Mercedes AMG F1 W05

[Pierce89]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuOKa_VvoIQ

Damn! Was just about to post this, you beat me to it haha!

Touche

Marc Priestly was a mechanic rather than an engineer, so, I'd be careful taking too much from the "f1 guru".

[turbof1]

Mercedes bent the nose in into a u shape. The mathmatical middle point of that nose floats on the maximum 185mm height point. So this isn't a twin tusk as the whole of the crash structure is involved.

When the nose came out I was thinking it was it was a twin tusk combined with clever use of the vanity panel. Then hamilton crashed and it turned out to be a structural normal nose.

It still uses the wing pillars as part of the "nose"(crash structure). that's not "structurally normal" compared to the previous norm in f1.

In that light nothing in front of the bulkhead is structurally normal currently in f1. Mercedes their nose is full worthy crash structure right from its tip. Other cars with the blanchimont nose or the lotu's twin tusk have almost no deacceleration in the first few centimetres.
The only nose more structural normal then mercedes is the ferrari one.

Also, the "wing pillars" are effectively crash structure. Small actual wing pillars are fitted underneath (as required by the rules). All of this is just to get the actual nose tip a bit higher then the maximum 185mm, but in my opinion it still keeps the nose rather simple.

[Emerson.F]

Marc Priestly was a mechanic rather than an engineer, so, I'd be careful taking too much from the "f1 guru".

+1 He cannot be taken serious as a 'Guru'. He's missing the big grey beard
When did he stop at Macca? And was he part of Lewi's side of the garage or Fred's?

[kooleracer]

So this will be first time we will see the Mercedes using 8th gear if i'm correct. I still in doubt if the W05 has an 8th tough. In Bahrain the 7th gear seemed quite long, all the lights on the gear panel went off when they engaged in 7th gear. Also on the simulator video when he is on the long straight you can hear him shift back 5 times and you see on the steering display he is in 2nd gear. That means from 7th gear 5 gears down (6-5-4-3-2) in to 2nd.

[Coefficient]

So this will be first time we will see the Mercedes using 8th gear if i'm correct. I still in doubt if the W05 has an 8th tough. In Bahrain the 7th gear seemed quite long, all the lights on the gear panel went off when they engaged in 7th gear. Also on the simulator video when he is on the long straight you can hear him shift back 5 times and you see on the steering display he is in 2nd gear. That means from 7th gear 5 gears down (6-5-4-3-2) in to 2nd.

8 forwards gears is mandatory.

[kooleracer]

So this will be first time we will see the Mercedes using 8th gear if i'm correct. I still in doubt if the W05 has an 8th tough. In Bahrain the 7th gear seemed quite long, all the lights on the gear panel went off when they engaged in 7th gear. Also on the simulator video when he is on the long straight you can hear him shift back 5 times and you see on the steering display he is in 2nd gear. That means from 7th gear 5 gears down (6-5-4-3-2) in to 2nd.

8 forwards gears is mandatory.

I know but it doesn't need to useful. It could be a lightweight gear that the team never engages. But maybe i'm wrong we will see in 48h. To be frank i havent seen Force India or McLaren use 8th gear. Only Williams but they make their own gearbox.

[BorisTheBlade]

To prevent this IIRC each gear has a minimum weight.

[PlatinumZealot]

It's also possible that other teams had anticipated required higher levels of efficiency re: the exhaust tuning to maintain turbo velocity. The split scroll Mercedes solution has shortened the tubing enough to potentially render the spaghetti manifolds obsolete perhaps?

Well yes and no. From a heat loss point of view the log is superior. From a flow point of view the tubular is much much more better.

So there is the balance. It seems for the 2014 regulations it is better to retain heat in the manifold at the expense of some high rpm flow. Mercedes played this very smartly as:

1. The engines will never see 15,000rpm even though that is the design limit. So the advantage of a tubular exhaust is lessened.
2. These turbo's do not need to be sensitive to impulse flow, because the the MGU-H is there to accelerate the turbo.
3. Cooler under body temperatures. You have to turn down the horsepower if you cooling systems are overheated. Having the log manifold gives you a cooler under body temperature so even though theoretical horsepower is lower, you don't have to turn down your engine as much.
4. Smaller side pods. the small space taken up by the log manifold means smaller side pods and less drag on the straights. So it is feels like your engine has more power.


From a horsepower point of view the tubular wins, but as a package in 2014 the log manifold is very attractive. In real life situations even for street cars a log manifold is good up to 400hp. So imagine that a Formula 1 spec log manifold must have a higher limit? Not to mention the Formula 1 turbines are quite free flowing already. The higher back pressure from a log manifold might not be that much more.

[PlatinumZealot]

Damn! Was just about to post this, you beat me to it haha!

Touche

Marc Priestly was a mechanic rather than an engineer, so, I'd be careful taking too much from the "f1 guru".

He also called the compressor a turbine! He is a mechanic but no good mechanical engineer would every call a compressor a turbine! haha I take his "lessons" with a grain of salt. I mean the general gist is Ok, but I won't use it as a be all end all.

[PlatinumZealot]

So this will be first time we will see the Mercedes using 8th gear if i'm correct. I still in doubt if the W05 has an 8th tough. In Bahrain the 7th gear seemed quite long, all the lights on the gear panel went off when they engaged in 7th gear. Also on the simulator video when he is on the long straight you can hear him shift back 5 times and you see on the steering display he is in 2nd gear. That means from 7th gear 5 gears down (6-5-4-3-2) in to 2nd.

I also think it is has seven gears... 8 gears is too confusing for the drivers train of thought right now and might lose more time than gain time. Having more gears do save more fuel.. but it is negligible when you look at the weight of those extra cogs and increased part count = larger probability of something failing.

[beelsebob]

So this will be first time we will see the Mercedes using 8th gear if i'm correct. I still in doubt if the W05 has an 8th tough. In Bahrain the 7th gear seemed quite long, all the lights on the gear panel went off when they engaged in 7th gear. Also on the simulator video when he is on the long straight you can hear him shift back 5 times and you see on the steering display he is in 2nd gear. That means from 7th gear 5 gears down (6-5-4-3-2) in to 2nd.

I also think it is has seven gears... 8 gears is too confusing for the drivers train of thought right now and might lose more time than gain time. Having more gears do save more fuel.. but it is negligible when you look at the weight of those extra cogs and increased part count = larger probability of something failing.

Sorry, but really? You think it's too complex for the drivers to think about changing up one more time?

Have you seen the amount the drivers are doing in the cockpit... These guys are not idiots, they are perfectly capable of an extra upshift.

[eslam1986]

New Barge board for Mercedes

[Kiril Varbanov]

https://twitter.com/SomersF1/status/456695065943879682

[Powershift]

https://twitter.com/SomersF1/status/456695065943879682

So, question for the aero geeks, this new nose will allow more air to the "tea tray" which will give slightly more front downforce and that same air will flow around the side pods and over the rear floor to give more rear downforce as well?

Please keep any answers simple

[astracrazy]

basically yes

but looking at it i wonder why it took them so long to get it passed the crash test