(Motorsport-Total.com) – In Canada, Mercedes presented an extensive package of technical updates for the W17. In addition to work on the front and central area of the vehicle, new solutions appeared at the rear that had not been seen in this technical cycle until now.
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The front wing was almost completely redesigned with a fundamentally similar design philosophy, with adjustments made in various areas. Great attention was also paid to the bargeboards and the underbody.
The area in front of the rear tires is now significantly more complex, which is particularly relevant as it is a sensitive zone where engineers try to minimize the harmful aerodynamic effects of tire rotation.
Looking a little further back, another new feature of the W17 becomes visible in the diffuser area, where the engineers from Brackley have chosen a solution that differs from the approach of the rest of the field.
Since the first pre-season tests, teams have been trying to find ways to extend the diffuser by attaching extensions directly to the rear crash structure.
In some cases, these extensions have even been combined with the horizontal strut that supports the rear wing to maximize the diffuser’s effect within the regulations.
In addition to the vertical element along the rear crash structure, which has been present for some time, a closer look at the W17 in the Montreal specification shows that serrated profiles have now been added along the upper diffuser area.
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This partly resembles the serrated elements that some teams use on the transparent screen in front of the driver’s cockpit.
Mercedes has thus chosen a different approach to extending the diffuser, covering more than half of its width. So far, this solution has not been seen on any other car.
However, this is not the only interesting detail. In the area of the waterfall profiles next to the diffuser, a small, outward-facing flow deflector has also been added (marked in yellow in the image above), designed to fine-tune the airflow of the air exiting the underbody.
Many teams have tried to modify the outermost area of the diffuser, exactly where it transitions into the lateral waterfall structure, with Ferrari testing its own solutions in the lower area.
Mercedes, on the other hand, has taken a different path and worked on the upper area by attaching a small deflector to the top element of the waterfall structure to clean up the airflow. This solution had also not been seen on any other car before.
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