Mercedes never planned to copy the pontoons of Ferrari and Red Bull
The new regulations have led to the emergence of single-seaters with a variety of aerodynamic concepts. Mercedes has come up with a new, very slim pontoon, an extreme solution which will pose many problems for the German team throughout the season.
This innovative aerodynamic concept was primarily designed to correct issues with porpoising. Mercedes chose to explore this uncharted path because they believed that one of the keys to a team’s success was to harness their own ideas.
The goal for us, however, was always to try to understand it ourselves and to learn and find our way. Because if you want to win races and world championships, you don’t get there by copying everyone else’s design,” stated Andrew Shovlin, Director of Ground Engineering at Mercedes.
Innovation has been one of the keys to Mercedes’ success in recent years. The German brand pushes its limits every season to find the element that will lead them to victory (such as the DAS in 2020, for example).
All our other cars had pioneering features, they had innovations. We tried to be ahead with technology and we will continue to do so.
Changes to come.
Mercedes changed its pontoon concept during the season and the team’s intensive development allowed a return to the forefront of the Silver Arrows. During the Brazilian Grand Prix, Mercedes’ innovative concept enabled them to secure their only victory of the season and achieve a one-two finish. This race weekend confirmed that it was possible to make these aerodynamic solutions work despite their differences from the rest of the field.
« If you look at Brazil, we didn’t have the fastest car, but we were able to surpass the Red Bulls and secure the 1-2. So driving fast in a straight line is not our top priority. One of the fastest in a straight line is the Williams. Therefore, it doesn’t define your level of performance. »
The German manufacturer will make significant modifications to its car during the winter to reduce drag and porpoising issues. The team hopes to achieve a solid foundation for the 2023 season.
« We hope that the work we put into learning and understanding at the beginning of the year will help us at least achieve a good foundation next year.
