Formula 1 British GP
Mercedes' F1 upgrade revealed ahead of British GP
Mercedes has offered a first glimpse of the updates that it hopes will move it closer to Red Bull in the fight for Formula 1 glory at the British Grand Prix.
Matt Somerfield Jonathan Noble
Edited: Jul 17, 2021, 5:31 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
With the German car manufacturer having not won since the Spanish Grand Prix back in May, it is keeping its fingers crossed that the developments will bring it a much-needed performance step.
For while main rival Red Bull has unleashed an aggressive aero upgrade programme on a race-by-race basis, Mercedes has instead been more conservative with its changes.
So far it had only made small adjustments to its floor and diffuser as part of a rectification programme, with a larger update package seemingly always their preferred route rather than trickling through smaller tweaks.
The team had openly spoken about a potential final development arriving at Silverstone, with the new designs spotted in the pitlane ahead of the British GP.
Rather than being visually dramatic, the changes are more nuanced – but could still play a role in helping better manage airflow.
The bargeboards and sidepod deflectors have been fettled in order that they work together more harmoniously, with the boomerang winglet now split into several layers.
The skyscraper deflector at the front has been cut down and the slats extended forward in order to coerce the airflow earlier than before, a design choice that we've seen many others take as they have optimised the area.
The two ‘r’ shaped vanes at the base of the sidepod deflector array have been joined by a third, longer vane that sits beneath the main skyscraper deflector. This has also been disconnected from the sidepod wing, much like we see elsewhere up and down the grid, with the horizontal wing turned upward at its tip to invoke a specific flow structure.
Read Also:
- Wolff: "Against all odds" F1 title fight to make Mercedes stronger
- British GP: Hamilton beats Verstappen in Friday qualifying
In keeping with these alterations, the design team has also optimised the area just behind, as four outwardly angled fins can now be found mounted between the edge of the floor and the sidepod.
Furthermore the ‘wavy’ floor edge has been reduced to just a single kink with the flap mounted behind converted into a two-piece arrangement.
Mercedes drivers both welcomed the efforts by Mercedes to improve its W12, but were not getting too carried in expecting a dramatic change in fortunes.
Lewis Hamilton said: “There's a lot of changes on the car but it's not a massive update in terms of the gap [to Red Bull] that we've seen in the races, but it definitely helps us in terms of closing that gap quickly.”
Asked about what sort of lap time gain the team was hoping from the changes, Valtteri Bottas said: “I can't put a direct number. It is nothing huge, it's nothing small. But we'll see, obviously already on Friday, when we find out how fast the cars are on a single lap.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Russell explains how he made a "massive step" to reach Q3
Next article British F1 GP sprint qualifying race: Start time, how to watch, channel
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Matt Somerfield
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
Formula 1
Formula 1
Gallery: How F1 tech evolved during the 2024 season
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
Formula 1
Formula 1
How McLaren’s rear wing push changed the game in F1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
Formula 1
Formula 1
How 2026 F1 rules will help avoid identikit designs
More from
Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli hails "step forward" at United States GP as Mercedes chips away at upgrades
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
8 h
Kimi Antonelli hails "step forward" at United States GP as Mercedes chips away at upgrades
George Russell reveals he lost sleep over his own driving, not the F1 championship
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
20 h
George Russell reveals he lost sleep over his own driving, not the F1 championship
Latest news
Lamborghini World Finals | AM-LC Race 1: An unstoppable Lewandowski dominates to win Race 1
Lamborghini Super Trofeo
LBST Lamborghini Super Trofeo
World Finals - Monza 2026
Lamborghini World Finals | AM-LC Race 1: An unstoppable Lewandowski dominates to win Race 1
Why Cadillac F1 boss provoked fresh intrigue by dodging driver question
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
1 h
Why Cadillac F1 boss provoked fresh intrigue by dodging driver question
Lamborghini World Finals | PRO-PRO/AM Qualifying: Pole position for Lind, Bamber, Van der Drift and Marcelli
Lamborghini Super Trofeo
LBST Lamborghini Super Trofeo
World Finals - Monza 2026
1 h
Lamborghini World Finals | PRO-PRO/AM Qualifying: Pole position for Lind, Bamber, Van der Drift and Marcelli
Jorge Martin's endless ordeal since signing for Aprilia
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Australian GP
1 h
Jorge Martin's endless ordeal since signing for Aprilia
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe