Mercedes hasn’t abjured: the W14 is a single-seater that maintains the concept of zero-pods even if with vents that are no longer triangular, but rectangular and with a belly that is more of a hoof than a side. The Brackley single-seater corrected the errors that had made the W13 uncompetitive, courageously taking various aerodynamic concepts to extremes.
The technicians directed by Mike Elliott, but on this creation we also see the hand of James Allison, the most present when defining the project compared to 2022, have returned to the basic black color, saving weight thanks to the renunciation of the paint.
Mercedes W14
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The black arrow has a new frame that has been highly shaped in the area of the front suspension attachments to develop a nose that has significantly reduced the front section by reducing resistance to forward movement. It no longer has an almost flat triangular shape but is more profiled and has been hollowed out and flared at the bottom. The nose rests on the main profile of the fore wing which is flat except in the central portion where it hints at the shape of a gull’s wing.
Mercedes W14, detail of the nose and front wing
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The leading edge of the wing is slightly raised and descends towards the first flap: the chord of this element is as long as the next one, while the last two are short. The side bulkhead connects to the main profile, while the other three elements are supported only by a small support because the flaps are shorter and curl up earlier to form an interesting channel that enhances the out-wash effect, brilliantly reinterpreting the last year’s solution that the FIA had rejected for 2023. On the outside of the side skirt there is a half-height curved profile that tends to rise.
The front suspension has a push rod layout: the strut does not pivot to the frame at the highest point: the carbon cover that has the task of directing the flows downwards in the direction of the Venturi channels has remained. The upper triangle is very inclined towards the rear for obvious aerodynamic reasons, while the steering arm is aligned with the lower triangle at the bottom.
Mercedes W14, detail of the attachment of the flaps to the side bulkhead
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Mercedes W13, detail of the end plate which was banned at the end of 2023
Photo by: George Piola
The W14 has maintained the characteristic central wing which contains the upper anti-intrusion cone and supports the mirror. The largest mirror by regulation, under which four flow diverters have found space, is anchored to the airfoil with a filiform support, because in reality it is the horizontal support that extends horizontally from the passenger compartment that holds the mirror.
Mercedes W14, detail of the central wing and of the vertical radiator inlets
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The central wing seems less flashy than that of the W13: what is clearly noticeable is the retreat of the attachment point of the radiator vents by a few centimetres. The intention is to move the front wheel and its harmful turbulence away, for greater aerodynamic efficiency.
Unlike all the other F1s that have tried to create a recess under the radiator vents, Mercedes has chosen a design of narrow and vertical cooling air intakes to contain the width of the sides. Last year the belly ended halfway down, while on the W14 it extends towards the rear with a very low profile, to prevent the flow intended to be pushed beyond the rear wheel from reattaching instead, dirtying the car’s efficiency.
Mercedes W14, detail of the side that has been moved away from the front wheel
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
On the side there are the first slits for the expulsion of the hot air from the radiators: the cooling system has been optimized taking into account that the Hywel Thomas technicians saw 18 more horsepower on the bench!.
Mercedes W14
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The fences that divide the Venturi channels protrude from the bottom to direct the air that laps the surface towards the pavement to energize the out-wash effect of the flows that must be conveyed beyond the rear wheel. The outermost bulkhead is decidedly larger and has the effect of a bargeboard useful for keeping the front wheel turbulence away from the Venturi vents.
Mercedes W14
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W13, Brazilian GP
Photo by: George Piola
The cockpit with the driver is still ahead of the competition, but it is further back than the W13 which, evidently, also paid for an inadequate arrangement of the car’s hardware. The airbox is now the consolidated one from Mercedes with the central triangular-shaped roll-hoop and the two lateral ears. The bonnet, on the other hand, has been greatly resized, so much so that a showy stabilizer fin has appeared at the tail.
Mercedes W14, technical detail of the bonnet and rear axle
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
Mercedes then defined two sausages that reach from the Halo’s attachment to the tail and define the width of the bodywork that dresses the mechanics. For other machines we spoke of a “bazooka”: we cannot use this term for the W14 because the two channels connect with the vertical walls that enclose the silver arrow with a triangular shape dictated by connected shapes and without edges.
Other slits can be opened on the sausages for the venting of hot air, for which the range of the megaphone in the queue is less, which tends to descend downwards to invest the beam wing in two elements, with the upper one already twisted.
Between the side channels and the engine cover there is a hollow part that should make the work of the rear wing more efficient, which was not present in the renderings of the studio photos. The rear suspension is pull rod style, with the lever far forward. Above, the triangle has been separated into two multilink arms. These elements are hinged to the new transmission further forward than the lower ones: the drive shaft has been incorporated in a carbon cover which also covers the arm in front.
Mercedes W14, detail of the rear end
Photo by: Mercedes AMG
The rear wing is supported by a single pylon. The main profile chosen is a spoon profile with a medium-load mobile flap suitable for lapping on a fast track like Silverstone.
The background showed a different sidewalk in almost every shot. To describe it, we are waiting for the images of the filming day, without letting ourselves be influenced by the “games” that even the men of Brackley have not shirked…
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