Mercedes W15 sidepod design under the microscope after US GP introduction

The team that brought the most notable improvements last weekend in Texas was undoubtedly Mercedes.

Although his weekend didn’t go as planned, with just seven points in the sprint and eight in the main race, the newly redesigned W15 still managed to show plenty of untapped potential. It’s clear that Mercedes is trying hard to close the gap with its rivals, and these improvements could be a crucial step in the right direction. So what exactly has Mercedes changed in its car? Let’s take a closer look at the technical upgrades and see how they plan to turn that potential into performance.

Mercedes finally adopts overbite sidepod intakes

The most significant change to the W15 is the addition of the popular overbite sidepod inputs. This design trend, originally set by Red Bull earlier this season, has now been adopted by other teams. While there were rumors of Mercedes implementing this feature, it took longer than expected to apply this design philosophy to the W15.

An overbite inlay has a longer top edge compared to the rest of the inlay. This approach aims to improve airflow at the top of the sidepod, directing it to crucial aerodynamic components at the rear of the car. With this design, airflow is easier to control and can be directed more efficiently to the rear elements of the car.

Also, at certain speeds, air struggles to enter the sidepod due to increased pressure at the inlet. The extended top edge prevents excess air from passing over the sidepod, pushing it down into the undercut region. This gives engineers more control over the flow of clean and dirty air.

The general shape of the intake remains largely the same, although it is now narrower, allowing for a more pronounced undercut. This increase in space is probably the most extreme compared to other equipment, resulting in a smaller internal side area and a probably more complex cooling system layout.

However, the increased space under the sides of the car allows for better airflow to the diffuser and beam wing, as well as better control of the raw air from the rear wheels.

These changes are accompanied by adjustments to the geometry of the engine cover, visible from the rear of the car. It seems that an optimal way to improve the cooling of the power unit has been found, probably influenced by the changes to the sidepod inlets.

A new Mercedes W15 front spoiler also arrives

Mercedes has also redesigned its front spoiler, a crucial element in shaping the airflow that follows it. The goal is to better integrate these upgrades with the front of the car. If we recall, Mercedes found their form earlier this season after introducing a new front wing in Monaco, which led to several race wins.

Although the redesign is not as radical as before, it still affects the aerodynamics of the car. One of the front wing changes includes an added element, a spacer between the last and last fin. In addition, the edge of the end plate now includes another aerodynamic element, probably intended to improve the side wash effect.

The side-wash effect of the front wing is critical because it controls dirty air from the front wheels, away from the car and key aerodynamic components.

Although unconfirmed, it is speculated that Mercedes (and other teams) may have also worked on the wing flex, given that the FIA ​​has come under even greater scrutiny of late.

Mercedes W15: What does the data show?

The sprint qualifying session in Austin showed the first positive signs of these new upgrades. Lewis Hamilton was the fastest in the first sector, while George Russell set the fastest time in the second.

This highlighted the strength of the W15 on the straights and the fast corners of the first sector. In this session, Russell also recorded the highest top speed of the weekend at 330 km/h. This trend continued as Mercedes generally had very high top speeds throughout the weekend.

However, things took a turn for the worse later in the weekend. During Saturday’s sprint race, it was clear that they were behind Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull on race pace. Unfortunately for them, that trend continued into Sunday, with Hamilton eliminated early in Q1 and Russell involved in an incident. The W15 seemed unstable and difficult to drive.

A key indicator that something was wrong was Hamilton’s unusual crash early in the race, where he completely lost control and was forced to retire. It’s rare to see such mistakes from a driver of Hamilton’s caliber, suggesting the car will still need more stability at the rear, despite the upgrades.

Engineers often need time to adjust the car’s balance in line with new aerodynamic upgrades. To make things difficult, there was only one free practice session in Austin, which left limited time to collect data.

The next two races in Mexico and Brazil could be better suited to the current characteristics of the W15. In Mexico, the thinner air will greatly affect the aerodynamics, so the main task of the engineers will be to find the right balance and extract the maximum downforce.

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