As part of the overhaul of the sidepods that Mercedes introduced to the W13 for this week’s Bahrain pre-season testing, the Brackley -based outfit altered the arrangement of its mirrors.
In that area, the Germans included sculpted supports to help feed aerodynamic flow to the cockpit’s side-impact structures.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto suggested that the Mercedes’ design was questionable because such a part should not represent any aerodynamic advantage: “Regarding the mirrors, I am somewhat surprised.”
“I find them surprising, and it’s something we didn’t expect,” said the Italian. “I think that needs to be reviewed for the future because in the past we’ve argued they shouldn’t have any aerodynamic purpose, they just have to be there to look backwards.
“It seems to me that the way they’ve designed their car, there’s some significant aerodynamic component in the mirrors themselves, and that’s something we need to stop doing, because everyone is going to start making mirrors that look like spaceships.” Binotto stated.
“I don’t think that’s what we’re looking for in Formula 1. I’m not arguing with the idea, they’ve found an interesting solution, but in the spirit of what we intend to do, it’s something we need to discuss,” he continued.
Mercedes W13 Mirror
Although Binotto has doubts about the Mercedes’ mirrors, he says he has no problem with the design of the W13’s sidepods: “First of all, looking at his car, there is no doubt that it is very good, a great concept, quite different from ours. “.
“What is interesting is the arrangement of the pontoons, and about the legality, we have no doubts. It has gone through a process, and the FIA is responsible for monitoring it and making sure it is legal, so I don’t think Mercedes is doing anything. against the rules,” said the Ferrari boss.
What the rules say about F1 mirrors
Teams have long been trying to manipulate the design and position of the mirrors, as they are a mandatory requirement in an aerodynamically important area of the car.
However, the regulations make it clear that the mirrors must be purely structural, with a concept that does not enhance aerodynamics.
According to the technical rules, mirrors are excluded from the specific bodywork regulations, but this means that they fall within the application of article 3.2.2 , which implies that their design must not provide any aerodynamic advantage.
The regulations establish: “The aerodynamic influence of any component of the car that is not considered to be bodywork must be ancillary to its main function. Any design that seeks to maximize said influence is prohibited.”
Although Binotto fears Mercedes’ design opens the door for teams to seek extreme mirror solutions, in the past Ferrari has had to backtrack on some of its own solutions following FIA intervention.
Fernando Alonso, Ferrari F10
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Ferrari SF71H mirror on halo
In 2010 , the Cavallino Prancing , along with other teams, began mounting their mirrors off the pontoons, on top of the vertical flow conditioner.
That raised concerns about visibility and safety, since they vibrated more in that position. The FIA acted quickly and demanded that they be placed back in an area close to the cockpit before the fourth grand prix of the course, in China.
The teams tried their luck again in 2018 , when they decided to mount mirrors on the side of the halo. This was not considered a problem in itself, but the way in which eyebrow-shaped wings were introduced on top of the mirrors, which clearly had an aerodynamic function, set off alarm bells.
The regulatory body allowed the use of these fins at the Spanish Grand Prix, but subsequently banned their use. The two-piece mirrors were part of the design of the 2017 cars, and they performed an interesting function that many teams have taken advantage of in their 2022 designs.
This is because of the way the regulations are written, with teams cleverly re-adapting what is defined as “mirror stem” within the regulations.
Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri AT03
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Mercedes W13 chassis canards
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The two most interesting designs in this regard are those of the AlphaTauri and the Mercedes, both with a series of vortex generators mounted on the outer edge of the sidepod to help control airflow in that region, combined with the mirrors.
