According to stable boss Toto Wolff, Silver Arrow has overcome its biggest problem.
Lewis Hamilton drove third in Canada. AOP
Mercedes stable boss Toto Wolffilla was for once a reason to smile after Sunday’s GP.
The opening win of the season is still waiting for itself, however Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were significantly more competitive during the Canadian race weekend than at the beginning of the season. The result is three and four places, although the second Ferrari left last and the second Red Bull dropped out of the game.
However, the time difference to the top was significantly better than at the beginning of the season. The reason for this, according to Wolff, is the big Heureka moment at the stable factory. The root causes of the violent bounce of the W13 have been elucidated and an antidote has been developed.
The porpoising effect is a hot topic of formulation at the moment. First, the ground effect sucks the car to the surface of the track, but when the airflow is blocked, the car rises. This is repeated in a straightforward, fast-paced and pounding manner.
The drivers raised the safety risk of bouncing. The FIA took action in Montreal. The umbrella organization did not yet prescribe changes to the rules, but it relaxed the rules for the bottom of cars.
In Montreal, this was the best benefit for Mercedes, which has suffered the most from the bounce.
Cars continue to beat the surface of the track, but in Montreal, Hamilton and Russell no longer suffered from it physically or during lap times. According to Wolff, the explanation can be found in the development work.
– We have solved it, ie “porpoising” and hitting the car on the track surface. We got the problems of the former resolved, Wolff commented to F1 media after the race.
The car bounces and continues to hit the surface of the track. But so do the cars in the other stables. For Mersu, it is no longer a huge limiting factor.
However, there is still work to be done to resolve the issue.
– Our car is simply too stiff. We are having problems crossing the curbs and the track bounces are causing problems. But now that we know where the problem is coming from, it’s easier for us to find a solution to it, Wolff notes.
According to Wolff, the Mercedes will be competitive with the current car on tracks with a flat surface. Such is, for example, the next British GP stage in Silverstone. The surface of the track has just been renewed.