Mercedes is running on all cylinders with the new look of the W13 . The silver arrow is not mechanically new compared to the one that hit the asphalt for three days in Barcelona, but what has changed is the general packaging.
Mark Elliott and James Allison premiered an innovative aerodynamic system in Bahrain, which did not disappoint at all with respect to the expectations that the car had created after the preview of Motorsport.com during the tests in Spain.
The W13 is a single-seater that raises the bar, surprising a “cunning” expert like Ross Brawn. The sporting director of F1 did not expect the extreme aerodynamic solutions devised in Brackley, and the ex-Ferrari was convinced that the new regulations left no room for solutions that would leave him speechless.
And whether he was blown away says a lot about what Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s car will be capable of when the right set-up is found.
Let’s say from the outset that the W13 has been approved by the FIA, the scrutineers were shown the car in a CAD version and no one in Nikolas Tombazis ‘ team objected to the solutions that have been adopted and that have made the car suddenly age. rest of F1 cars with ground effect.
Red Bull is expected to put the first evolved package of the RB18 on the track, and we immediately saw statements about it from Christian Horner, showing how the ingenuity of the Germans always overcomes the limitations of the regulations, taking advantage of the inevitable areas grays that attack the much-cited “spirit of the regulation”.
Details of the bottom of the Mercedes W13
The Mercedes has the pontoons reduced to a minimum to reduce aerodynamic drag. Since more than 50% of the load is generated by the Venturi tunnels under the bottom, the designers have tried to bring the resistance in the bellies to the lowest possible figure.
The W13 goes against the grain of the Ferrari F1-75 , which opted for large side panels, although it does enjoy some gaps at the top. Elliot and Allison, meanwhile, played with the Side Impact Structures (SIS).
The cone that must absorb energy in the event of a side impact was raised by 50mm this year, forcing designers to look for new shapes that move away from the belly with the openings above the cone, introduced by Ferrari in 2017 and later adapted for the rest.
Different aerodynamic solutions of the Mercedes W13
In Brackley they decided to separate the cone from this area, which was located far behind. The anti-intrusion structure was faired with a complex wing shape on which the mirror was placed. The mirror may have a second bracket that Red Bull has turned into a real flow diverter.
Mercedes engineers have gone one step further, breaking this element down into no less than five vortex generators (blue arrow).
They opted for this, probably to divert attention to other parts of the car, giving a clear demonstration of the micro-aerodynamic work that can still be done even with these rules that, in principle, were very restrictive.
The green arrow shows us the slightly arched vertical fin towards the interior of the cockpit, and the red one highlights the two flow diverters that direct the air intended for cooling the power unit.
Narrow and tall radiator of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W13
Rather than being tall and square, the radiator opening is vertical, very narrow and triangular in shape, somewhat reminiscent of a concept that John Barnard had adopted on the Ferrari 640 . The side is very short and widens like a triangle towards the bottom, taking the exact shape of the radiators that are covered by the bodywork.
Gills for cooling the power unit of the Mercedes W13
The striking vertical gills (partially closed in Sakhir) allow heat to escape from the radiators, added to those already presented in Barcelona in the center of the engine cover. Mercedes , therefore, can limit the ventilation at the rear of this area, modifying the openings depending on the temperatures and the characteristics of the circuit.
Mercedes W13: the new bottom, with the large flow diverter
The bottom has been revised, with a large Red Bull-style flow diverter appearing on the rim, while only the six vortices remain on the curb. An eye-catching brace has appeared in front of the rear wheels with the task of limiting the flexing of the bottom.
Comparison of the front wing of Barcelona, above, and that of Sakhir, below, of the Mercedes W13
The front wing is also new compared to the Barcelona one seen above. The second element is less pronounced with a thicker edge, and the design of the adjustable flap is also very different, as it is less arched in the part closer to the nose to ensure more vertical thrust, while trying to increase the effect of washed out on the outside.
The W13 looked like a wild racehorse on the track as Hamilton and Russell had to deal with major porpoising, with a set-up not yet optimized.
