Mercedes hid itself in the first free practice session of the Japanese GP: the two drivers of the Brackley team did not use soft tires and therefore remained beyond the center of the group, preferring to work in view of the race, rather than to prepare the dry ride.
On the W14 a new solution was introduced in the side bulkhead of the rear wing: this is an idea that was taken up by Aston Martin. And thank goodness that the team principal, Toto Wolff, is not present at Suzuka, because otherwise the Austrian manager would have further underlined the tendency of his aerodynamicists to take inspiration from the “green” of the Silverstone team.
The modification is easily recognizable because the endplate of the black arrow more or less one third of the way up from the bottom shows a curvilinear protrusion which is useful for creating a vortex in the rear of the W14, ensuring a little more local downforce and a different trail in the rear.
Aston Martin AMR23: the side bulkhead with the vortex generator copied from Mercedes
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The Aston Martin, in the original project, highlights a similar protrusion also in the internal part of the side bulkhead which, however, the Mercedes for the moment only sketches…
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