Why Formula 1 should fear the new Mercedes

So, the car we have all been waiting for has finally arrived, and I must say I'm pretty disappointed.

Disappointed, because it looks great! We all know what that could do to the racing given how dominant Mercedes has been. There's no trick stuff, just good, solid engineering with everything done for a reason.

We'll have to wait to see what Red Bull and Ferrari come up with before we conclude Mercedes is going to walk it again, but this car looks like it has been born using the same very successful DNA of the 2016 car.

Yes, there are some key differences. But it's all about optimisation of the areas that can be changed under the new regulations.

NOSE

There is nothing trick about the nose design. It has the minimum cross section area practical to comply with the crash-testing requirements and is a simple surface.

If you do trick things in this area, you must make sure the airflow stays attached to the body surfaces as any separation problems just cause grief further downstream.

The front wing mountings are as small as possible, again allowing the wing to do its job without the extra surfaces created by long and large turning-vane wing mounts. These may be introduced later in the development programme, as they are a bolt-on component.

FRONT WING

The front wing is again the customary, very detailed multi-element component and the trailing edge of the endplates turn and ramp the airflow around the now wider front tyre.

The intersection between the nose and chassis is nicely blended. You can just see an exit duct in this area on the top surface. This will be the exit for some kind of s-duct, which is a duct that has an opening on the underside of the nose and an exit on the top surface.

The extraction of air from under the nose helps the performance of the front wing and reduces the lift that would normally be created by the airflow accelerating over the upper surface of the nose-to-chassis intersection.

SIDEPOD LEADING EDGE

This is where the W08 gets very interesting. The 2017 regulations allow for more detail in this area and Mercedes has gone to town here.

In 2016, Mercedes led the field in this area with its small, multi-element bargeboard. So, history has shown those at Brackley have a very good handle on what the airflow needs to do in this area.

The Mercedes has a vertical bargeboard with some extra horizontal vanes low to the ground. On top of that, it has a three-divisional, horizontally-mounted turning vane. On the outer corner of the sidepod's leading edge, there is a three-element vertical turning vane.

All these work in conjunction with each other. They are there to help scavenge the airflow out from underneath the front of the chassis, help introduce the airflow to the leading edge of the underfloor, and to control the turbulent airflow coming off the trailing edge of the now-wider Pirelli front tyre allowing the sidepod undercut to work efficiently.

Get these all working correctly - and as I say in conjunction with each other - and you improve the downforce produced by the front wing and underfloor.

Not only that, but it allows the rear of the car to work efficiently as the airflow arriving through the Coke bottle area will be a lot less turbulent.

SIDEPOD REAR, ENGINE COVER AND COKE BOTTLE

The sidepods are mainly there to contain the radiator cooling package, and as soon as that is finished they sweep in and down as early as possible to the Coke bottle area.

Again, getting the maximum airflow possible through this area helps the performance of the diffuser and rear wing.

The detailed work on the louvres at the extremity of the floor in front of the rear tyre acts like a skirt reducing airflow spilling under the car. Reduce this and it allows the diffuser to work much more effectively, producing more downforce from the underfloor.

As far as the engine cover is concerned, doesn't it look good without that huge billboard that we have seen on most of the other cars released?

That may come later, but hopefully the governing body will realise soon that the aesthetics are an important part of what spectators and viewers want to see.

T-WING

In the area where the engine cover fin could go, it must allow for a wider section. Mercedes has used this space to place a T-wing with a single mounting.

This won't really create any downforce in its own right, it will just help with redirecting the airflow down onto the rear wing, effectively giving the rear wing an increased angle of attack.

It wasn't on the car when it initially ran, and was later added, so it will be interesting to see how it is used at the first test.

REAR WING

The rear wing is wider and lower, with the seemingly-customary twisted endplates leaning backwards as they go upwards.

As this is a bolt-on component, this area will be under constant review and from circuit will require different levels of downforce and hence drag.

SUSPENSION

The front suspension is a conventional twin wishbone with a pushrod-operated inboard torsion bar and damper unit.

Mercedes was on top of it last year, but a slight change in what's allowed and what's not could easily have dramatic consequences.

Interestingly, Mercedes has mounted the wishbones higher up than normal. This requires a small front upright mount coming around the wheelrim to pick up the top wishbone's outboard end.

This increases the height of the outboard ends of both wishbones, which means they are out of the way aerodynamically. More interestingly, it retains a decent front suspension geometry.

With the introduction of the wider Pirelli tyres, there will be an increase in overall mechanical grip. But to get the best out of the tyres you need to treat them correctly.

Over the last few years, aerodynamics have ruled the roost but now the balance is changing. Mercedes is the first team I have seen to focus on this area, and that could pay big dividends when it comes to tyre degradation.

It is how this system all works in conjunction with the aerodynamic platform control that matters. It will be interesting to see who gets on top of it and who complies with however the FIA wants to interpret its own regulations.

The rear suspension is quite difficult to see in detail, but it looks like it has been optimised to suit the new-for-2017 improved diffuser design.

Getting the airflow through the Coke bottle area and rear suspension with as much energy left in it as possible will help the diffuser performance. This is vitally important to the complete car's overall downforce production potential.

Overall, it looks like Mercedes has focused on what the new regulations can bring to the car's performance while building on what it had last year. It looks like it has done a very good job.

The team knew that what it had in the other areas was pretty good, so there was no need to waste time and effort reinventing the wheel.