MERCEDES ALREADY TRYING UPGRADES FOR SPAIN
Remaining true to its aero philosophy of segmentation (highlighted by the W floor comprising six vanes and nine fins), Mercedes has fragmented the endplate of the W07 front wing. Instead of being a single element, the upper edge branches off into three winglets that help control the airflow around the tyre.
However, this evolution has not actually been tested on track and should debut when the European leg of the season starts next week in Spain. One will remember that Mercedes had added a triangular fin on the outer face of the front brake ducts in China. For Sochi, the two-time Constructors’ champions pushed the outlet backwards and changed the designed of the fences that prevent pieces of debris and tyre rubber from entering the brake ducts and affecting the callipers.
As mentioned earlier, Mercedes engine engineers at Brixworth also used two engine development tokens on the fuel system. Their customer teams – Williams, Force India, and Manor – also benefitted from the upgrade, which came along with a new engine oil supplied by Petronas.
