WORK IN PROGRESS
The new Mercedes front wing is an evolution deriving from last year’s concept; it features arched tunnels on the outer sections, aimed at generating vortices to push the front wheel’s dirty wake.
That said, its design is bound to change, like other areas on the car. “The car in essence from now until Melbourne will change all the aerodynamic surfaces,” Costa added.
Mercedes is wont to add new developments throughout the season, as highlighted by last year’s serrated bargeboards and S-duct.
The team has kept the system on its W08 and the installation does not seem to have changed much: two air inlets have been pierced on each side of the lower under-nose area. However, the outlet has been more significantly split into two separate ducts with the Pitot tube in between, like on the 2016-spec McLaren.
One can also notice the sleek work made on the vertical fins placed ahead of the rearview mirrors, which now house a thermal camera to watch tyre temperatures). The floor slots ahead of the rear tyres are also more pronounced.
Mercedes, which saw Paddy Lowe leave the team but has gained James Allison over the winter, appears to have produced another tightly neat package featuring original solutions from its factories in Brixworth and Brackley.
Will the W08 fare as well as its illustrious predecessors? The first answers will come in Melbourne.
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