Mercedes AMG F1 W09 EQ Power+

[LM10]

The thing is that it was Ferrari last year who came up with this whole new sidepod idea. Maybe that's what bonjon1979 meant. What other teams have done this year is an evolution of the same idea.

[Vanja #66]

No they are not similar to Ferrari!

your opinion is noted but I disagree.

Look with your own two eyes and stop believeing everything you read.
They cut a bit out of the sides of the same side pod as the before and added two extra vanes above and below. Notice they were very cautious in leaving the general outline the same to avoid unwanted surprises.

Ferrari side pod is whole different kettle of fish. It has two holes in it and the entrance is nearly 8 inches rearward.

Redbull is different too. Redbull has two full wings in front of the side pod. The three are all very different. Send stevie wonder to feel them with his hands and he would say the same thing.

We need to stop perpetuating fake news.

https://maxf1.net/wp-content/uploads/20 ... arison.jpg

You mean fake news like Ferrari mirrors blowing air into top inlet?

Agree completely on Merc side pods, it's visually a big change but it's nowhere as dramatic as Red Bull or Ferrari solution. It's kinda compromised, but they have been looking at these teams obviously, and came up with a solution they can implement this year.

Just another confirmation they are reaching development peak for their original concept and I seriously doubt they will keep things as they were for next year.

(Just to be clear, development peak in terms of possible gains for overall concept, not for newly oppened-up areas like barge boards or diffuser. Those will be developed intensly until at least 2021.)

[dren]

The similarity is they are pushing the inlet rearward to make more use of the forward area for aero bits. Red Bull along with others followed Ferrari's lead by lowering the crash tube. With what Mercedes is doing now, they might do the same next year. They are morphing the front if their intake into aero bits and pushing the inlet back a bit.

[turbof1]

The similarity is they are pushing the inlet rearward to make more use of the forward area for aero bits. Red Bull along with others followed Ferrari's lead by lowering the crash tube. With what Mercedes is doing now, they might do the same next year. They are morphing the front if their intake into aero bits and pushing the inlet back a bit.

Yes.

The issue Mercedes is facing now, are the homologated side impact structures. I don't know if you can move them around mid season and rehomologate them, and coud bring side issues like weight distribution along as well. So it's not really an option to do that midseason.

Next to that, it would also require mercedes cutting away at the radiators and packaging. Again, the requires an overhaul of the whole car.

I think that what they did was the maximum within the little space they had. Next year expect to see this much more pronounced.

[bonjon1979]

No they are not similar to Ferrari!

your opinion is noted but I disagree.

Look with your own two eyes and stop believeing everything you read.
They cut a bit out of the sides of the same side pod as the before and added two extra vanes above and below. Notice they were very cautious in leaving the general outline the same to avoid unwanted surprises.

Ferrari side pod is whole different kettle of fish. It has two holes in it and the entrance is nearly 8 inches rearward.

Redbull is different too. Redbull has two full wings in front of the side pod. The three are all very different. Send stevie wonder to feel them with his hands and he would say the same thing.

We need to stop perpetuating fake news.

https://maxf1.net/wp-content/uploads/20 ... arison.jpg

Your somewhat patronising zealotry is free for you to offer and simply drawing lines on a photo doesn't prove anything beyond the fact that you can trace lines.

I can use my own eyes, I can personally see similarities and influences taken from the Ferrari. The most important of which is the fact that the side impact structure is encased in the lip that protrudes from the sidepod, allowing them to shift the opening rearward. The two holes etc are different but I'm not saying that there is a facsimile copying going on here but I can definitely see an influence. In many ways, they can't copy the Ferrari solution because they're tied into the basic architecture but this looks to be more of a half-way house to me.

You're welcome to have a different opinion but know that it is only that...your opinion.

[bonjon1979]

The thing is that it was Ferrari last year who came up with this whole new sidepod idea. Maybe that's what bonjon1979 meant. What other teams have done this year is an evolution of the same idea.

Precisely.

