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Hi-res Mercedes GP gallery

This gallery contains 30 photos.

2560 px wide high quality images, max. 3840 px height. Click/save target on the resolution notice: e.g. 2560 × 3840 to get them.

Side comparisons

More comparisons for verifying each other

I could go into detail and write a whole page of blabber about how complicated and time consuming to create such comparisons with the best possible precisions, but I won’t bother, it’s a stupidly long process if you’re serious, and if you’re not searious, you get more false results and bigger ranges of diffraction from the theoretical best. Wheel rims and rear wing endplates were used for proportioning refererences. You cannot use the whole wheel with the tyre, because it has flexible dynamics, can be in very different size-state.

Amongst the big teams it’s still the McLaren which rules in wheelbase; McLaren > Red Bull > Renault/Ferrari > Mercedes

Ferrari vs McLaren exclusive

Renault vs Red Bull exclusive

Ferrari vs Mercedes exclusive

RBR vs etc.

W02 vs MP4-26 Front Comparison

W02 vs MP4-26 Front Comparison

Bild Exclusive: Mercedes W02 (preview)

Bild Exclusive - Mercedes W02 (scoop or preview)

Source and article: German / English

W02 preview - Bild scan

‘Breaking News’: Nico Rosberg has a new look (tech video)

It seems Mercedes GP Petronas would like to move away from the ‘Britney’ image.

Mercedes W02 debuts on February 1

TEAM              CAR                          DATE               PLACE

Red Bull Racing   RBR-Renault RB7              target: 1st test
McLaren           McLaren-Mercedes MP4-26      February 4         Berlin, Germany
Ferrari           Ferrari F11 (Proj. 662)      January 28         Maranello, Italy
Mercedes          Mercedes W02                 February 1         Valencia, Spain
Renault           Renault R31                  Jan. 31 12:00 CET  Valencia, Spain
Williams          Williams-Cosworth FW33       Feb. 1 or before
Force India       Force India-Mercedes VJM-04  be/for/e 2nd test
Sauber            Sauber-Ferrari C30           Jan. 31 11:15 CET  Valencia, Spain
Toro Rosso        STR-Ferrari STR6             February 1         Valencia, Spain
Team Lotus        Lotus-Renault T128           Feb. 1 or before
Hispania Racing   HRT-Cosworth F111            3rd test at best
Virgin Racing     Virgin-Cosworth VR-02        be/for/e 2nd test

Green = Official precise date
CET = Central European Time / Közép-európai (magyar) idő

PRE-SEASON TESTING

Valencia          Circuit Ricardo Tormo                           February 1-3
Jerez             Circuito de Jerez                               February 10-13
Barcelona         Circuit de Catalunya                            February 18-21
Bahrain           Bahrain Iternational Circuit                    March 3-6

Shortest and longest wheelbase cars side by side

Notice: The picture isn’t the original shot, but all the cars have their original sizes/ratios on it. The McLaren was moved horizontally a little to align the front axles.

McLaren-Mercedes using retarded ignition (audio)

Principle and benefits explained here.

In case you’d wonder the whole retarded ignition trick is just an urban legend amongst the fans. No! Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber driver and former McLaren-Mercedes test driver) wrote on his Inside Track column after the British Grand Prix:

>>Red Bull’s chief technical officer, Adrian Newey, has pushed regulations to the limit from an aerodynamic point of view and that is what has made the difference in performance between its cars and the rest of the grid. Last year Ross Brawn hit the bull’s-eye when he finally got the double diffuser approved, and this year Newey has managed to tip the balance with what we call the “blown diffuser.”

The diffusers are the part at the lower rear with some very sophisticated curves that you can see on television. They made the difference last year and they’re doing it again this year. The exhaust gases, which are usually situated very low down, are routed toward the interior of the diffuser, giving the car more downforce. This downforce is mainly felt on medium and high speed stretches, and that’s why you sometimes find that Red Bull is not the fastest car on the straight and yet it is the best on a full lap. This isn’t a new technique, but no one had managed to make it work properly until now. The engine manufacturer (Renault in the case of Red Bull) has managed to solve the problem that arises with this system: when you take your foot off the throttle or when you brake there is less air flow over the diffuser and that destabilises the car. But playing with the engine mapping has led to achieving a constant flow of exhaust gases on the diffuser.

This special mapping cannot be maintained for a long time because it generates temperatures of 1,200º-plus in the exhaust gases. That’s why Red Bull cars are so effective and show that difference especially when qualifying, but then in the race itself they are not that superior.<< – Pedro de la Rosa

Tech rumor and audio proof suggest McLaren-Mercedes has developed a method to use diffuser feeding ignition trick on the race too!

Although it seems Mercedes GP hasn’t used it yet, supposedly because of their overheating issues with the exhaust-blown diffuser. Also it’s not clear who’s the main developer of it, McLaren or Mercedes. It’s supposed to be an engine mapping, so even the customer team could develop it, and let’s not forget McLaren has an Automotive wing with many engine experts and there’s a strong connection with Brixworth (United Kingdom), the headquarters of Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines.

HU: A McLaren-Mercedes gyújtási trükköt használt a fújt diffúzor egyenletesebb táplálására Spában.

Mercedes’ EBD

EBD = exhaust blown diffuser, kipufogó-fújta, -hajtotta diffúzor

Credit: ayelgaf1