The dangers of the 'ground effect' Why do cars bounce so much this year?
Ferrari and its creative risks A radical nose and a peculiar 'bathtub'
Carlos Sainz "F1 is beautiful this year"
Just two weeks ago, in the corridors of Montmeló people whispered suspiciously about Mercedes.
His main adversaries, Red Bull and Ferrari, were beginning to give credence to the hypothesis that the car shown by
Toto Wolff
's team was simply an outline of what was to come.
And the rumors were confirmed today, during the first day of testing in Bahrain, where the Silver Arrows stunned the entire
paddock.
Even in full preseason, a shiver ran through the 2022 World Cup: if the International Federation (FIA) approves these radical aerodynamic measures, it will be very difficult to follow in the wake of the W13.
The groundbreaking proposal from
Mike Elliott , who took over from
James Allison
as technical director at the Brackley and Brixworth factories
last July , marks another great leap forward for Mercedes.
The key to this design is based on an extreme reduction of the lateral pontoons.
With this measure, which aims to optimize the possibilities of ground effect, they could multiply the aerodynamic flow of the car, also improving the performance of the rear diffuser and the flat bottom.
Early in the morning at Shakir,
Lewis Hamilton
took the controls of his brand new car, with the aim of completing as many laps as possible.
Of course, the heat of the Bahrain desert is the best testing ground, since the great challenge for this radical concept will be to withstand the high temperatures.
Right now, nobody seems to understand how the engine made by
Hywel Thomas
can be cooled with those pipes almost reduced to the minimum expression.
"Violates the spirit of the rule"
Waiting for a more or less definitive explanation, the truth is that Red Bull has already accused the blow.
"The new Mercedes violates the spirit of the rule. We consider that some parts of your car are illegal," said
Christian Horner
, as soon as he saw it on the asphalt.
However, the Austrian team only took a few minutes to rectify the statements of its own boss to the German newspaper
Auto Motor Und Sport
.
The subsequent statement, where they assure that they will not speak more about this subject in the future, speaks of the climate of nervousness in the environment of the reigning champion,
Max Verstappen
.
In any case, Mercedes still needs to resolve as soon as possible the annoying pitching to which its car is subjected, especially in the fastest parts of the circuit.
The origin of this rattle can also be attributed to ground effect, the backbone of all aerodynamic changes.
Whoever eliminates this
porpoising first
, as
Carlos Sainz
warned in Barcelona, can start the World Cup with a great advantage over the rest.
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