Allison: Only time will tell how far we’ve come

Today the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team presented the W15, the 2024 car – there are many changes, including a new chassis and a new gearbox housing. In the field of aerodynamics, the focus, as always, was on efficiency: the desire to increase downforce and reduce air resistance – tasks that can be solved endlessly. And all this must be organically combined with the performance of the suspension and tires.

James Ellison, technical director of the team, explained how the creation of the W15 went.

James Ellison: “The development of any machine is a long process and divided into phases. It started last year and the creation of a new car allows the team to make significant changes to the design, which is impossible during the season. Decisions on these changes were made last summer.

A big part of our focus was on improving the car’s performance on the track, as the rear end of last year’s W14 was unpredictable. We have gone to great lengths to ensure that both axles, especially the rear, allow better control of the tires than was the case on the previous chassis.

We also resolved other issues – in areas where we needed to improve, including improving the efficiency of the DRS system and improving pit stops.

But the speed of cars of this generation largely depends on how the soil works, how it interacts with the track. Whether a chassis is efficient or not is determined by how the underbody functions aerodynamically.

We believe that we have worked fruitfully this winter, but in Formula everything is relative and only time will tell how far we have managed to progress. Now our main task is to learn how to fully utilize the car’s potential, but we are inspired by the prospect of participating in the upcoming modernization race, because these regulations are not yet outdated and offer many opportunities.”

Source: F1 News

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