Mercedes arrived at the 19th round of F1 with several updates, along with the desire to return to prominence and fight for victory. The approach to the Texan weekend wasn’t easy, as the single hour available to verify the quality of the work done in the factory complicated things. However, during the Sprint Shootout, the two German cars performed at their best, and thanks to the soft compounds, they managed to extract some of the untapped potential until that moment. The weekend is still long, though, and the Brackley team believes they can do even better.
As confirmed by Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ engineering director, the updates have worked, and overall, the drivers are satisfied. Lewis Hamilton said he was very pleased with the improvement in handling, with the car seemingly gaining a lot of stability in high-speed corners, where they still needed to find performance. The balance at low speeds was already very good. To take another step forward, improvements had to be made in this area, and things, as mentioned, have gone as expected.
F1, Mercedes Executes Precise Work to Enhance the W15’s Value
At the United States Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced a series of technical updates aimed at improving the car’s aerodynamic performance and cooling management under specific conditions. The first change we can notice concerns the front wing, which has undergone a modification in the twist distribution of the flaps along the width of the profile. This change reduces the wake generated by the front wing, improving airflow to the rear of the car and, in turn, increasing rear downforce.
The change is part of a strategy to optimize flow conditioning, in line with updates introduced to the front suspension. In the front suspension area, the upper arm fairing has clearly been reprofiled. This interesting modification has improved airflow adhesion around the arm itself, expanding its operating range while also ensuring better airflow to the rear of the car. The result is an increase in the overall aerodynamic efficiency of the F1 car.
Another significant update concerns the area of the car’s floor, where a new “blade” element has been added in the so-called “edge wing” zone. This crucial part of the car is directly responsible for increasing the fluid mass extracted from the front part of the floor, enhancing the vortex generated by the system of bargeboards, and consequently, the aerodynamic load on the floor itself. The increase in vorticity helps stabilize the platform and performance in faster corners. The element, as profiled, increases extraction and simultaneously the load.
Another update involves the cooling configuration, which has been optimized through an upgrade to the side pod intake. The lower lip of the intake has been moved further back to improve fluid structure in that area. The change relates to the positioning of the high pressure that forms in that “undercut” zone. This adjustment also allows for optimized engine cooling without compromising airflow directed to other car components.
To further improve heat management, new cooling vents have been added near the lower arms of the rear suspension. These slots increase the mass of fluid exiting the side pods, thus enabling more effective cooling of the engine and internal components while minimizing the negative impact on airflow directed toward the rear, especially the rear wing. Finally, to conclude, we can talk about the redesigned bargeboards at the entrance to the Venturi channels.
The new design improves local pressure distribution and vortex positioning, promoting better airflow to the rear components. This update results in improved overall downforce thanks to cleaner and more orderly airflow feeding the subsequent aerodynamic devices on the floor. Without a doubt, Mercedes has several new features they must ensure work properly. We say this because, in these cases, we know how updates need to be precisely validated before they can be fully exploited.
Leave a Reply