Team: Bob Bell (TD), Norbert Haug (VP of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport), Nick Fry (CEO), Ross Brawn (TP), Geoff Willis (Technology Director), Also Costa (Engineering Director)
Drivers: Michael Schumacher (7), Nico Rosberg (8)
Maybe they both are for driver cooling. One was just not big enough for this track in particular.Crucial_Xtreme wrote:New vent for driver cooling. Looks like the hole in the nose is not for driver cooling, it's for the FW.
He was trying to funny and sarcasticflickster wrote:I really don't think MGP would have missed something that straight forward, they know what they are doing.Robbobnob wrote:Well if that nose duct isnt primarily for driver cooling, then it must be in breach of the regulations!!
Like RBR who is still blowing the Exhaust...Robbobnob wrote:Well if that nose duct isnt primarily for driver cooling, then it must be in breach of the regulations!!
Gary Anderson wrote:Mercedes have already attracted a lot of attention this season because of a controversial aerodynamic system on their car - and this weekend in Malaysia it could put them right up in the battle for pole position.
Sepang is one of the tracks where the system, which further boosts the effectiveness of the DRS overtaking aid, will be most advantageous in terms of one-off lap time.
However, it could also have the opposite effect in the race and be detrimental to their pace during the grand prix.
Before we get into why, we'll have to explain how the system works.
All cars have the DRS - which moves a flap on the rear wing to reduce drag and therefore increase straight-line speed.
Its use is free in practice and qualifying but is limited in the race to a specific zone on the track - in Malaysia, the main straight - and only when a driver is within a second of the car in front at a 'detection point' just before the 'DRS zone'.
On the Mercedes, the flap moves on the rear wing in the same way as on all the other cars. The difference is that when it lifts, it reveals holes on the inside of the endplates.
Continue reading the main story
“
I can see the system allowing them to knock on the door of pole position in qualifying - but hurting the rear tyres in the race
”
Gary Anderson
These holes connect up through channels through the car to slot gaps on the underside of the front wing - and when the DRS opens, the low-pressure air under the front wing sucks air through the car from the rear wing, reducing the effectiveness of the front wing.
In Malaysia, there are fast corners where the car has enough inherent downforce to enable the driver to run with the DRS open if the set-up is right.
Normally, reducing the rear downforce in that way through a fast corner increases oversteer - which is instability at the rear of the car. That can limit how fast a driver can go through the bend.
But because the Mercedes system reduces front downforce, that means their car can maintain a consistent balance while also benefiting from the top-speed boost of the DRS.
In qualifying, that allows the Mercedes drivers to travel a much greater distance on a given lap with the DRS open. Which should give them a reasonable percentage of lap-time gain - and therefore a substantial advantage.
But in the race it is a different matter.
For a start, DRS use is limited to the main straight, so the advantage gained in fast corners and on other straights in qualifying is no longer there.
On top of that, a specific characteristic of the system could hurt Mercedes's chances.
When the DRS closes, because there is a volume of air in the system, the rear downforce comes back on to the car quicker than the front downforce.
It might only be a 10th of a second or so - but it does mean the rear of the car is stable earlier. That's a good thing for braking stability.
But in the race the system will only be used rarely and therefore the aerodynamic characteristics of the car on corner entry will be quite different - and use the rear tyres more aggressively because the rear will be moving around more.
So I can see the system allowing them to knock on the door of pole position in qualifying - but hurting the rear tyres in the race.
That is exactly the problem Mercedes had in Australia last weekend.
I don't understand. Why would the rear move around more in the race? I would think in the race it would move around less. Because:raymondu999 wrote:Gary Anderson wrote: But in the race the system will only be used rarely and therefore the aerodynamic characteristics of the car on corner entry will be quite different - and use the rear tyres more aggressively because the rear will be moving around more.
So I can see the system allowing them to knock on the door of pole position in qualifying - but hurting the rear tyres in the race.
That is exactly the problem Mercedes had in Australia last weekend.
Yeah, but that's the same for everyone.e30ernest wrote:Possibly due to the added weight of fuel.
Is it the first time that the turning vanes have this horizontal FW-ish section at the end?Crucial_Xtreme wrote:New driver cooling duct & good look at suspension & turning vanes. Right click>view image
You can't change the car setup between Quali and Race (apart from those adjustments allowed in race). So there are two set-ups ; one that's optimum for hot lapping with DRS open whenever you want and one for racing when DRS is open in rare circumstances. Gary suggests that the car balance is sub-optimal for race and hence heavier on tyres.NewtonMeter wrote: I don't understand. Why would the rear move around more in the race? I would think in the race it would move around less. Because:
- In Qualy, the DRS will be open more often, therefore less downforce (front and rear), therefore more degradation.
- In race, the DRS will be open less, therefore more downforce, therefore less degradation.
I honestly don't see what the DRS (front and rear) has to do with their degradation. When the system is closed, it should function exactly like any other car.
