Why Mercedes' F1 car has a big problem with no quick fix

Mercedes sneaked a podium in Formula 1’s season opener but when it comes to pure performance, the team’s in its worst shape since the hybrid engine era began in 2014.
The world champion team started the 2022 season with a humbling defeat to Ferrari and was set for a distant fifth and sixth on the road before Red Bull’s late implosion.
Pace-wise, Mercedes was nowhere near victory contention in Bahrain. And it is not expecting its fortunes to change immediately.
#F1 #BahrainGP #Mercedes
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[@daltonsikhosana8275]

I love all the insight we get from various channels but if I get another explanation of porpoising I might become a dolphin.

[@RomanPeacock21]

Want some fish Flipper?

[@ChrisAnthonyhyd]

Dolphin.. lol.

[@spainobmxer69]

Porpoises aren’t dolphins, just saying.

[@daltonsikhosana8275]

@@spainobmxer69 I was more implying to their swimming technique.

[@spainobmxer69]

@@daltonsikhosana8275 fair enough, I’ve been getting into arguments with people who think they’re the same mammal since Barcelona testing so apologies for my bluntness

[@Aaerox90]

I wonder how many more times we're gonna hear the explanation of porpoising in this season.

[@ChuyR.]

First time I see it

[@skro777]

So porposing is where the air flow under the car is disturbed due to exteme downforce then broken when the car lifts then repeats rapidly.

[@DK-os1dt]

@@skro777 lol

[@HoutarouOrekiOsu]

Porpoising - the violent bouncing motion of the car on its suspension seen mainly on the straights - occurs when the airflow through the underbody venturi tunnels, which pulls the car to the ground, stalls.

[@mrthewhite2620]

How many days until the end of the seasons? About that many times.

[@reisanibal1]

Mercedes is just where Red Bull was in 2017 and 2018. Clear of midfield, yet not fast enough to challenge the top guns.

[@simon9548]

Also 2019 and 2020

[@07bubbo5]

@@simon9548 maybe not 2020 tho

[@wagengroup]

They will get some podiums and possibly a win in a rare condition or if a track fits their design such as Mexico and Austria did for RB those years

[@simon9548]

@@07bubbo5 you think the Red Bull was as fast as the Mercedes in 2020? Or perhaps as slow as the mid field? I strongly remember Verstappen being well clear of the midfield while also being a bit behind the Mercs, only occasionally disturbing Bottas

[@user-ww9pd2rz4e]

@@wagengroup they could win at tracks like Monaco, seeing as it's mostly slow corners

[@spencerrollins7582]

As far as the Mercedes engine is concerned, I literally told my group that Mercedes was probably going to play it safe with PETRONAS on this new E10 fuel and initially tune the engine conservatively, thinking that they'd still have an advantage on the field. After the GP, Toto Wolff said that "I think [the PU] is a global issue. We'll take a look. It probably just needs new mapping" which to me, showcases that this is indeed just safe tuning. There were rumors of thermal expansion with the ethanol, uncertainties with the lines and pump, and even uncertainties with PU temperatures which could cause ES issues (all because of the ethanol). We all saw Honda blow three of it's four PU's. Coincidentally, the RBP/Honda powered teams were rapid down the straights. Combined with all of Mercedes' engine issues last year, especially the pneumatic system, it all makes sense. After a few races, I expect the Mercedes PU to step up once they universally adopt more aggressive mapping. Secondly, can we talk about Alpine's PU? They looked pretty good in the intermediate, start line, and speed trap speeds. It's tough because it's only one team, but for this being a brand new engine, it's quick in both acceleration and relative top speed. Lastly, many of Mercedes issues are simply down to porpoising. It's going to be a long road ahead for them. Once McLaren gets their cooling issues sorted, I expect them to climb the grid. Williams (once they unlock that package) will absolutely be a contender if they figure it out soon enough. As an aerodynamicist, I have a pretty good idea of what they're trying to do, and if they can get it to work, it'll be a solid mid-field car.

[@perfectlap9379]

Do they have a chance as it currently stands, to be battling for no.1?

[@Shifftee]

Somebody said Mercedes gave Williams the worst engine on the grid as a retaliation for the planned crash of Latifi in Abu Dhabi which helped Max to win the championship

[@manuelkuriappan3195]

@@Shifftee that somebody ur referring to lost their minds I think

[@larssonk22]

@@Shifftee that person probably thinks the world is flat and Bill Gates rules the world.

[@trueno4904]

@@perfectlap9379 i wanna know too

[@kaspernystrom3818]

Pretty surreal that Mercedes are actually this far off, same story every year in testing with ''we're slow, we won't win'', but this year it's actually true

[@tomhutchins7495]

Give it a week.

[@jasperschlief]

@@8020Alive Bruh Rb is way faster, look at the race before the safety car merc 30 seconds behind the top 4 of Ferrari and RB

[@sitordan]

They really feel the reduced wind tunnel and CFD times compared to everyone else. It will take then more than 2-3 races (Bahrain not included) to get on top of the issues, but even then they won't be top dog again. They'll probably be on par with both Ferrari and RedBull and then we'll get those amazing races between 6 drivers.

[@UhOhUmm]

They weren't that far behind actually. They had to raise the floor and put on more wing to stop the bouncing, so according to those in the know apparently that cost them about 3/4 of a second a lap. If they gain that much they will be on top.

[@GregorioStyreco]

Love the Mercedes hate. Even thou im not a fan of anyone, except for Vettellski, i sense a lot of RBs Fanatics here. if any of you, would think with logic, then you would realize that mercedes wont do shit this year. There are so many factors, and yall blind as fuck. It wont be a week. it wont be a month. This is way serious then it looks, when you compare it blindly to the last years.

[@soundscape26]

I don't wish them bad but considering we're talking about a team which swept the 8 last WCC's I surely won't mind they are a little behind for once. McLaren and Aston Martin on the other hand...

[@keibohow69]

Just remember what happened to williams. That is why rules change. To level out the playing field. Where was mercedes before Hamilton went there. Where was red bull after vettel. The difference with williams they had many different champions when they were dominant. The others the same driver while dominant.

[@jordanw24]

Also makes you wonder about that PU… all the Mercs were clearly much further behind the Ferraris on average

[@incognito_.]