[turbof1]

It's the same in the sense of Mercedes pushing the inlet back. The way they fill up the void is different to both Red Bull and Ferrari. Mercedes isn't doing that much different to what their philosophy was before. Platinum Zealot is correct to state that they just cut the sidepod back. It's not a different concept of treating the air. They just opened up more opportunities for controlling the flow.

But that is to be expected. Again, they can only do so much before they effectively need to create a new car from a blank sheet of paper. And, they can still add bits and pieces further into the season now they have opened up that area. Just don't expect it is going to be a major overhaul.

[CLKGTR]

Somebody already posted pictures I highlighted in colours, but here is full overview of biggest Merc W09 changes in Austria

2018 Austrian GP: Mercedes W09 – Big aero update with new sidepod concept

[PlatinumZealot]

Your somewhat patronising zealotry is free for you to offer and simply drawing lines on a photo doesn't prove anything beyond the fact that you can trace lines.

I can use my own eyes, I can personally see similarities and influences taken from the Ferrari. The most important of which is the fact that the side impact structure is encased in the lip that protrudes from the sidepod, allowing them to shift the opening rearward. The two holes etc are different but I'm not saying that there is a facsimile copying going on here but I can definitely see an influence. In many ways, they can't copy the Ferrari solution because they're tied into the basic architecture but this looks to be more of a half-way house to me.

You're welcome to have a different opinion but know that it is only that...your opinion.

Good Jon, why are you being bad Jon today?

The side pod structure is exactly the same as it was before. You can even see the debris from Paul Riccard still on the inboard bits in some of the earlier photos. It's just has different fairings now. Side impact structure hasn't moved. Why all of a sudden two vertical fins, a lower lip and cut out the side inlet makes it like a Ferrari side-pod? That means it was like a Ferrari side pod all along?

[Vanja #66]

The similarity is they are pushing the inlet rearward to make more use of the forward area for aero bits. Red Bull along with others followed Ferrari's lead by lowering the crash tube. With what Mercedes is doing now, they might do the same next year. They are morphing the front if their intake into aero bits and pushing the inlet back a bit.

Ferrari inlet is as front as possible now. Difference, that actually important difference is how much room Ferrari and Red Bull have from side pods to mandatory Y800 plane, ie how much room they have compared to Mercedes. This room is unchanged on Merc, for now at least. My guess is that cutout is used to better control air spilling when radiator intake is completely fed at higher speeds. Other bodywork changes are truly minor, seen often throughout the season on every car.

[dans79]

My guess is that cutout is used to better control air spilling when radiator intake is completely fed at higher speeds.

My thought was roughly along the same lines. I'd add the bodywork around the cutout looks like it might try and pull the overflow down towards the coke bottle and diffuser instead of just spilling over the edge of the inlet randomly.

[Dazed1]

If red paint made cars faster, they would all be red. It's the nature of the game.

[Vanja #66]

My thought was roughly along the same lines. I'd add the bodywork around the cutout looks like it might try and pull the overflow down towards the coke bottle and diffuser instead of just spilling over the edge of the inlet randomly.

Like this?



To be fair, I think Ferrari is using these aero pieces to both control the airflow, but also to slow it down with converging channels and increase pressure for pure downforce benefit.

The air on the side of side pods is already going down anyway, so with Merc being wider in this zone to begin with, I wouldn't be surprised if they chose not to use them at all. Haas don't have them either.

[Morteza]

Some photos from today

[roon]

Couldn`t resist

He kind of is right though, isn't he? What Mercedes has done is pretty much a concept change. So they finally did what many other teams have done already from the beginning by copying Ferrari's sidepod solution.
I wonder why they've not gone with this from the start of the season. They could've optimized the whole car even better.

This is more RedBull than Ferrari.

Why didn't they do it earlier? Maybe they just never thought of the idea before the season. They saw RedBull's design and thought "hmm, let's see if we can use some of that on our car". Then they started to develop it ready for now.

Maybe the bulk of development funds went to developing the powertrain that will deliver the rest of the season to them. In this sense, we got a hint of what the remainder of the season will be like, last weekend. Many engine regulation changes at the end of last year, so the bulk of funds could have spent 'internally.' The car looks very similar to last year, even with these new tweaks inspired by McLaren, RB, & Ferrari.