F1 News
'Mercedes plays with rear end height to copy Newey concept'
- GPblog.com
Whereas Red Bull Racing 's car looked very unstable during the 2020 winter test, the roles are reversed with Mercedes in 2021. It seems to have to do with Adrian Newey's famous high-rake concept, which Mercedes now seems to be playing with as well.
Problems in Bahrain
In 2021, the Formula 1 teams were supposed to start the season with roughly the same cars as in 2020, but with modifications to the floor, diffuser and tyres, some things have changed. It seems as though that has been to Mercedes' disadvantage and there is some thought in the paddock that this is because of the low-rake.
In recent years there is a clear separation between two concepts: High-rake and low-rake. Newey was the first to come up with the high-rake concept and many teams copied it. Mercedes however stuck to the low-rake and had a lot of success with it in recent years. Now Mercedes seems to be considering a switch.
Mercedes follows Newey
''Everyone in the paddock is talking about the slope of the car right now. What that means is how high the rear of the car is above the road,'' says technical expert, Sam Collins, in a video for Formula1.com. The doubt at Mercedes is even said to be so bad that they are considering changing their own concept.
''There's a feeling in the paddock that high-rake cars have lost less downforce than low-rake cars. There is speculation that Mercedes is trying out the high-rake as well. I haven't seen it, but it seems that they are playing with the height of the rear of the car. That would be a crucial factor during the season,'' Collins concludes.