I think when we are in the moment we don’t realise the legendary dominance we have witnessed the last eight years. I’m sure we’ll look back and say “I miss the days were Mercedes were good” Same as the Ferrari-Schumacher era Or Vettel-Red bull

[@blusox78]

As a Merc and Lewis fan I really want to see them fight for their titles this year rather than cruising to victory after victory.

[@Takdashark]

@@blusox78 I’m with you. And I think they will. I’d also like to see McLaren chomping at the top 3 teams as well. I’ve been a Hamilton fan since his first race. You could see he had something special in him then. I’ve always been a McLaren fan as well. In short, I’m a fan of the sport first and foremost.

[@connorappleton1945]

Anyone else heartbroken about Mclaren? It's like watching the 2015 Australian GP all over again

[@carcrazyguysa4059]

😔Yep so sad looks like both Aston & Mclaren might be back markers this year.

[@souldry]

Me

[@michaellinner7772]

I really thought Mercedes should have plucked Lando from McLaren instead of Russell. In my opinion he's the better driver. I agree though, it's hard watching them do so poorly.

[@b0zz1380y]

@@michaellinner7772 Mercedes’ and Russel have history. Toto wanted him when Russel was still a junior and Williams have the merc pu. Also the fact that Russel did so well in his replacement drive last year just made sense. I agree that Lando is the slightly better driver, even if he needs to do some growing after Sochi last year

[@b0zz1380y]

As an Aussie it’s devastating to see Dan at the back

[@ltitus8900]

There are a few issues here. I was actually right about what their cause for the race performance is. They do fully understand the issue but they are producing an actual fix similar to what Red Bull deployed. Which was the suspension. The main reason for not deploying a temp fix is because they want to preserve as much performance as possible because that is what will win them the championship. Their temporary tweak was to raise the ride hight and crank the wing. Hence the speed deficit. I think they will release a solution sooner than they think. Having said that, that means that their result on Sunday was actually pretty impressive. Mixed with some mistakes by Red Bull.

[@nihalcassim6447]

well explained

[@1981AdamGs]

The double DNF from Red Bull and the safety car made the Mercedes look faster than it actually is. They were lucky to finish where they did.

[@g_webb21]

Yeah they are in the middle of nowhere right now, a clear 3rd force far from midfield behind and from Red Bull/Ferrari in front

[@gallahant]

@@g_webb21 The midfield is not so far behind from Merc. It is just that the midfield now is Haas and Alfa who were dead last in 2021. Merc sits at about the place Ferrari and McLaren were last year. I can easily see some car from the midfield outscoring the Mercs in the next races.

[@arranlargue6167]

Hard tyres made Mercedes look slower than they actually are…

[@septopus3516]

And the safety car made max a champ last year.... 😂

[@MBoeltje41]

have to admit i fell for that way of thinking right after the podium. but when i think back of the whole race. they were seriously off pace compared to the feraries and when the redbulls were running okay.

[@whassupg89]

I reckon they’ll get on top of it in a few races. It won’t take them long but it’s fun to see the dominant team struggle a bit

[@guquadros3]

how exactly will they get on top of it in a few races since ICE development is frozen until 2025? they're lacking some ponnies when it comes to the engine. reliability development and different engine maps can only do some much when you have a significant deficit on raw engine power.

[@PG-20]

@@guquadros3 I think it’s to do with the overheating, they can’t run it in a higher engine mode without it breaking

[@Chyeahokay]

They have until this September to lock in the power unit.

[@edubvb5193]

@@guquadros3 engine development isn't frozen until June

[@edubvb5193]

@@Chyeahokay September? I thought it was June

[@kristianmilicic8501]

Mclaren has no problem with porpoising (compared to others) and they still finished 15th, Williams and Aston Martin were also dreadful, compared to Ferrari powered cars even more so, I think it's Mercedes PU that's weaker compared to Ferrari, RB and maybe even Renault, and that makes them slower. Not so great start of the season, and even worse start of the PU freeze period.

[@Amory98]

I don't mind Merc not being there for a change. Very good for a change. I'm all for Ferrari vs Redbull.

[@earlydanendraputra6682]

I think it's just one of the reason

[@gabrielsmullyan8249]

@@Amory98 would agree if it was just mercedes for one season, but if its a PU issue then all 4 teams with a mercedes PU will be noncompetitive until 2026, which sucks

[@andy34g7]

We could also say McLaren, Aston and Williams don't have a package to fight at the front. I mean, look a Haas - they spent an entire year developing and ended only in the front of the midfield, while Alfa also took a slightly similar approach. It's more likely coincidence that all Mercedes powered cars are not up to par on the performance aero wise.

[@NeXMaX]

Don't forget that McLaren and at least one AM were dealing with overheating

[@chrisseesworld]

Would love a video explaining what the hell is wrong with McLaren 😞

[@houseofzom]

So would mclaren

[@YashJ8001]

And Aston Martin also

[@Jwm367t]

Mclaren have braking duct issues which hampers performance a lot as they cant push speeds into the corners - thats a big problem considering they use ground effect now for downforce - so it double downs on the problem. Also Mclaren doesnt suffer from porpoising but I have feeling that is partially down to the ride height - they have visible gaps under the floor which I don't see with other teams - which would increase drag.

[@Scottie_S]

McLaren aren't backward in coming forward about their issues. They're usually pretty quick to update their YT channel with info to let their fans know what the hell is going on and why. I expect we'll understand what happened pretty soon. I already assuming that it's the bloody brakes.

[@hdhil3137]

The Mercedes engine

[@huplim]

They'll comeback... it's just a matter of time. With Red Bull Power Trains having issues on reliability and Mercedes having issues, Ferrari looks prime to take their place this season.

[@baumabatundi6034]

I think the red bull problem was an easy fix, an issue with the fuel pump

[@Kulumuli]

Ferrari looking strong now. But too early to call.

[@guquadros3]

how exactly will they "comeback" since ICE development is frozen until 2025? they're lacking some ponnies when it comes to the engine. reliability development and different engine maps can only do some much when you have a significant deficit on raw engine power.

[@vegajf51]

Red Bull's problem was fuel pumps, which is a standardized part. All teams run the same pump, other teams had problems with the pumps earlier in the week.

