Given that the German manufacturer still retains data from pre-season testing, when it took to the track with its wider sidepods, what happens this weekend at the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix will be critical to understanding if they need to change the concept of the car. current.
After a day of filming at Paul Ricard last Wednesday, where the team revealed little about its plans for Barcelona, the importance of these modifications was revealed on Thursday when George Russell’s car arrived at the Catalan pitlane .
When Mercedes unloaded the W13 from its transporter truck at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, it was immediately apparent that the team had some new tricks up its sleeve.
Looking closely at the images, Mercedes has followed the example of Aston Martin, the same one that Ferrari and Red Bull had already bet on, by introducing their own ‘bib wing ‘ designs.
Located between the keel and the bottom of the chassis is a fin (red arrow), which also appears to stretch a bit more than the previous configuration.
Aerodynamicists are using these wings as a system to better manage the airflow that circulates in this region of the car.
The vortices they create are used to modify the characteristics of the vortices that are created at the edge of the bib below, which is narrower due to this year’s new technical rules.
One of the big problems with the W13 so far has been porpoising and the role that your floor design plays in the negative effects that occur.
For Spain, the team revised the design of the bottom edges, adding a scythe-edged fin that is attached at three points along its length by metal brackets.
The shape of the ground along the wing edge has also been changed to incorporate it, with a more pronounced raised section visible before it blends into the pattern of the bottom region ahead of the rear tyre. This has also been modified, but it doesn’t seem to be that much improved.
The team is also looking to reduce the weight of the car by any means necessary, as after removing the rear wing and wheel deflectors in Miami, the team has not returned to its original design.
It’s not a huge saving in kilos, but the removal of some of the paint will also help it get closer to the minimum weight established by the Formula 1 regulations in 2022.
