Mercedes confesses to hiding new W12 F1 car floor from rivals
Mercedes has confessed to hiding the floor design of its new W12 Formula 1 car as it does not want to give rivals a head start on copying its ideas
The German car manufacturer revealed its 2021 F1 challenger on Tuesday morning, but it was noticeable that it was not fitted with a floor that appeared optimised for the new rules - so was clearly not its new version.
F1 has introduced new aero regulations for this year that demand an area in front of the rear tyre is cutaway, as well as limiting the use of holes, in a bid to stop teams exploiting this area to help boost performance.
How teams recover the lost downforce is likely to be decisive in the F1 title battle, which is why teams have been keeping developments in this area secret so far.
Mercedes technical director James Allison said his outfit too was playing that game - which is why its W12 launch images did not features its new floor idea.
"The bit we're not showing you is down along the edge of the floor," he explained.
"That area is the area that was most affected by the new regulations, where they tried to pull performance away from the car by changing the floor regs.
"Down there, there's a bunch of aerodynamic detail that we are not quite ready to release to the world.
"Not because it's not there, but because we don't want our competitors to see it. We don't want them starting to try and put similar things in their wind tunnels. It just buys us a couple of weeks extra.
"I think we all look very closely at what our competitors do, so we know our competitors will be looking. And we don't have to show it yet, so we're not."
PLUS: Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Allison said that other changes made to the W12 were more obvious - including a 'sexy bulge' on the engine cover that hides developments that have been made on the power unit.
"It doesn't take much more than a glance, to see that it is an old friend in many ways," he said about the changes between the W11 and the W12. "It's the same monocoque as last year, same gearbox as last year, and lots of the same structure underneath as last year.
"But look a little closer and you'll also see there are some fairly significant differences.
"Just a glance at the sidepod there, and you'll see a rather sexy looking bulge in the engine cover, which is hiding some of the work that our friends at HPP have done to squeeze more horses into that power unit for us for the year.
"And across the whole car. It is actually dressed in new clothes, new aerodynamic finery, that we hope will make it a successful car."
While Allison said he was excited about the potential of the W12 as Mercedes targets its eighth consecutive F1 title double, he was equally aware that rivals had the potential to close up on the team.
"We are utterly excited about everything that's in front of us, but equally anxious," he explained. "So much has changed in these regulations at a detailed level, but do really punish the car from a performance point of view.
"Have we done enough to recover back that performance better than our competitors? None of us know, and yet we know we really care about it. And so the anxiety is quite high this time of year."
Hamilton explains decision to only sign one-year Mercedes F1 extension
Wolff: Mercedes won't be "flirting" with other F1 drivers
Why Red Bull’s RB17 hypercar can help its F1 team
On Tuesday, Red Bull laid out its plans to develop and build a new hypercar - the RB17 - penned by Adrian Newey. As the project itself sates Newey as a creative outlet, it also offers Red Bull's Formula 1 team a number of new and exciting avenues to pursue
What to expect from Mercedes as F1 returns to Silverstone
OPINION: The British Grand Prix is a home event for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, with their Mercedes team based just a few miles away too. But there’s another reason why the Silver Arrows squad is eager to arrive at Silverstone this weekend, which may help it fix its remaining problems with its 2022 Formula 1 challenger
The “solemn promise” that cost quiet hero Brooks an F1 title
After two terrifying crashes, one of the best British racers of the 1950s retired before his career peaked. But that’s why GP Racing’s MAURICE HAMILTON was able to speak to Tony Brooks in 2014. Like his friend Stirling Moss, Brooks was regarded as one of the best drivers never to have won the world championship. Here, as our tribute to Brooks who died last month, is that interview in full
Inside the Faenza facility where AlphaTauri’s F1 pragmatic vision is realised
AlphaTauri’s mission in F1 is to sell clothes and train young drivers rather than win the championship – but you still need a cutting-edge factory to do that. Team boss Franz Tost takes GP Racing’s OLEG KARPOV on a guided tour of a facility that’s continuing to grow
Connecting two of Ferrari's favourite F1 sons
Gilles Villeneuve's exploits behind the wheel of a Ferrari made him a legend to the tifosi, even 40 years after his death. The team's current Formula 1 star Charles Leclerc enjoys a similar status, and recently got behind the wheel of a very special car from the French-Canadian’s career
How a 30cm metal wire triggered open warfare in the F1 paddock
Porpoising has become the key talking point during the 2022 Formula 1 season, as teams battle to come to terms with it. An FIA technical directive ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix and a second stay appearing on the Mercedes cars only served to create a bigger debate and raise tensions further
Does Verstappen have any weaknesses left?
Having extended his Formula 1 points lead with victory in Canada, Max Verstappen has raised his game further following his 2021 title triumph. Even on the days where Red Bull appears to be second best to Ferrari, Verstappen is getting the most out of the car in each race. So, does he have any weaknesses that his title rivals can exploit?
How F1's future fuels can shape the automotive sector
In 2026, Formula 1 plans to make the switch to a fully sustainable fuel, as the greater automotive world considers its own alternative propulsion methods. Biogasoline and e-fuels both have merit as 'drop-in' fuels but, equally, both have their shortcomings...