[@benfuller2890]

@@baumabatundi6034 it's been confirmed by RB and FIA motorsport federation it ain't an issue about the fuel pump. So it might be a gremlin inside that's the issue. Too early to tell tho.

[@powerofdreamx]

Hamilton couldn't even catch Perez with DRS down the straights... /cray

[@garibay711cod]

Yeah that was crazy ! Lulu caught a break that perez engine gave out.

[@TheMrFishnDucks]

Looking forward to how they solve all the issues they have. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

[@alecbrown66]

Toto said on sunday that they had the draggiest car, which was interesting. If you ignore the sidepod air intake initiative, the overal shape is very reminiscent of last years williams, in the side profile. Which was the draggiest car last year. They didnt porpoise as much as in testing on sunday. However, i can see them doing a hybrid williams/alfa tauri solution to the sides, especially with them missing the other teams effective undercut to dampen bouncing. The mercedes engine is going to be a much bigger headache, and a much more expensive one under the cost cap

[@breakinghabits_II]

I found it interesting the bottom 6 cars all had Mercedes’ engines. I don’t think McLaren had porpoising issues…just a bad package

[@Zachary_McLaren]

Raised ride height to make porpoising better will slow them down plus they had massive brake issues. McLaren's package doesn't seem great.

[@therighttoreply4849]

You found this interesting, you do know , that real sports channels covered this last week before the race, what I find interesting is , no one covered that red bull engines did not finish the race

[@kohlinski]

@@therighttoreply4849 because it wasn't the engines? Both Perez and Verstappen had to retire because of fuel pumps that they do not produce themselves but are homologous and provided by an external company. Gasly retired because of an hydraulics issue that ignited a fire iirc.

[@webza77]

The customer teams look at Mercedes Benz as the benchmark. They could all be playing the long game to see where all the other teams are before they unleash the horses!!

[@csm2455]

@@kohlinski Exactly, so the pumps not the problem or the other teams would have had an issue by now, plus the FIA checked that all the pumps adhered to requirements after qualifying.

[@backupdancer3720]

F1-75: Ah... You think downforce is your ally... Your sidepods merely avoided downforce. I was born in it...sidepods moulded by it. I didn't lack downforce until Leclerc's slow-down lap...and by then it was only uplifting!

[@hwero265]

Bane

[@asherxssess2559]

Bro…………… too much🤣🤣🤣

[@wheelman4824]

😂😂😂

[@gohan3160]

Thanks for answering all my questions! Awesome video

[@esciteach7997]

EXCELLENT video and explanations

[@hectorherbert6585]

If you listen to Wolf's interview minutes after qualifications ,he clearly says that they can't understand their data on top speed+ aero (confirmed by Hamilton's rear tire destruction in 10 laps on race day..!!)..side pod delete was supposed to give them top speed with much less drag..hard to believe they might have misinterpreted wind tunnel data tho..!!..I agree , something 'sneaky' is hiding deep inside this car..also the poor results of client teams tells us Merc's PU is not delivering...

[@Kevinschart]

i had this theory also. I think the side pods actually give you more down force. Ground affect + sidepod as a wing. The merc is better from an aero standpoint, but they probably get less down force in corners. And good aero means nothing if it doesn't translate to more straight line speed. Or maybe they just haven't unleashed the full beast yet.

[@jasondowtychristianmusic9401]

Apparently you can't run the cars close enough to the ground to get porpoising in the wind tunnel. That's their big problem. I reckon they on paper delivered the best chassis, but then porpoising screwed that up. Ferrari's design is either genius because they realised porpoising would be an issue, or a bit lucky.

[@overdosedaniel6025]

Porpoising limits your top speed A LOT, so that's not the biggest issue, the issue is that they can barely break properly when shaking that much, you can see how many time they missed the apex of the first corner.

[@RockSolitude]

@@Kevinschart I feel the way the Merc is currently designed is just a more extreme version of their car design philosophy from years prior. Looking at the design to me says that it's been designed to be optimised for and reliant on being the front runner and one of the fastest cars yet again with the most downforce: very tight packaging which depends even more strongly on cooling; limited space for cooling; sidepods designed to act like barge boards; all these aero elements to create outwash; a high downforce aero set up while the body tries to remain as slippery as possible; attempts made to increase the wake and turbulence through other means for following cars etc.

[@MrWill994]

@@jasondowtychristianmusic9401 why wouldn’t they allow that though? It wouldn’t make a lot of sense if the wind tunnel doesn’t allow it but the regulations do for the race... then I again I know very little about the procedures for the wind tunnel, so you could be on to something.

[@JustaMinor12]

Stg if I have to hear another explanation on "porpoising" I might really lose it

[@HorsTeets]

oh no, you sound serious! /s

[@michaelwilkie35]

I know it’s only 1 race, but it reminds me of Max in 2020. Stuck in no man’s land between the midfield & the best teams.

[@azizulrahman766]

Yea i think few next races will be ferrari vs rb then merc then rest of the field.

[@naufalkusumah2192]

it's more like 2018 season when Merc vs Ferrari and RB picking odd wins

[@lordmahaveer6307]

Except Max could actually cause Bottas trouble in most cases. Car wasn't as bad as Albon made it seem, & Verstappen was able to drive around many of its inherent problems.

[@johnmcglasson3287]

he was right behind Charles for the entire race, they were lapping the field together, what are you talking about

[@RomanBellicTaxi]

@@johnmcglasson3287 yea but he used 2020 Max's example to explain Mercedes this year. Right now, Red Bull itself is pretty good, just need to sort whatever reliability issue they had, but back then not so much.

[@JaxsonNZ]

Can we get one of these for McLaren please?, as their issues seem quite different, and the performance drop is far more dramatic.

[@nickmo58]

We need to copy Haas'car. They've got it.

[@sahilchhabria5134]

Mercedes was in a similar position last yr in testing when they were slower than redbull by 0.4 sec, they got a set of upgrades and the W12 became a title winning car. The W13 seems to have potential in my opinion, the sidepod delete seems to be a very intense and different approach to the regulations, they just need one fix to solve the porpoising issue and they’ll be right back at the front.

[@KosmicHRTRacingTeam]

Similar? They weren’t 30-40 seconds off the pace last year. You sure watched last year?

[@iuvdisuhb-ld3ou]

thats what it seems at the face of it atleast, but we cant be certain.

