By Carlo Platella
Other small news from Mercedes arrive in Montreal. New changes make their debut in the front end area on the W15, combining with the new front wing introduced in Monaco. All this fits into the philosophy of gradual development carried out in Brackley, preferring small targeted interventions to large development packageswith the ultimate goal of widening the operating window of the Silver Arrow.
The news
The changes made to the car consist of a realignment of the steering arm fairings and the lower triangle of the front suspension. Although inconspicuous, it is interesting how the team chooses to intervene on the front end of the car structure the flows differently which spread downstream, affecting the bottom and sides. Presumably, the flow correction had already started two weeks ago with the newly developed front wing introduced in Monaco.
The Monegasque wing represents a change of concept for Mercedes, which at the beginning of the year was presented with an atypical wing, characterized by a large fixed section of the profiles, the last of which was thinned to the point of bordering on a thread to trigger another vortex near the nose. The wing brought to Monte Carlo follows a more traditional approach, but continues to be shrouded in mystery. In fact, in the Principality it was only Russell who raced with the new specification, while in the first free practice sessions in Canada both drivers ran with the old version.
Balance to improve
So far the W15’s performance has been affected by balance problems, with the car unable to convert the many load points gained compared to last year onto the clock. The team encountered difficulty balancing the car when transitioning from slow to fast corners, something that became evident between the Miami and Imola races. “In the last few races we have had clear indications that the car was fast either in slow or fast speeds, but never in both areas together. It’s something we are now slowly addressing”, commented Toto Wolff after the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
“What we’re seeing in the car now is, rather than miracle upgrades, these little improvements we’re making they are improving the balance of the car”. The Team Principal confirms a different approach to development from that of past seasons, now based on small updates brought consistently to each race. A philosophy that is bearing fruit: “We are on a trajectory where we are improving the car”confirms Wolff.
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