Red Bull F1 believes Mercedes’ clever rear suspension will be a “very powerful” weapon on some circuits in the remaining five races.
The Mercedes F1 has adjusted the rear suspension system and introduced a mechanism that lowers the height of the rear of the machine straight. It is believed that the floor gets closer to the ground, causing the diffuser to stall, reducing drag and increasing speed.
Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner said a circuit like Istanbul Park with lots of medium-speed corners and long straights fits the concept of Mercedes.
“I think Mercedes is optimizing linear devices that can run on that type of circuit,” said Christian Horner.
“Looking at how the rear of their car is down, I think it played a role in their strength in Turkey.”
However, on circuits with high-speed corners such as the Circuit of the Americas, it is difficult to adjust the system because there is not enough variation between the high-speed corners and the straights.
Christian Horner believes that some of the upcoming venues on the calendar are perfect for Mercedes ideas.
“It will have a bigger impact on some tracks,” said Christian Horner.
“Here (US) the effect has diminished, but in places like Jeddah, for example, it can be very powerful.”
Red Bull is intrigued by what Mercedes did with the suspension, but made it clear that he didn’t think the design violated F1 regulations.
“No, we don’t feel it’s illegal,” said Christian Horner.
“This has been used historically. I’ve seen them use it in the past.”
“But what we saw in Turkey was a pretty extreme version of it. I think that circuit made it possible.”
Mercedes downplays the impact of the suspension system, and Red Bull believes it is too important.
Toto Wolff, the head of the Mercedes F1 team, dismissed Christian Horner’s claim as just “noise.”
“I think we’re fully aware that this is a sport where athletes are constantly trying to find out if there is any silver bullet,” Toto Wolff said.
“In my experience, there is no such thing. It is all the small benefits, the slightest benefits that bring additional performance.”
“We really have a better understanding of our car and we are trying to improve performance in lap times without listening too much to the noise.”
Category: F1 / Red bull / Mercedes