[@Melv1ns]

@@KosmicHRTRacingTeam because they messed up the strategy. Toto wolf called it something in the lines with "Having our hand in the toilet" about the strategy.

[@WeAreLegion1904]

The problem last year and the problem this year are not the same. With new regs all teams can improve alot and that was not the case last year. Redbull and ferrari might find another 1 second with upgrades and that means merc needs to find 2. Last year mercedes lost a bit of an advantage because of the high rake cars. This year they seem to be way off. Its hard to tell exactly after one race and one track.

[@FacuGonz3]

The problem is, they weren't the title winning car anyways lol

[@trgoodman6820]

can you explain how the budget cap works in this situation... so before the budget cap how would Mercedes attack this problem in terms of resources and how does the budget cap change how the teams have to solve their in season problems/upgrades?

[@emanuellaviniuguia9352]

@therace do you have a certain playlist for the background music you use in your videos? i simply feel like the music you guys add in each video is top notch, i dont know how many people really care about your background music but i do and i would love to listen to a playlist or see the names of the tracks. ps: keep up with the good quality of your videos

[@shuttersounds__jpg]

I feel bad for russel lmao imagine being all hyped to race for wins and then finish 4th just because red bull double dnf’d

[@baumabatundi6034]

Still much more exciting than fighting for p15 in the williams

[@trappenweisseguy27]

I imagine he felt really good about having to provide a tow to his teammate throughout all of the qualifying sessions. Welcome to team politics Russell.

[@10parth10]

I mean better than being in the William's and being 15th

[@taxepusfrancis7239]

@@trappenweisseguy27 yeah checo Perez is enjoying that as well

[@shuttersounds__jpg]

@@baumabatundi6034 of course, but when he was with Williams it was understood that that was going to be the case and the reason he switched to Mercedes was to compete for top three legitimately and not have 4th and consider it "damage limitations"just because people in front of you dnf'd 🤷🏻‍♂️ idk maybe they'll turn it around.

[@Revvzy204]

Thank you Scott & crew for some equal coverage here. Refreshing to see some tackling the issues head on. Red Bull fan here and it's fair to say even not on the pace Merc are right where they need to be to take advantage of mistakes at the front, like this weekend. I really don't think we'll see the same car come the European leg of this season, after 8 WCC they cannot be ruled out at any stage

[@kennethjefferson9947]

This was the best explanation of porpoiseing with the visual

[@shonen84]

1:01 Lol the Checo twirl on the graph, OOF

[@paulthorn6437]

I feel like Merc can get it worked out and be competitive, but their customers have got to be sweating right now. McClaren, Aston Martin and Williams all looked awful.

[@mikespearwood3914]

To think Williams could've been it's own lead PU team back in the day (BMW), and not have to rely on someone else, but they rejected it! The Williams family should've accepted BMW taking over Williams in the 2000's!

[@eden5260]

better than a dead engine though.

[@paulthorn6437]

@@eden5260 true! If RB cars keep dying late in the race, that’s worse than slow.

[@samueljayachandran2849]

Yea I’m more pissed off since I’m a fan of Seb and Daniel. They’ve fought Merc power all along in races where it was an uphill battle and now when they join it disappoints. Like Alonso said about Seb in 2013, “the 8 world titles will be taken much worse if they don’t win when they’re not the best”

[@houseofzom]

@@mikespearwood3914 and look what good that did for the sauber team. Who did....

[@FAB1150]

I feel so bad for Perez, he was almost at the finish line!

[@igisanchez265]

Don't be. He drives for Senorito Verstappen. Once Verstappen is out, he has no purpose.

[@williamfischer3990]

@@igisanchez265 I wish teams didn’t do that the other drivers but it is a reality. Valteri did it for Lewis and Reubens did it for Michael at Ferrari.

[@oonmm]

Yeah, he wan't even one corner away from the start/finish line.

[@baclava69]

@@igisanchez265 keep hating son, Max is your world champion. The true champ.

[@igisanchez265]

@@baclava69 go back to your video games, you toddler.

[@betht7414]

whilst i'm glad there are more at the front, i do hope they join them..they are kinda in the middle on their own at the moment ... infact the cars all seem to be abit spread out.. the Alpines also seemed to be on their own alot

[@davkarshobby2468]

There may be a rule that prevents this but one way to reduce the surplus down force is a pressure release valve (possibly 2 of them) towards the rear at the area of maximum compression that would limit the ride height increase caused by excess pressure. My instant pot has a cheap version but this being FI they will want something slightly more high tech. If the regs don't allow it simply drill a couple of holes where the valves would go and determine what diameter of hole and how many holes would reduce the pressure by the required amount.

[@Alex-xg8py]

As a Merc fan, I suspect this will be similar for McLaren in the 2009 season. 2010 as very good for Mclaren, so for the sake of everyone fighting up front, I hope it gets resolved soon

[@Jesusblowsme666]

Same here, i want to see Lewis win his 8th

[@user-sx4zi8ux6s]

For the sake of everyone? But everyone wants a different challenger

[@Jesusblowsme666]

@@user-sx4zi8ux6s speak for yourself, I want to see Mercedes going back to dominating the rest of the track.

[@user-sx4zi8ux6s]

@@Jesusblowsme666 in awe at how a human being can be so devoid from the concept of "fun"

[@Jesusblowsme666]

@@user-sx4zi8ux6s easy, its called having different opinions.

[@mahoganywood6468]

So at the moment, they are the king of the midfield, but nowhere near the front packs. Hope they catch up to Ferrari and Red Bull because the more teams battling in the front, the merrier.

[@Shades_of_White]

Well said.

[@spencerb311]

No

[@Shifftee]

No need to catch up to Red Bulls since their cars last only 55 laps

[@ForzaVryheid]

I'd rather have HAAS and an Alfa up there than Mercedes again

[@mahoganywood6468]

@@ForzaVryheid I don't really care if it's Mercedes, McLaren, Haas, or Alfa, but I'm being realistic.

[@ramborigs]

Best F1 Channel bar none. Great job guys.

