MERCEDES ALREADY GEARING UP FOR MEXICO
With the returning Mexican Grand Prix taking place at a higher altitude (where the air has less oxygen), Mercedes sampled a new cooling package at Austin, running it on Nico Rosberg’s W06 during Friday free practice.
In order to make up for Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’ lower atmospheric pressure, the turbocharger will need to spin at a higher speed, which will put the internals under more strain and increase temperatures. This is the reason why the now double world champions have added two ear-shaped inlets on each side of the airbox. These extra gills feed cooling air to a new radiator – placed behind the ERS cooler – whose function remains unclear at the moment.
What’s more, Mercedes’ rear suspension design featured widened openings in an effort to optimise the circulation of cooling air underneath the car.
Last but not least, after Rosberg had to retire from the Russian Grand Prix with a throttle pedal damper issue, both W06s were fitted with a revamped version of the component at Circuit of the Americas.
