Cllr Sam S Collins Profile picture
Feb 18, 2022 23 tweets 12 min read Read on X
World Champion @MercedesAMGF1 launched its new #F1 car the #W13 during Storm Eunice at Silverstone earlier today. Tech thread. #MercedesAMGF1
The long wheelbase, and indeed the whole concept of the W11/W12 has been replaced as a result of the new rules this year, so don’t expect much carry over. Compared to last year the team has stated that only the steering wheel remains the same.
At first glance the nose and front wing looks quite conventional, but so far the Mercedes is the only car with a nose tip meeting the leading edge of the forward most front wing element. Most other cars have it a little set back, or only meeting the second element
I wonder what sits behind this panel in the nose (the driver cooling slot sits at the very tip of the nose in the black painted section)
Looking at the wing in more detail it is notable how much it thins out and drops down at the inner edge, something we have not seen on other cars. It also flattens out a lot at the outer edge.
The front wing end plate strake is a little flatter compared to that seen on the show car, but fairly similar.
Mercedes has opted for push rod front suspension on the W13 - more about the reasoning on this
A look at the front brake ducts, which seem to be split into four internal segments, likely feeding different parts of the brake system.
Mercedes seems to be part of the trend for small boxy sidepod inlet ducts, but like Aston Martin the bodywork just alongside the outer edge of the duct is swept backwards.
Low drag mirrors are a feature of the Mercedes, for more on that concept have a look at this link but the real interest is in the mirror supports.
The wing mirror ‘support’ is clearly part of the aerodynamic package in this area and essentially extends the shape of the leading edge of the sidepod rearward. Note how this shape dips down just above the P of Petronas.
As the launch car was in ‘ready to run’ condition we got the first proper look at the leading edge of the floor and the elements of the car at the underfloor tunnel entry. Note the shape of the protruding elements.
Various sensors were fitted to the car, again showing that this car was launched ‘ready’ to run. Note the way the outer face of the floor edge drops down abruptly.
The leading edge of the floor of the W13 is fascinating, and its ‘wobbly’ outer edge will have the attention of a lot of rival teams. It looks to be a similar to the approach used by the team in 2021 as well as that used by Aston Martin.
At the rear the floor looks a little less complex than some examples seen so far, it may be that Mercedes has a different philosophy in this area or there is still more to come. Note the rear brake cooling duct.
The rear suspension has a pull rod layout. I’m not certain what the exposed cable is in this picture, my first thought was that it is a wheel tether but perhaps the orange colour could suggest that it is related to the high voltage system
The roll hoop of the car looks largely similar in concept to the W11 as expected, where the A shape is the structural part, the curved section is a cooling duct. Note the sensors in the duct. The A shape might be slightly taller and narrower on the new car.
The launch car had the small jagged windscreen we have seen on most recent Mercedes designs.
Interestingly there appears to be no hump on the bodywork to accommodate the wide Mercedes V6 plenum. The removable panel could possibly be switched for outlet gills.
More parts have been changed for the 2022 Power Unit than on any previous iterations since the introduction of the V6 Turbos in 2014. Note how long and flat the rear section of the engine cover appears to be when viewing from the side, this shape likely houses the plenum bulge.
The rear wing has a single support pylon, thought to be a lower drag option than the twin supports used by some teams. The wing itself raises up and flattens out in the centre section. Note the dipping shape on the outer edge.
There is a lot more interest in this car to be uncovered I suspect, as usual we have seen almost nothing of the rear of the car. This is the best view I've seen.
Well for now thats it, but this is another very interesting car! @F1 this year is going to be a lot of fun.

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More from @NorthHertsSam

Feb 19
The Red Bull RB20 is something of a mystery machine, despite having been shaken down at Silverstone a while ago very few pictures of it are in circulation at the moment. Short tech observation thread.
#F1Testing #F12024 #F1 #RB20 Image
While Red Bull did issue some launch renders these are never particularly reliable sources, so I’m not going to use those much here. Image
Despite having already had a shakedown Red Bull did hold a proper launch for the RB20, though how much of the car that was revealed is actually the true RB20 is unclear. Despite this let’s take a closer look. Image
Read 19 tweets
Feb 12
Aston Martin issued a few low quality renders of its 2024 F1 car, the #AMR24, before taking the real thing out on track at Silverstone - so here is a Technical Observations Thread. #F1 #AstonMartin #F12024 Image
Aston Martin claim that the team hope to be fully in the development fight this season, last year the team’s development stalled out badly and the AMR23 became less competitive.
Starting at the front of the car the AMR24 features a new approach with its nose tip, which picks up on the second element of the front wing, rather than the leading element as was the case on the AMR23.
Image
Image
Read 18 tweets
Feb 12
The RB team (previously known as Alpha Tauri, Toro Rosso and Minardi), launched its latest F1 car recently. So here is a Technical Observations Thread. #F1 #F12024 #VCARB01 Image
The VCARB01 was developed in the Red Bull wind tunnel, at the old RAE Bedford facility in England, it utilised the oldest wind tunnel in the UK - more on that here -
Starting at the front of the car the shape of the nose tip is notable in that it seems to have largely carried over from the AT04. Meeting the leading element of the front wing, note the NACA style driver cooling inlet.
Image
Image
Read 23 tweets
Feb 9
Alpine was the first F1 team to reveal an actual 2024 car releasing some images of the car at its UK factory. The Alpine A524 - it is the fifth Alpine #F1 car design. Tech observations thread. I only do these when there is a real car to look at - so far Alpine is the only one! Image
At first glance the car seems to have a lot in common with the late season A523, but according to the team the new car is a “brand-new concept created for the next two seasons.” This may suggest that the chassis may carry over into next season. Image
The team continues to state that the A524 “is marked by innovative solutions as a result of learnings from previous iterations. The bold approach will allow the team to apply a stronger development path across the next two campaigns before the radical change in technical regs”
Read 28 tweets
Jul 8, 2023
A question we get all the time on #F1Live is why do @WilliamsRacing not have the dash display on the steering wheel like everyone else - very short thread to answer that:

#F1 #BritishGP
I put that question to @paddylowe when he was in charge at Williams - this is what he told me: "I don’t actually remember the history of how all the other teams migrated to having the dash on the steering wheel, or indeed why they did it"....
"It was probably driven by the drivers saying they wanted that, it was a trend or a fashion that started somewhere – some of these things are just a fashion not for any technical merit. I never really got it, for me the right place for the dashboard is on the car, not the wheel"

Read 8 tweets
Feb 15, 2023
Ferrari launched its 2023 #F1 car yesterday, and ran it for the first time on the Fiorano circuit after the formal launch. Looking over the initial photos I thought I’d share some thoughts and observations in this Tech Thread. #Ferrari #F12023 Image
Starting at the front Ferrari has changed its nose concept, with the blunter tip no longer meeting the forward most wing element as was the case with the F1-75 (shown for comparison). Instead it joins the second element, while the leading edge has a noticeable dip in the centre. ImageImage
The nose tip has a rectangular driver cooling slot, note the small circular fastener below it. There is a pocket for ballast in the centre of the leading edge of the front wing element. The NACA style shape of the F1-75 has been dropped. ImageImageImage
Read 30 tweets

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