Uncovered: The new Mercedes W15 front wing with legality wire now removed

In Monaco, Mercedes introduced an upgraded front wing to the W15.

The start of the F1 2024 season has not been ideal for Mercedes as the team has struggled to find the performance and consistency needed to compete at the top.

In a bid to address their issues, Mercedes introduced a radically different front wing for the Monaco Grand Prix. This is likely just one of many upgrades aimed at improving their performance. Let’s delve into the technical aspects of this upgrade and explore how it might help turn their season around.

Mercedes looking to address struggles for form

It’s uncommon to witness a team that has long dominated this championship now grappling with struggles and, quite frankly, lacking speed compared to their immediate superior rivals.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton achieved their best performance of the season in Monaco, finishing P5 and P7 respectively. It’s worth noting that Hamilton competed in that race without a new front wing.

Mercedes is currently in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship after eight races this season, while McLaren, which is in third place, has nearly double the points.

Following the comparable number of races last season, Mercedes had a comfortable lead in second place over Aston Martin, Ferrari, and McLaren. The noticeable drop in performance relative to the previous year poses a puzzling question: how could a team with so much experience let this happen?

Since the inception of the new generation of cars, the team based in Brackley has been making some entirely different decisions.

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They were the sole adopters of the zero-sidepod concept at the onset of the 2022 season, a strategy that swiftly demonstrated its inefficiency. Despite this, Mercedes persisted with this approach for a year and a half before ultimately discarding it. The repercussions of this poor choice evidently continue to impact them.

This season’s front wing, introduced at the start of the year, was another alternative solution from Mercedes.

It appeared that the “legality wire” they introduced at that time could increase airflow to the floor and undercut area of the car, which is essential for speed on the track.

Additionally, in theory, this detail was designed to create a powerful vortex that would subsequently aid in removing the dirty air from the front wheels of the car more efficiently.

This vortex, known as Y250, was a crucial component in older car models.

The new #Mercedes front wing could be a nice trick to exploit the vortices to your advantage (in 2021 called the Y250 vortex).
But are we sure that the FIA will also like this?#F1 #F1Tech pic.twitter.com/UJipMEcS2s

— Rosario Giuliana (@RosarioGiuliana) February 14, 2024

As previously stated, Mercedes eliminated the legality wire from the final element of the front wing.

In addition, modifications can be seen on the endplate, nose cover, and the mainplane lines.

A Mercedes front wing for Monaco that looks very different.

See how it compares to the previous spec below pic.twitter.com/U6v3urisJw

— The Race (@wearetherace) May 24, 2024

The primary function of the new design is to continuously produce more downforce across varying conditions and types of corners. Essentially, Mercedes aims to expand the efficiency range of the front wing’s operation.

The front wing’s lower flap is now significantly narrower, particularly in the outboard section, while the flap on top of it has become considerably wider.

Mercedes ha probado una nueva ala en los libres 1 con el flap superior unido al morro siguiendo la misma cuerda. Russell ha probado el nuevo, Hamilton el anterior. #f1 #monacogp pic.twitter.com/uAM04ozN69

— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) May 24, 2024

Another advantage is that engineers will now possess significantly enhanced control over the movable flap sections. This implies that there will be more extensive modifications from one track to another, facilitating better adaptation to the specific attributes of a given track.

The real evaluation of the new design will be observed at the upcoming race in Canada, specifically due to its unique slow corners.

Despite Russell achieving a superior result than Hamilton, who was using an older version of the front wing, the Monaco track’s nature doesn’t fully display their potential. Nevertheless, the comparison of the two drivers on different specs still provided Mercedes with valuable data, which can only be beneficial for them.

Mercedes has declared that several more upgrades are underway, likely to be unveiled in Spain and Belgium.

Their team of engineers will be aiming to discover the correct strategy to restore Mercedes to their rightful place in the thrilling competition currently being fought between Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari.

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