[@chrisst8922]

When I first heard about Mercedes' difficulties last week I wondered whether they'd designed a car to overtake well and of course they'd not required that of it until Sunday. I'm sure that it'll take a few races before we see where all the constructors are and that by season's end Hamilton and Verstappen will be a few points adrift at the top. I can appreciate still more the wisdom of Hamilton advising that they didn't try changing drivers as well as the aero. It must be good too that we see these developments. The last time ground effect was in vogue they were allowed unlimited hours on the track.

[@chefgromano5025]

They will turn it around. In 2021 towards the end of the season the Mercedes unlocked tremendous power out of nowhere. I’m no fan of them but you can’t count them out. I’d say Redbull has bigger problems with 3/4 getting dnfs

[@DanishAZ-mp7tm]

That is also assuming Ferrari or Red Bull won't develop the car throughout the season. I hope Ferrari learn from 2021 that Mercedes can possibly undercut towards the end. As a Ferrari fan I hope they continue to perform at a high level till the end, but I remain cautious

[@aadixum]

Plus that was not entirely due to the engine. In Qatar and Saudi, mercedes used their old engine and still won.

[@my2cents366]

@@DanishAZ-mp7tm The closer you get to the limit, there less room for improvement. Merc might have picked the wrong aero design and might have already reached the limit but it is possible, they have more room to improve compared to others. Only time can tell, everything else (including experts) is speculation.

[@ColinJ88]

It wasn’t out of nowhere, Lewis’ Merc had a brand new engine to put in for last handful of races. That was all.

[@s-pracing8514]

Thank you, everyone is talking about Merc's PU but qll of thier cars finished the race, RB lost 3/4 of thier cars in the race. Reliability issues can be a Pandora's box and RB could be in trouble if things keep breaking

[@oscardanson7127]

Would be very funny if they knew they were 2 seconds quicker than everyone else and so are pulling the biggest prank in F1 history

[@uprightfossil6673]

You mean like every year. 😂 I never heard so many professionals in F1 say " sandbagging " as much as they did last weekend. Well, now we know it was not sandbagging for that race...or was it???

[@paulbush1497]

Use feather like design to Chanel and keep down force underneath by increasing air down force over the area needed and able to release at the edges keeping it close.. like a golf ball.,, maybe..

[@LisaL.]

I wonder if they can add some holes in the fins/channels that help create the ground effect. This may help air escape when the ground effect is so large before the car floor smashes the track. More of an auto-regulatory effect.

[@Amm17ar]

Pretty new to F1 (this being my first full season of actively watching) So I have some questions. How was this problem not able to be figured out and addressed before season? Are they not allowed to test cars until a certain date? Werent these cars developed and given to the teams a year or two ago to start working on? If so, were they not allowed to test the cars on track at their own facilities and find these issues? Are teams only allowed to make changes and development to the car throughout the season? Any other information you could include would be awesome, this is super confusing to me considering Mercedes spends the most on development and costs associated with that (costs that dont factor into the salary cap either) so its shocking they dont have a near perfect car (but im assuming theres reasons for it, just cant find the answers)

[@danj420xbox]

The manufacturer that wins the previous year gets the least amount of wind tunnel time , ao i think that is what happend to them . All testing is done under fia supervision, only wind tunnels and sims the teams are allowed to test the cars .

[@danj420xbox]

They can make some changes through the season , but not too drastic

[@danj420xbox]

Hope that answers some of your questions lad , i dont know much about f1 so dont quote me on anything 🤣

[@uprightfossil6673]

These are not spec cars like Indycar, F2 or F3. Each team develops their own car that fits within the rules. There were several "new" changes also. The tire and rim size and weight are greater this year. The cars are heavier. Lots of variables, but with just the extra tire and wheel weight they had to redesign the car to be lighter but not below regulations. If you have F1tv find Sam Collins and tech talk for engineering for nerds. Cheers

[@uprightfossil6673]

Don't forget the new e10 fuel guys

[@alexseleni3314]

Their engine took a big hit. All 8 Mercedes powered cars were in the bottom of the speed traps. Very suspicious going from the best engine to the worst 🤔🤔. Now their ICE has also been homologated so no changes for this era performance wise.

[@GhostonYoutube201x]

it's not what it achieves in the speed trap it's how it gets to its speed and how quick, aka when redbull was moaning about the gigaengine in brazil, it wasn't even the fastest in the speed trap, was raikonen's alfa, but it's how you get there as i relate.

[@RockSolitude]

There's still a lot of tricks they can do to optimise performance without changing the engine design, just like Honda have done in years prior.

[@denzel9086]

It’s not suspicious if you know that F1 is a scripted sport

[@danielssonsgarage]

@@denzel9086 🤣

[@danielssonsgarage]

Not suspicious, the e10 is a quite different fuel

[@monararazor2070]

Mclaren Rear Suspension probably helped with the purposing in straights versus merc engine customers - Aston/Williams hence the better time. Something Merc should consider using in their works car

[@clockdva20]

Same trouble plagued the original Ground effects car at first ence why they were fitted with sliding skirts to stop the sudden unsticking and sticking , then came the next problem having to fit stronger and stronger springs or dampers , the cars had to run harder and harder to the point of beating the drivers to death with lack of suspension travel , whether some of these issues have now returned to haunt this modern version , but its looking like they may have deal some of the same issues.

[@joeydaveyphoto2032]

Incredible to see Max and Charles just walk away from the rest of the pack. Same as last year, different guy

[@arranlargue6167]

Delighted to see Max and Perez out of the car before the race finished 😂

[@jasperschlief]

@@arranlargue6167 pain..

[@jondoe1571]

@@f1andfootball835 what? What did he say that was out of line?…stop being a child he didn’t say he hoped they crashed out or that he hated them unlike others

[@prasadchavan8313]

@@arranlargue6167 they'll fix their issue fosho get ready for ferrari redbull fight

[@kupuh]

@@arranlargue6167 Yeah.. It'll be really nice to see another championship decider in Spa. 10 races before the end.. Let's hope the only competitors won't finish! You have to be a real F1 fan..

[@maiden5427]

6:26 You can literally see the dirty air rising over the wing. What a good job on the new cars.

[@wizkidd6950]

Very sad its clearly a audio feedback type issue. Case of reinventing the wheel. The sensors live data stream is too fast..

[@506thLittleberry]

I wonder if the porpoising issue is going to also make them much more vulnerable to aquaplaning during wet conditions.

