First look: Mercedes to debut new F1 front wing at US Grand Prix – Autosport

Share Article

A new front wing will feature in Austin that not only has a revised design in the outboard section, where the flaps meet with the endplate, it also has some interesting flow diverters mounted between the two upper flaps.
This appears to be an interesting take on the slot gap separators that the teams are allowed to use to prevent the assembly from flexing too much and, as the name would suggest, prevent the slot gap between the flaps from separating too much.
The regulations permit teams to use eight of these slot gap separators on either side of the front wing assembly, with Mercedes having previously used three of the more conventional horseshoe separators to connect the two uppermost flaps to one another, with the remaining five allocated to the lowermost flaps.
Those five separators remain in their previous positions on this build of the wing, suggesting that Mercedes has found a different interpretation to allow for the five new ‘outwash’ generating separators mounted between the two upper flaps.
While it’s not new for teams to use the slot gap separators in such a way that they can have an influence on the local flow, with many teams angling them in order to divert the airflow, the separators seen on the W13 are clearly more robust and will play an influential role in moving the airflow across the face of the front tyre.
Mercedes W13 front wing endplate detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The other interesting design feature of these slot gap separators is that where they connect to the two flaps they are orientated at a different angle to the exposed section on top of the wing, enabling them to support different flow structures both above and below the flaps.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen Mercedes dabble with this sort of design either, as the W07 from 2016  employed a row of vortex-inducing strikes on the upper flap in an effort to improve outwash, even though they had more aerodynamic furniture at their disposal in that regulatory era.
Taking advantage of the new slot gap separators, the team has also revised the design of the front wing’s outboard section, with alterations made to the shape of the flaps and how they connect to the endplate.
Given that Mercedes has the most novel design in this region to help with outwash, it’s no surprise that it needs to optimise its design in order to work in conjunction with the new separators.
Bottas: Alfa Romeo ‘needs to score’ to keep P6 after early mileage losses bite
Red Bull in discussions with FIA over cost cap Accepted Breach Agreement
How brake designs could explain the Red Bull/Ferrari tyre differences
How latest changes are helping charge Aston Martin’s F1 fight back
Ferrari’s latest F1 floor tweaks revealed in Japan
Hamilton: Important I “gee everyone up” at Mercedes for 2023 F1 fightback
Mercedes: W13 F1 car upgrades for United States GP about learning for 2023
The trait Vandoorne rediscovered to claim Formula E’s era-ending title
F1 to launch female-only series for younger drivers
Formula 1 is planning to introduce its own female-only championship as early as 2023 – and sources insist it will not be a direct rival to the W Series.
Sargeant closes on Williams race seat with solid Austin F1 debut
Logan Sargeant strengthened his claim to a 2023 Williams Formula 1 drive with a faultless FP1 debut in Austin, calling his first F1 outing “very different than what I expected”.
F1 team bosses meet Brad Pitt as film project takes off
Formula 1 team bosses have met with Brad Pitt and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer to hear about plans for the forthcoming film based around the championship.
Hyundai perplexed by double WRC hybrid drama for Tanak on Rally Spain
Hyundai Motorsport has been left perplexed by hybrid issues that afflicted two different units in Ott Tanak’s World Rally Championship challenger during Friday’s stages at Rally Spain.
The father-and-son team pushing boundaries with F1’s newest locations
Exactly half of the 24 tracks featured on the 2023 Formula 1 calendar, in one way or another, bear the fingerprints of Hermann Tilke and his company. From clean-sheet designs to modernisation of existing layouts, Tilke – now working with his son Carsten – is F1’s go-to architect. OLEG KARPOV stopped by the company’s Aachen HQ to find out what goes into creating new tracks – including next year’s hotly anticipated Las Vegas venue
The unavoidable element that all F1 drivers need to rise above
Formula 1’s biggest talents can lean heavily on their ability but, without a slice of luck, results won’t go in their favour. And Lady Luck has played her role this season in helping one driver start an F1 career – but, equally, put an early end to several drivers’ title aspirations
The 10 steps Ferrari needs to take for the Prancing Horse to be stable
Max Verstappen most likely would have won the 2022 Formula 1 world championship even without Ferrari’s blunders and miscues. The team has much to work on if it’s to mount a challenge in the years ahead
The wheeler-dealer moves that secured Tyrrell and Stewart’s F1 union
Tyrrell broke into Formula 1 with a powerful merger of Matra chassis and Ford-Cosworth engine, allied to the sublime skills of Jackie Stewart. As MAURICE HAMILTON reveals, it was a successful combination
Why Verstappen and Leclerc can bust a myth about early F1 coronations
OPINION: Having clinched the 2022 world title in Japan, Max Verstappen reckons the pressure is off heading into the final four races. But there is still plenty at stake both in terms of pride and, more significantly, potential history-in-the-making that means Red Bull’s leading man and Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc will be all guns blazing as usual this weekend in Austin
The “borderline” team compromise that staved off an F1 crisis
Formula 1’s budget cap was heralded as a radical advance, the saviour of smaller teams, and the pathway to a brighter commercial future for all. So why were so many teams so keen to either break it or negotiate a raise? As MARK GALLAGHER reveals, it’s not just about the cost of crash repairs
Mika Hakkinen: An F1 life in pictures
At the turn of the century Formula 1 became the Mika and Michael show as Mika Hakkinen claimed two world championships by going wheel-to-wheel with Michael Schumacher. Over a collection of images from his F1 career, the Flying Finn shares some cherished memories with MAURICE HAMILTON about his route to the top, annoying Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, and that overtake in Spa…
The one thing that can’t be sacrificed amid Red Bull’s F1 overspend controversy
OPINION: The FIA revealed this week that Red Bull breached Formula 1’s cost cap, throwing the team into controversy. But why did its calculation put it several million dollars below the cost cap limit when the FIA deemed it to be over? And what will the governing body do as a sanction? What happens next could have vital implications for the very future of the world championship

source

You might also like

Surviving 2nd wave of corona
COVID-19

Surviving The 2nd Wave of Corona

‘This too shall pass away’ this famous Persian adage seems to be defeating us again and again in the case of COVID-19. Despite every effort

@voguewellness