The crucial design dilemma facing Mercedes in 2023

According to the intention of the Brackley team engineers, the 'zero sidepod' concept of the Mercedes W13 is what the team believed to be the best setup to annihilate its rivals. In reality, this extreme concept constituted its main weakness, which from the beginning of the season made it a car with an almost impossible balance. From the beginning, the accentuated porpoising emerged as the most acute problem, which prevented the correct exploitation of their aerodynamic concept, which relied on a minimum ride height setting. The large, cantilevered area of the floor, with respect to the lower edge of the…

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