The mirror for … larks. Mercedes aroused great curiosity with the W13, sparking many doubts about the technical choices that were made by Mark Elliott and James Allison.
“I think there is no doubt that the Mercedes concept was not foreseen, it is a very extreme interpretation of the regulation,” said Ross Brawn. “And I think that, inevitably, there will be a great debate on their interpretation. This is what it happens with the new regulations. And as much as we try to close all the options, and believe me, we have blocked hundreds of them, as I say, the innovation in F1 is always extreme “.
Mercedes W13, detail of the bellies
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The FIA approved the W13 before the trip to Sakhir, as the solutions brought to the track have been extensively reviewed by the technical commissioners headed by Nikolas Tombazis.
And if the Greek, who is the most staunch defender of the new rules, to protect a clean wake that allows the drivers to attempt overtaking while being attached to the car in front, is the sign that Brackley’s ingenious car respects the constraints.
Compared to the car that raced in Barcelona, Mercedes only changed the aerodynamic look, since the W13 seen in Spain had the same chassis and the same mechanics, dressed in a less aggressive and extreme body than the one that was then put on the track. in Bahrain.
In the paddock there was no shortage of protests from those who consider the W13 a single-seater with irregular solutions: the Brackley technicians have done a painstaking job in reducing the size of the bellies that perfectly respect the volumes dictated by the regulations.
And even the mid-wing, as the aerodynamic profile that hulls the anti-intrusion upper cone has been dubbed, respects the dimensions desired by the FIA: the only element that can cause some perplexity are the mirror supports.
The rear view mirror is legal, while they do discuss the five profiles which, combined, cover the area that designers are allowed to extend the support: the mini flaps do not support anything at all and as such can be questioned.
Ferrari SF71H, mirror banned from the 2018 Monaco GP
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Among the first to report the anomaly was Mattia Binotto, Ferrari team principal: in 2018 the Scuderia had been rejected by the FIA a mirror that had a support that was articulated on the Halo of the SF71H, but in fact the Mercedes engineers have gone far beyond.
Eventually all attention will be focused on the support of the mirrors, a detail that the car certainly does not do …
#Mercedes #W13 #mirror #larks