If Mercedes left Sepang with extra questions than solutions, the Singapore Grand Prix weekend lastly offered the engineering workforce with the primary actual clues to unlocking their new bundle. Though it was a dash weekend, the reopening of parc ferme and the choice to separate configurations between the 2 drivers provided a useful alternative to experiment and collect important information.
The information can be analysed in the course of the break forward of Austin, with one key purpose: understanding precisely why the bundle launched in Malaysia hasn’t correctly labored as anticipated, regardless of the potential to extract. Mercedes has now confirmed an important piece of the puzzle, explaining that the upgrades shifted the automotive’s aerodynamic stability, making the W17 considerably harder to drive.
Whereas the brand new bundle achieved its major goal of accelerating total downforce, as proven by means of Malaysia’s high-speed sections, it additionally uncovered an surprising weak spot. The upgrades shifted the W17’s aerodynamic stability too far ahead, unsettling the automotive and considerably narrowing its working window.
“I feel, should you wished to only take the primary order of the issue, we wished to ship extra efficiency with extra downforce. And we’ve got measured extra downforce on the automotive,” defined Mercedes deputy technical director Simone Resta on the workforce’s Nu Silver Arrows Radio Present podcast.
“Sadly, it isn’t a black and white downside. It isn’t zero one. It is a very gray setting with a number of variables. And I feel we delivered the downforce however maybe we’ve not delivered the identical degree of downforce in each single working level of the automotive on the observe. And that’s then beginning to alter just a little bit the stability of the automotive within the situation, after which the motive force has to adapt.”
The stability has shifted towards the front-end
To some extent, a shift in stability was to be anticipated given the extent of the ground and sidepod adjustments launched in Sepang. The true challenge, nonetheless, was that whereas Mercedes efficiently unlocked the extra downforce it had been concentrating on, these positive factors weren’t delivered constantly throughout the total vary of working circumstances, opposite to expectations. In consequence, the engineers struggled greater than standard to determine a set-up able to extracting the total potential of the up to date W17.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Picture by: Alastair Staley / LAT Photos by way of Getty Photos
“There are some things we have to kind out, particularly as a result of we are inclined to see a automotive with extra stability than earlier than. Stronger entrance, even maybe a bit greater than we anticipated. So due to this fact, it is advisable to re-centre the window we function the automotive. And it is taking a while,” added Resta, emphasising that there’s nonetheless untapped potential within the new specification.
This implies Mercedes now has to method each set-up and driving necessities otherwise to unlock the automotive’s potential, whereas the W17 has develop into much less forgiving and more durable to drive when working exterior its supreme window. There’s extra efficiency to unlock, however accessing it constantly has develop into a much more complicated job and the shift in stability has additionally made the automotive more durable to drive.
Throughout the first half of the season, one of many W17’s strengths was its steady rear finish, notably in traction-limited conditions. That energy usually made Mercedes aggressive and the benchmark at stop-and-go tracks, not solely because of its energy unit but in addition due to its skill to place energy down successfully on nook exit from low-speed corners.
The rear is much less steady below braking and this variation the method
Nevertheless, the stability shift has additionally compelled adjustments in driving method. Antonelli, specifically, has at all times favoured an aggressive method to nook entry, aiming to minimise the gap by means of the nook, achieve time on the apex and getting again on the throttle as early as attainable.
That method labored brilliantly up thus far, partly as a result of the earlier specification offered a steady rear finish that remained settled below braking, permitting him to assault nook entry. The brand new bundle, nonetheless, modified a number of the W17’s key traits and that stability.
In consequence, the drivers have needed to adapt their method each at turn-in and thru the mid-corner part. Unsurprisingly, Antonelli reported persistent mid-corner understeer throughout each the Malaysia and Singapore weekends, stemming from an incapability to rotate the automotive as cleanly as he would love on entry. That compromised his line by means of the apex and delayed throttle utility on nook exit.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Picture by: Clive Mason / Getty Photos
A narrower window, however there’s extra potential to extract
To compensate for that understeer, drivers are left with two decisions: enhance steering enter, which locations extra load on the entrance tyres, or use the throttle to rotate the automotive at mid-corner, one thing that was ceaselessly seen in Sepang. Nevertheless, on a scorching and abrasive observe, nonetheless, the latter method comes at a value, because it accelerates rear tyre overheating and degradation. In consequence, the up to date W17 struggled significantly greater than standard in Sepang’s low-speed corners.
It due to this fact got here as little shock that, as soon as parc ferme restrictions had been lifted after the dash race in Singapore, Mercedes shifted in the direction of a considerably completely different set-up in comparison with the primary a part of the weekend. The route chosen for qualifying and the race in the end paid off, looking for a extra steady rear finish.
Early indications of this had already emerged in the course of the moist dash: “The automotive was overbalanced initially, fairly oversteer-y, tough to drive. Because the entrance tyres wore down, out of the blue we discovered a a lot happier automotive stability. After which from there, Kimi out of the blue was popping up with inexperienced and purple sectors and beginning to match the tempo of the leaders,” stated deputy workforce principal Bradley Lord.
The development was additionally evident on the timing sheets. Regardless of slower observe circumstances on Saturday, Antonelli was one in all solely two drivers within the prime 10, alongside Hamilton, to enhance on his Friday qualifying time. Most of that achieve was present in sector two, essentially the most technical a part of the lap, the place the set-up adjustments gave him the boldness to push more durable and unlock extra of the up to date W17’s potential.
For Austin, Mercedes will re-introduce the entrance wing examined throughout Singapore observe, aiming to recalibrate the bundle, widen the working window, and extract the potential from the automotive the automotive: “We simply need to re-centre the window. We simply have to transform mechanically the automotive, making an attempt to tweak a couple of of the traits that we’re seeing with these packets on the automotive,” stated Resta.
We wish to hear from you!
Tell us what you wish to see from us sooner or later.
– The Autosport.com Crew