[@TrickyTree84]

It could be worse. You could have had 3x DNFs....and people think Merc have issues

[@tobybloomfield6193]

I thought the rumour was with the red bulls it was a supplied fuel pipe that failed not the actual engine, however the alpha was the engine

[@tobybloomfield6193]

@AUStin yeah that was it

[@fkez0510]

The only Red Bull engine issue was Gasly's MGU-K Verstappen and Perez's issue came from the fuel pump, a spec part between all teams handed out by the FIA

[@TrickyTree84]

@@fkez0510 so a spec part that's on all 22 cars failed at the same time on only 2 cars from the same team 🤣🤣🤣 If you believe that, go get a lottery ticket.

[@fkez0510]

@@TrickyTree84 it failed on both RedBulls because they hadn't done low fuel runs before and didn't think it was as bad. It is literally fact that all teams had raised concerns about the fuel pumps and some like McLaren changed theirs overnight just in case If you believe there's something else going on here then you need to check your facts buddy

[@BoogWar01]

Here is a very unMerc like solution. Damp the car so it stays out of oscillation until you can figure out how to keep the floor out of stall. Or reduce the effectiveness of the edge vortices so the edges don’t flex so much, again till the data suggests where the best ride height compromise is and allow the drivers to get the best out of that envelope till the design comes good.

[@dumitruvreja9031]

Sir, thank you for the good news. Keep it up.

[@jeremysiegel457]

Mercedes has some explaining to do. 3 bottom team (pace wise) were Mercedes PU. Really make you wonder if mercedes does have the same PU vs the one supplying.

[@cyril_ogude]

So many salty haters showing their real colors. I thought everyone wanted close racing, turns out they just want Mercedes to fail

[@sausageandbeanmelt4634]

@Cyril Ogude I'm a Ferrari man, but saw a lot of 'salty haters' when RB had their DNFs. Why so sensitive?

[@trance9158]

I want RB to fail

[@trance9158]

@@sausageandbeanmelt4634 they deserve it. You don't seem bothered by the Mercedes and Hamilton haters though do you??

[@xx9874]

@@trance9158 i just want haas to be good or on podium ;(

[@xx9874]

@@trance9158 they must be rb fans?idk Many other f1 fans hate merc and their fan base simply because most of them are bandwagon(their opinion, not mine)

[@aztronomy7457]

I’ll count out mercedes when I see it. In my opinion they have the highest performance ceiling of the field due to their lack of sidepods. Their engine worries me however.

[@schumifan78]

The lack of sidepods is part of their problem.

[@l3tk1ll]

I belive it's the front wing that are strafing between wind going over and under

[@5bStix]

Reduce the angle of attack on the stalling components, increase the angle of attack on the wing to make up for the loss of downforce.

[@stpbasss3773]

It's refreshing to see Mercedes mid pack for once.

[@rogersanchez9635]

Mercedes is the team that would start the season 5th fastest and end the season dominating don’t count them out especially after one race, there seems to be a lot of performance to unlock with that side pod design

[@fam.hunger5244]

Seriously? Exactly that sidepod design is their problem! Its a new technical regulary! And they come up with an evolution of a concept that got beaten to death since 2017... other went for completely new concepts! While Mercedes made an evolution. Radical maybe, bur nothing new. Its only an evolution. And this sidepod design is the root of all of their pain. Its obvious. Mercedes is the only team to have sidepods running all the way down to the floor. So they have a totally different pressure zone in front of the inlet of their sidepods and hence in front of their tunnel inlet. You need a high pressure zone there, because the vortices to seal the floor are created by incoming high pressure air from the front vanes under the floor and lower pressure air on top of it. This might sound counter-intuitive but this area of the floor is a high pressure zone, and almost all teams except of Mercedes and Williams are "feeding" it with their sidepod inlets NOT going down to the floor and being high. Ferrari is the perfect example - the area under their inlet is a massive high pressure zone and that feeds their tunnel entrance with additional high pressure. Mercedes has the problem that they do not have enough high pressure there, as they do not have a high pressure zone under their sidepod inlet. Their sidepods are running right down to the floor. They probably also have the problem that the flow on top of the floor is not favorable enough or does not create enough outwash. Their latest change of their sidepods clearly shows that they need to improve here, but obviously it didn't work. To get anywhere near the downforce of other cars they have to run their car pretty low because of all these aero limitations. This induces porpoising. But how should they get rid of it? They cannot drive at higher ride heights as they loose to much downforce and performance...but at low ride heights porpoising hurts them. The are trapped. And the problem lies within their car concept and sidepod concept. So its a huge problem. Almost a disaster! They have to complete change their car and sidepods. Another problem is their airbox/roll-hoop and engine cover. Mercedes decided to try to get more air over the diffuser. Thats always beneficial, as the it creates upwash that drives the floor. But what drives the floor most is the rear wing that drives the "new" beanwing. They create a much bigger upwash than air over the top of the diffuser and floor performance is much better of course. To make the rear and beamwing work harder, you have to get as much air to them as possible. But Mercedes designed a cooling package that actually hurts rear-wing performance(because they wanted to maximise air over the top of the diffuser - wrong decision, they played it safe and did an evolution of what they did for a few years instead of a new radical approach and concept)because to be able to run their small and wrong sidepods, they had to pack everything in the engine cover area and airbox. So the car has a huge airbox and broad shoulders. That hurts rear-wing performance extremely. Thats also the reason why they need more rear-wing, what results in more drag and less topspeed...so as you see - Mercedes concept is totally wrong this time. And its almost impossible to do anything against it. They have to completely redesign their cooling system, airbox, sidepods and all components in the area of the engine. Thats not possible during a season..not even if there would be no budget cap or restrictions regarding windtunnel and cfd. Mercedes will have to live with the fact that their got it completely wrong and their car has an aero-concept that is totally wrong and has massive disadvantages and problems. They can play around with different floor designs. But thats it and it will bring them nowhere near Red Bull and Ferrari. Its far more likely they will even fall behind Haas and one or two other teams, as these teams have a concept thats right. And they have a big developement potential, while Mercedes in that regard - there is not much you can do with a horribly wrong concept....and Mercedes already knows all that since Barcelona. Their updates in testing in Bahrain showed clearly they recognized their problem and tried to minimise the damage within the limits their concept gives them. So sorry - but realise this sidepods design is bs. Its the totally wrong approach to this kind of regulary. But thats also F1...the team thats in front usually do not want to take huge risks. So they play it save and evolve, not do something completely new. Thats what Mercedes did. From Micro-Sidepods to Micro-Micro-Sidepods when others brought radical new sidepods. Unfortunately for Mercedes with a new technical regulary its always the new concept to win. But thats how all dominations find their end...the leading team "only" evolves while other bring in new concepts...Mercedes won't dominate anything that year. Thats for sure. Their whole aero-concept is completely wrong and they cannot change that in a way that it could match RB or Ferrari.

