How Mercedes Finally Figured Out How To Dominate F1

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Formula 1 is a sport that relies on technology. And as with all technology, there's always room for improvement. F1 teams must constantly innovate to stay ahead of their rivals, and when hundredths of a second matter, it truly is the little things that count. Over the course of the season, F1 journalist Fraser Masefield will evaluate the innovations that make the difference between success and failure at each race.The last time Mercedes won a Formula 1 Grand Prix before Nico Rosberg’s dominant pole to flag victory at the Chinese Grand Prix was the same year that Hollywood icon James Dean was killed in a car crash. It was the same year that the Detroit Red Wings won an unprecedented seventh Stanley Cup final and motorsports suffered its biggest tragedy when 84 people lost their lives at Le Mans after Pierre Levegh’s Mercedes left the track and somersaulted into the crowd.The year was 1955, and 57 years later, Mercedes has hit the motorsports headlines again for all the right reasons. It is widely acknowledged that Rosberg’s victory, in no small part, was made possible by a neat technical innovation that some rival teams say could be worth as much as half a second a lap -- light years in Formula 1.Every year, teams vie to exploit loopholes in the regulations or bend the rules in their favor to engineer an advantage over the competition. Last year it was Red Bull and their blown rear diffuser to aid traction, the year before, McLaren’s ingenious driver-operated F-Duct that stalled airflow over the rear wing, increasing straight line speed. And this year, Mercedes has stolen an early march in the tech stakes with a neat innovation that enhances the effect of the drag reduction system (DRS).The DRS system was introduced last season to aid overtaking and increase the spectacle for the fans. It operates by the driver pushing a switch that opens the rear wing, reducing drag to allow the car to travel faster in a straight line. It is allowed at any stage during qualifying but only at designated sectors during a grand prix.What Mercedes has done is to use the DRS overtaking device to also affect the front wing, further boosting straight line speed. The device is ingenious in that it combines the DRS flap on the rear wing with the front wing, so when the driver operates the device, ducts on the inside of the rear wing end plate suck air through channels inside the car to slot gaps on the underside of the front wing. It has the effect of reducing the front wing’s effectiveness and increases straight line speed and stability through fast corners. It is particularly effective on circuits with long straights, and Shanghai boasts one of the longest on the calendar, roughly the length of 11 soccer pitches.Even before the Chinese Grand Prix, both Mercedes drivers had shown impressive pace, inciting some rivals, notably Lotus, to appeal the legality of the device. Lotus believes the wing falls foul of article 3.15 of the technical regulation that states "any car system, device or procedure which uses driver movement as a means of altering the aerodynamic characteristics of the car is prohibited." But Mercedes successfully countered that because the device is part of the DRS, it should be allowed. Because Mercedes designed its 2012 car with the system as an integral part, rival teams may now find it hard to integrate without a radical redesign, and that may take several races."It's a great idea,” said McLaren’s Jenson Button, who drove for Brawn GP before Mercedes bought the team. “That team is well known for great ideas. We had many in the past when I was there. But I don't think it's a great idea that a lot of people are going to spend a lot of time or money in trying to copy because I don't think they think it's as big as it's made out to be." Button finished second behind Rosberg in China and thinks he could have chased hard for the victory were it not for a slow final pit stop. But for now it looks like Mercedes is the team to catch, and with their clever use of tech, they will be favorite to continue their revival when the F1 circus moves on to Bahrain. Continue Reading

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