FIVE OF THE BEST

Our technical experts have gone back to the drawing board to uncover the key design innovations that made the Mercedes W09 a champion

1 THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

Narrowly ahead of Ferrari before the summer break, Mercedes returned from their holidays with a brand new weapon up their sleeve. Seeking to get on top of persistent rear-tyre temperature problems once and for all, the team arrived at Spa with a novel approach to wheel design, creating protrusions on the spokes and around the rim to draw heat away from the tyre – improving the thermal distribution around the carcass. In the notoriously sweltering conditions of Singapore, Lewis Hamilton powered to a dominant victory – certainly helped by this innovation.

2 WHEN IS A WHEEL NOT A WHEEL?

Buoyed by the success of their new rear wheel design, Mercedes looked to go a step further. Actively distributing heat from the entire wheel assembly was next on the agenda. Using a spacer to mount the locating pins to the wheel, it featured pockets of small holes which fed air from the rear hub to the centre of the wheel. Rotation served to draw out the air from the assembly to manage temperatures further. Mercedes dropped the solution before Austin, worried by a potential Ferrari protest. They deemed the concept to be a moveable aerodynamic device, despite the FIA giving it the all-clear.

3 MERCEDES TRIES SIZE ZERO

At the launch of the W09, Hamilton remarked that his new charge boasted the tightest bodywork he’d ever seen. Looking to optimise the aerodynamics even further from the previous iteration, the internal components were packaged as tightly as possible, resulting in a remarkably svelte design around the rear of the car. Mercedes designer John Owen confirmed the 2017 model was penned with flexibility in mind, and a year of experience with the current ruleset ensured the designers could streamline and focus on improving the airflow paths around the rear of the car.

4 SUSPENSION BOOSTS AERO

Building on a concept used on the aggressive front suspension of the W08, in which the upper wishbone was mounted on a raised extension of the hub, Mercedes incorporated the solution to the rear of the W09 in the pursuit of aerodynamic gains. Mounting the wishbone higher gave more latitude for the team to utilise airflow at the rear of the car, and ensured the top surface of the diffuser would receive a cleaner supply of air from the trailing edge of the sidepods. This boosted the overall performance of the underbody and promoted a more stable rear end.

5 THE LITTLE THINGS MATTER MOST

Instead of emerging for the start of the European season in Barcelona with a bucket of big upgrades, Mercedes’ additions in Spain were testament to the philosophy of rolling out a succession of little updates – perfectly represented by the fin attached to the top of the front suspension wishbone. Working in tandem with the brake duct architecture, the fin drove clean airflow around the top of the tyre face, trimming and managing the resultant wake as the wheel rotated. This reduced the wake’s impact on the aerodynamic components of the car downstream.