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Mercedes have brought a plethora of upgrades to the W13 for the 2022 F1 Miami GP, including a redesigned front wing, a low drag rear wing and a different configuration of beam wing. As reported by Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes is reportedly aiming to improve the car’s efficiency by cutting down drag with the new upgrades.
The all-new front wing is the most interesting of the new upgrades and features a modified upper flap that is less wavy compared to the previous spec seen in Imola. The same trend continues with the rear wing, which is much flatter compared to the specs used in Melbourne and Imola.
According to team principal Toto Wolf, the team will be experimenting with the new parts at Miami and will seek correlation between on-track performance and wind tunnel data to ensure that they are on the right track in terms of development. Speaking to AMuS, he said:
"Since our return from Italy we have learned as much as possible from the weekend, and at the same time, we have gained further insights in the wind tunnel and in simulations. We have found several ways to improve the car."
Meanwhile, the Silver Arrows are thought to have made further gains in terms of the car's mass heading into Miami. The W13 started the season as one of the most overweight cars on the grid, with some estimates claiming it to be at least 15 kilograms heavier than the minimum weight.
At the last race in Imola, the team reportedly stripped nearly 5 kilograms of mass off the W13, helping them claw back valuable performance. While the weight saving in Miami isn’t thought to be as significant as in Imola, it will nevertheless have an impact on performance.
Mercedes planning “experiments” at Miami to cure porpoising
Mercedes are reportedly planning to continue experimenting with the W13 at Miami GP in the hopes of learning more about the root cause behind their porpoising issues. With F1 back to its regular format, the team will now have more time during practice to try out different setups and configurations to weed out the extreme bouncing.
According to AMuS, the W13 is reportedly highly sensitive to underbody airflow, and seems to be extremely potent at creating downforce. However, given that the team has been unable to stop the floor from being sucked to the ground without raising the rear ride height, valuable performance is being lost.
As they are unable to rapidly develop the car and bring aerodynamic solutions due to the cost cap and wind tunnel testing regulations, the team has been experimenting with various setups and solutions since the second race in Saudi Arabia.
The approach seems to have availed little to no success for the team, even as it has made Lewis Hamilton’s life much harder in the last few races.
