MASTERS OF SUSPENSE

All we ever hear is that a given team needs to improve its car aerodynamically, either by finding more downforce or reducing drag. But as Mercedes proved during the recent Spanish and Monaco GPS with its performance in slow corners, there are more ways to find lap time. The key to that is mechanical grip.

Mechanical grip is about being sympathetic to the tyre and allowing some compliance in a suspension system that allows the tyre to build up resistance to the forces acting on it.

An example of this is during braking. If the maximum force on the brake pedal was induced instantaneously, you would lock the wheel. But even though the driver wants to do this, they can’t, so this increase in load over time allows the car to move and build up its weight transfer. It also allows the tyre to load up in the direction these forces are acting on it.

Very importantly, during this phase the driver will get feedback either through the seat of the pants or the steering loads on the car’s grip level. This allows the driver to get closer to the limit of adhesion.

This is all contradictory to having a stable aerodynamic platform. A very stiff car will give more consistent aerodynamic loads, but very little driver feedback. A softer car will give more low-speed compliance and offer more low-speed grip, but move around too much in the fast corners.

So how do the top teams go about that ‘compromise’ in suspension design? These pictures show the individual components that add up to get the best of both worlds – aerodynamic and mechanical. But the real magic lies in what we don’t see.