Mercedes has introduced a new front wing on the W17 at the Singapore Grand Prix, marking a change in philosophy in how the team exploits active aerodynamics. However, the development programme is also being reassessed after the problems experienced at Sepang, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli testing the latest specification while George Russell has returned to the aerodynamic configuration used before the Malaysian weekend.
The contrasting specifications are designed to give Mercedes a direct comparison after the W17 displayed unusual behaviour in Malaysia. While Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been entrusted with the new front wing, George Russell is gathering data with an older version of the car as Mercedes attempts to understand whether its latest package contributed to the difficulties at Sepang.
Mercedes changes its W17 active aero approach
The Mercedes W17 has arrived in Singapore with a redesigned front wing whose most significant change concerns the position of the nose pylons. Mercedes, along with Aston Martin, had been the only team to anchor these supports to the second wing element, effectively restricting active aerodynamic movement to the final element alone.
On the new specification, the pylons are instead attached to the mainplane. This frees the second flap, allowing it to open on the straights together with the third element when the active aerodynamic system is operating.
Mercedes has never disclosed why it originally chose not to open one of the two flaps permitted to move under the active aerodynamics regulations. One possibility is that positioning the supports further back on the second element was intended to help the mainplane operate more effectively.
The priorities now appear to have shifted, with Mercedes seeking to exploit active aerodynamics more fully in an effort to reduce drag. The upgrade package introduced in Malaysia increased the W17’s overall aerodynamic load, but it also increased resistance and, consequently, energy consumption.
Mercedes has also modified the chord of the two movable elements, redistributing the aerodynamic load across the front wing. Previously, the final element was the larger of the two because it was the only one whose drag could be reduced by opening it on the straights. With both elements now able to move, the final flap is slimmer, potentially allowing Mercedes to rely more heavily on the load generated by the second flap.
Mercedes puts its Sepang W17 upgrades under review
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was the only Mercedes driver to use the new front wing during practice in Singapore. George Russell, meanwhile, ran an aerodynamic specification dating from before the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The differences on George Russell’s car include the previous version of the floor, less steeply sloped sidepods and the absence of the vertical bargeboards positioned along the side of the car. The approach effectively gives Mercedes two substantially different specifications to compare on the same circuit.
The team’s objective is to conduct a direct evaluation after the W17 behaved unexpectedly at Sepang and suffered from troublesome understeer in slow-speed corners. The Malaysian weekend has therefore placed renewed attention on the effectiveness of the latest Mercedes W17 developments.
Mercedes has not ruled out the possibility that the new front wing could help address the understeer. Equally, the team is considering whether the unusual behaviour seen in Malaysia was simply a consequence of the particular characteristics of the Sepang track surface rather than a fundamental problem with the upgrade package.
For now, Mercedes is keeping every possibility open. Until the team can establish exactly what caused the W17’s difficulties at Sepang, the recent developments will remain under scrutiny as Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell provide comparative data from the two configurations in Singapore.
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