[@paulj9821]

I am sure they will improve but Ferrari is already ahead of them

[@rogersanchez9635]

@@fam.hunger5244 bro wtf 😳 I tried to read your essay but I just gave up 4 pages into it 😂

[@gheckolock81]

Everyone talks about the Merc power unit being down on power, but no one is talking about the possibilities of the trans/rear suspension design contributing to the lack of performance. I see alot of analysis concerning aero, but very little concerning suspension geometry. I would like more insight into the suspension design.

[@KVF26]

I predict end of season and next year they may find a solution, mercs could even write off this season and ensure they are competitive for next year. Other eras if your a 1 second off the pace, it’s often a few years of development to get that back because everyone is developing their own car too

[@Jmespo83]

Nah… just taking sandbagging to the next level. 😏

[@J1Z06]

It's a breath of fresh air to see Ferrari back on top!

[@alanhillyard1639]

Underfloor designs have had design features to reduce stalling when running too close to the ground for years, I don’t know why they haven’t got these in to stop this.. all it would take is fences that ground out before the gap reduces enough to stall..

[@augustwest4752]

You should try to make the text overlay more seizure-inducing

[@timb171]

"My team don't make mistakes"

[@andrewmelton2686]

DC: "Lewis are you disappointed that RB have built a car that can't finish a race" Lewis: "very, very 😊"

[@jasondowtychristianmusic9401]

Unless the engine speed is an issue I think if Merc can fix this they could jump to the front. They basically designed a better downforce car (too good it seems) than others and wind tunnels don't allow for porpoising. I wonder if their design is ahead of it's time (literally) unless they can fix it without compromise. So many factors though - the lack of engine performance in a straight line of all Merc cars is the biggest worry considering DRS. The chassis will be fine eventually. The engine is locked for four years. Surprised few commentators are saying how critical that is. Merc could be out of contention for four years minimum if the engine is rubbish.

[@RinaldiMeteoric]

May be its a rhetorical question because probably they've thought of it but are the teams not allowed to have something like they have in the rear wing that open and closes under their car? It would open to allow more air when the suspension is too low controlling the wind under the car.

[@koczeka]

That is good news, unlike fuel pump failures for RB.

[@larikauranen2159]

Who would've thought that mercedes' experience of having a low rake car would result them creating too much downforce for the new era and being detrimental to their pace on qualy and race trim. Now its time to see if what horner has said, is true, which i personally dont believe to hold water

[@iuvdisuhb-ld3ou]

what did horner say?

[@larikauranen2159]

@@iuvdisuhb-ld3ou apperantly this was a whule ago, where he stated that wolff was given this well oiled machine and didnt really have to work on it like horner "had" to when he was building rbr with mattesitch and marko

[@gustavomarques4097]

@@larikauranen2159 Well, he's not wrong... Mercedes inherited a championship winning crew and car, the W01 was very close in comparison with the BGP01. Yet they still fell to 4th in the standings the next year. Horner and Marko picked up a trashed Jaguar that never finished above 7th. They only started to improve after Newey arrived for 2007.

[@larikauranen2159]

@@gustavomarques4097 rbr has never been a team i've taken seriously in the sport. Even when redbull was saubers main sponsor. People complain about wolffs reactions during last season, but tend to forget that's basically how marko and horner have operated, which certainly makes them stand out more and creates a unique environment with in the team. Wolff switched from williams to mercedes in 2013 and next year hit the ground running.. i see this argument as valid, but saying something like that to the public just makes me think of one thing. His jealousy. The team under wolff must have done something right to have won 8 cc in a row

[@iuvdisuhb-ld3ou]

@@larikauranen2159 definitely. if only the f1 community could learn to appreciate.

[@xexas3000]

As soon as they fix the porpoising we will see a 3 team fight in the front. Some say the porpoising effect is causing a 0.8s deficit, if this is true with the confidence it will give the drivers we will see a different story. And i don't believe one second that their PU is slower than Ferrari or RB. I think their are being cautious with it. One thing i noticed was Hamilton on the radio talking about reability at the end of the race... so im pretty sure they have a good engine, they are just learning about it for the first few races. And who doesnt want to see a 6 car battles every race?! I do. Forza Ferrari.

[@damiendegrasse]

That also means that all Merc-powered (slow in speed traps) cars are running the engine only as hard as Mercedes say so.....

[@Liofa73]

Agreed. They have to run at a lower power because they are running the car higher to counteract the porpoising.

[@xexas3000]

@@damiendegrasse Yep, HPP (like other engine supliers) will provide their customers, engines maps that they can run the engine with, the question here is how conservative those maps are. I think Merc as a team can't use other maps without suppling them to their customers but other teams can't run different maps that havent been supplied by its engine manufacture, otherwise we would see a lot of engines being blown. Specially with a 4 year engine freeze in effect. I think they will turn up the engine bit by bit and see what breaks, fix that, turn up a bit more and so on... We saw multiple issues with RB PU, Gasly on flames, both RB with a "fuel issue"... Just my guess anyway.

[@chiefkeef74]

Technically 4 if you count Haas

[@markwalton8644]

Wolffe explained Mercedes were running higher downforce to compensate for having to raise the ride height to reduce purposing. Which reduced their top speed. So Mercedes engine might still be a strong unit!!

[@YungJuicyMBM]

Can't they maybe just try maybe a smaller wing with a stiffer suspension package? Might help with the bouncing. Or include a little bit of up-force in unbalanced areas to create a nice center of weight n distribution of air equally to avoid it skipping like when you're tubing too fast

[@rodclark5831]

Try poor outwash and non-laminar flow over the diffuser due to the sidepods throughout turning or following. Straight up bouncing or you could call it reverse half assed porpoising.

