it when activated?

edit: typos