F1 News: Mercedes Rear End Worries Addressed On For 2024- "Performance In The Corners"
Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed major aspects of the W15 that have been addressed for this coming season. This includes a better rear-end section for better cornering performance.
The technical team has put a lot of hard work into Mercedes' new car after struggling for two years under the new regulations of the ground effect era. Ahead of the season start, Allison has pinpointed key areas that have been improved on the car - most of which were highlighted by drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
After the W15 was unveiled at Silverstone on Wednesday, Allison spoke of the what the drivers could expect from a new chassis, gearbox design, pushrod suspension, plus a host of other aerodynamic upgrades. Speaking on the primary areas of concern, he told the media:
“A big focus has been on improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle, which the drivers often referred to as spiteful.
“We have worked on that to try and create a car that is reassuring to the drivers.
“At the beginning of a corner when you're hard on the brakes and turning in, the rear needs to feel rock solid. And then as you get towards the apex, the car needs to feel progressively more nimble, and eager, to turn. We have been trying to build that into the car.”
Cost Limitations
One challenge for the team was the cost cap limit. Allison explained that it was crucial not to overshoot the cost ceiling since the W15 received a new gearbox and chassis - two very expensive pieces of development. He added:
“A new chassis and a gearbox were standard for every year, pre-cost cap, and there'll be several other teams who have done both things in a single year.
“But the cost cap does force you to pick and choose your battles, and there's no doubt that having a new outer casing as well as at the same time as having a new chassis are two big projects that are going to take a chunk of our available firepower. That is what we have done this year.
“It does mean that in other parts of the car we have not tried to reinvent the wheel. But it has allowed us to undertake a couple of big projects without breaking the bank and we believe that this is a good and important use of our efforts.”
Enhanced Aero
In addition to the upgrades, the technical director explained other changes to the aerodynamics and DRS. He said:
“We’ve also worked hard to create a less draggy car, and to add performance in the corners.
“There’s also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pitstop performance.
“We were always very good at delivering a pitstop in a repeatable time, which is the key thing for a pitstop. The repeatable time that we could do our pitstops in was still three to four tenths slower than the best teams, though. So hopefully we will have moved in the right direction there.”
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