[@aldo-228]

Don't count on it lasting that long. When they get a better understanding of this car they will be back fighting again for wins. It's just going to take a couple of races.

[@weybye91]

But they can only do that with a windtunnel, and they barely got any time there

[@aldo-228]

@Martin Pedersen ..no not true. What they are finding is that they can't duplicate the porpoising in the wind tunnel. So it will have to be fixed based on track time and computer time.

[@Mrv1960]

They will not figure it out in the next 2 races. They have serious issues in many areas.

[@brendan7591]

These are the kind of days Mercedes will look back on in the early part of the season. Bc when they figure it out and start challenging Red Bull and Ferrari, they won't be as far behind as they surely should be.

[@smellyfish36]

If mercedes had maximized focus on the Venturi effect and underbody aero they might be a lot faster on better quality track surfaces , because a rough surface could heavily affect suction.

[@rustydeen9162]

Why can porpoising not be eliminated by increasing ground clearance or even stiffening the rear suspension? On a different issue, tweaking the W13 gearing a bit might help somewhat.

[@oscarmeeks9752]

Good, they need a set back! Glad to see other cars up front and the mid field is going to get better.

[@danielgeros225]

just let the teams have adaptive suspension to combat the problem and that's it ... don't understand why the FIA is so obtuse when it comes to finding a fix for this problem, especially when you see ALL cars have this issue, even RB and Ferrari. proposing looks ugly and makes the sport look bad IMO, don't understand why the FIA isn't doing anything about it when it has technologies locked behind bans that would help the teams get in the, oh so desired racing position.

[@gergelyjuhasz8654]

Looks like Adrian Newey and Rory Byrne could recall some memories from a similar aero era.

[@cathalfolan8441]

1:15 that front wing is miles off the ground. are all the cars like that? First time I've noticed it.

[@nathanwilliams5965]

I think RB reliability is going to be more of an issue considering they’re supposed to be competing for a title it’s not a good sign when 3 cars with the same PU retire because of issues, I also thought people wanted merc to have a down year so others can shine at the front

[@markbrowning9363]

I think both Red Bulls ran out of fuel?

[@privaishnav4380]

The Honda engine badges as RedBull Powertrains did not suffer a PU failure, RB said it was a Fuel pump issue which is given by the FIA to all teams, that’s what I have heard so far.

[@arranlargue6167]

Red Bull have a bigger problem 👀

[@my2cents366]

Not really, it was a fuel pump issue, should be able to fix it.

[@marcushill78]

Just drill some holes in the floor of the right size and in the right place and the excessive pressure will be relieved as it occurs.

[@kdoodoo]

It seems resonance that air flow makes in high speed.

[@SoloSailing77]

I always thought it was Niki's influence, that put Mercedes at the top. He always focused on the little things. Those little things really add up. RIP Niki.

[@dennisnickoloff1723]

Agreed 100%! The interplay between complex variables is often very hard to determine. As you said, strict adherence to small, unobvious details is key to success. Niki was consistently one of the best with this type of critical thinking

[@oxfordsparky]

It’s too early to say who has it right and wrong, clearly Ferrari had it better yesterday but anything could happen at the next few races.

[@user-mn5ul9vo9m]

But the Ferrari has some secrets in its design that we can’t see yet! As the year goes on we shall see what happens!

[@lukakarepa484]

Yeah for all we know their engines degrade faster and halfway through the year they are limping with cost cap constraints. (Pure mental hypothetical) The season is just starting, all we know is where they are at this second

[@psilocybe4623]

they started to do the math in time of old type tyres...so, when they start counting from begining with this tyres, theyll do it good....only tyres hardnes and softnes....

[@osagiestuart8552]

Sounds to me like if they fix the porpoising its gonna be a dominant car, yes they were 30 seconds off the pace but at least half of that was the 15 or so laps they done on the hard tire when everyone else chose the mediums and then stopping twice more anyway, probably more like 10-15s seconds off

[@s-pracing8514]

I would bet that Merc still beat RB this season. Having 3/4 of your cars DNF, the only 3 cars to DNF is not a good sign. Merc just need to fine tune their set up

[@crash10125]

Every team has to fine tune their setup.

[@Boost400]

Yeah you are not delusional at all

[@chrisb8075]

Not a chance. That's like saying "if merc finish ahead they'll win" No shit sherlock.

[@s-pracing8514]

We shall see by the end of the season, I suspect we will see a lot more bulls dead on track this season. Reliability issuses can be a Pandora's box

[@Dharshanth.k]

music to my ears hearing this, heavens in my eyes seeing this. I am happy to see this happening to them.

[@Jesusblowsme666]

Don't worry, once we find the solution to the problem I hope you can say the same about hearing the British national anthem 😘

[@elijahdaniel7414]

The amount of times I’ve seen that alphatauri porpoising graphic is unreal

[@richardwallinger1683]

reading in between the lines .. It would seem that the car has an excess of aero suck . managing the excessive suck on my 1980 Donnington Gt Championship winning car was achieved using pressure limiting vanes which dumped air through the side channels into the rear low pressure zone . Linking the excessive downforce at the correct instant when the brakes are applied . similar to how the DRS is activated / controlled .would allow for shorter stopping / slowing distances . A sort of ABS system operating the aero airflow vanes many times a second . Just a thought .. Which needs kicking around by some switched on Aero techies . Have fun .

[@Chyeahokay]

Merc power unit is slower because of all the added sensors the fia introduced. They obviously were doing something maybe not so kosher. That they can’t get away with any longer

[@s.arunda1225]

Mercedes turned down their engines to match the increased drag when they raised the ride height of their cars for the first race of the season, while they try to solve the bouncing problem. As soon as they get it right and share the engine data,with the customer teams who knows? Merc engined cars could end up higher on the grid. Nothing to do with sensors; if it is sensors why would three engines from one manufacturer blow up within minutes of each other?

[@slayer6936]

I love seeing Lewis being humbled!!

[@samc2649]

What’s your take on Max?

[@andis9076]

Wondering how the early F1 ground effect car (which use FAN) didn't have this problem.

[@jimiverson3085]

They are going to have to look hard at their undertray profile and the flow off the sides of the tray.