MERCEDES MAKES TWEAKS BUT NO REVOLUTION
Mercedes continued its struggles at Imola, qualifying well outside the top 10 – and it was only due to George Russell’s opportunism at the start of the race that it was able to score a fourth place.
Regardless, the team is making updates, adding an additional fin to the flanks of the car. The German manufacturer squad stated that “these vanes improve the air flow quality into the sidepod radiator duct and therefore improve the overall cooling of the car”. The team also changed the shape of its side-impact spar housing “to remove small areas of separated airflow” and “improve airflow to the rear of the car”, continuing its pursuit of performance.
There were minor changes to the floor, with the curl ahead of the rear tyre changed to reduce airflow separation, suggesting that the car is producing numerous aerodynamic inconsistencies that are hampering the
W13’s performance.
Mercedes also reworked the deflectors at the rear of the car to increase the “local load”, which has a run-on effect of improving the overall diffuser performance.
That Mercedes categorised all of its updates as performance-driven means that the team is at least active in its bid to return to the front, but is currently not willing to make wholesale changes.