The tests are an opportunity to get the first answers on the performance of the cars and the quality of some projects. Among the cars that still leave big question marks is the Mercedes W15.
A single-seater that immediately showed particular solutions and even extreme choices, such as the front wing, which the FIA deemed legal but is still under examination in terms of ‘regulatory spirit’.
On the track, according to its drivers, the W15 proved to be a more drivable car than the previous one, without the very harmful aerodynamic bouncing, even if the chronometric results are far from decipherable.
Mercedes W15: A brand new mechanical platform
After testing a higher load rear wing, Mercedes today introduced a significant and unprecedented change to the W15.
One of the foundations for having a competitive car in this regulatory cycle is to have a platform that is as stable as possible. Hence, the even greater importance compared to the previous generation of cars in having a mechanical platform with certain characteristics.
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about anti-dive at the front and anti-squat at the rear, something necessary precisely to ensure that the aerodynamic platform remains as stable as possible, especially in all transients.
Over the winter, Mercedes worked to give its drivers a much more balanced car than the previous one, which allows them to push without unwanted surprises.
This was one of the development objectives pursued by the technical team led by James Allison, together with the improvement of the chronic instability at the rear of the W14, as well as aerodynamic efficiency.
A new rear suspension, with a push rod scheme, was thus introduced on the 2024 single-seater. On this generation of cars, the strut configuration at the rear has an aerodynamic advantage over the tie rod configuration, as the internal elements can be mounted higher.
This allows for a much more aggressive design in the front part of the transmission and allows for the possibility of having less aerodynamic block in a crucial area of the single-seater, i.e. at the mouth of the diffuser, leaving room for new avenues of development and further potential to be extracted from the bottom .
Mercedes W15: Front suspension has massive anti-dive adjustment!
During the presentation of the W15, Mercedes showed something that looked like it could be a rendering error, as the car had two rear upper triangle arms, coloured red and green in the previous image.
It clearly was, as the technical regulation does not allow such a technical solution, even if, in reality, there was something sensational and real.
On the third and final day of pre-season testing, Mercedes lowered the rear arm of the upper suspension triangle, seeking a much more extreme anti-dive effect than that used in the first two days of testing.
All frames are designed to have a mount in that area that allows for a small adjustment to the suspension geometry.
However, Mercedes has pushed this aggressively with a plate that allows the height of the rear arm to be moved by several centimetres. What has been revealed thus explains what the former world champion team showed in the launch renderings of its car.
Author: Piergiuseppe Donadoni
Translation: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
