Mercedes W16: redesigned exhausts to benefit aerodynamics in Australia. Australian GP: On the W16, the major updates are focused on the front end with.

Mercedes remains an unknown: Toto Wolff has made no secret that, in his view, McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull will be ahead of the W16s that will be made available to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in Australia.

The Melbourne race is highly anticipated by James Allison’s team because there is a belief that the right changes have been made to bring the Star back into the fight for victory, given that so far the ground-effect car regulations have not played in Brackley’s favor.

The most important update on the black and silver arrow is visible at the front: the chassis has been redone to move the steering further back than usual, specifically inside the lower suspension triangle, to create an aerodynamic flow with the rear element and improve the airflow towards the Venturi channels of the floor.

In reality, the W16’s sidepods have been drastically revised with a redesigned side to provide a larger undercut. While the power unit, gearbox, and rear suspension are the same as last season, the aerodynamics team has worked to make better use of the highly extreme sidepod.

The image of the rear end by Motorsport’s Giorgio Piola is very interesting because it provides some key insights into the work done not only in Brackley but also in Brixworth, the location where the power units are developed. The exhaust design has been completely redone: the three exhaust outlets have been positioned very low, whereas before they “climbed” towards the element connecting to the turbo.

The passage of the hot gases happens differently but with two advantages: first, the weight of the exhausts has been reduced; second, an airflow passage has been cleared along the transmission box to benefit aerodynamics.

Another point to note is the presence of noticeable reinforcements that serve to stiffen the floor and prevent oscillations that could lead to the troublesome bouncing at high speeds, a defect that Mercedes has struggled with over time without a definitive solution. The two carbon fiber crossbars testify to the intention of an intervention that, at Brackley, they hope will help avoid porpoising.