“Relatively similar level of performance”- Mercedes is facing a big challenge due to a time limit on the wind tunnel

Due to a time limit on the wind tunnel examination, the Mercedes is facing a ripple effect on how the team had planned 2022.

The constructors’ champions are allowed less time in a wind tunnel to test their cars as per the rule. The aim is to give the lowest-ranked teams more time to work on their car’s aerodynamics.

Due to this, Mercedes’ technical director thinks that the new car will be relatively similar in the level of performance to the 2021 car.

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— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 2, 2022

Despite the changes introduced for the 2022 season, Mike Elliot [technical director] admitted that it has been difficult to create a balance.

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Mercedes has a big challenge

Following the time limit on wind tunnel, the Mercedes faced a big challenge over the winter. Elliot said, “So that has been challenging. Trying to work out how much we should have spent on last year’s car versus how much we should have spent on this year’s car.”

“This had knock-on consequences all the way through the factory. In terms of design work, we start design work earlier on things like gearbox and chassis. The gearbox, in particular, is fixed for a period of time. We have had to get that right.”

He also pointed out that such balance is not new to Mercedes. However, the level of scrutiny has increased following the changes are taking effect in a matter of weeks.

“Once we then begin to understand how the aerodynamics are going to look and how that will knock on to the rest of the car, we then get into sort of the detailed design work. And that has been huge over the winter,” said Elliott.

“So this sort of approach we take is the same we take every year. It’s just more difficult because the rule changes are much more significant than we have seen in the past.”

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