British GP: How are Mercedes Suddenly Faster on the Straights than Red Bull After Austria F1 Struggles?

Mercedes have been the talk of the town at Silverstone. The team are facing immense pressure from Red Bull and being pushed to better themselves. The Silver Arrows have been complaining about problems in the car, which seem to have disappeared at the British Grand Prix. Even though Max Verstappen grabbed pole position at the sprint, Mercedes paced fastest during the qualifying.

Toto Wolff’s comments during the last two races in Austria suggested major “developments” to the car. This got lost in translation, as drivers were also being coy about the size of the update. In Great Britain, the car has had some visible upgrades to its floor and bargeboard, but nothing too big.

That being said, the W12 showed a better pace during Friday’s qualifying.

Mercedes has had a drop in performance. Lewis Hamilton, robbed of the first spot during the sprint, despite pushing hard, was 2.5s behind Verstappen. He inquired, “I’m giving it everything- any chance of more power?” His question was met with silence on the radio.

So, are their speculated updates enough to battle the Charging Bulls?

What are the Mercedes upgrades?

The 2021 aerodynamic regulations displeased Mercedes from the start. These made the outside of the car floor narrower and led to no slots, narrower rear brake ducts, and shortening rear diffuser strakes. Over the last races, Mercedes have had a lack of straight-line speed – which became their biggest obstacle.

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The Silverstone upgrades comprise changes around the bargeboards and the underfloor in hopes to enhance aerodynamic performance in the car’s rear. This improved their overall performance on the track, as making the front corner of the floor work better means that extra leakage under the sides of the floor of the rears is not a problem anymore.

A result of these improvements was that Mercedes unfolded another area – where the enhanced performance really came from. This was the chance to run a less aggressive rear wing.

Is it helping?

Now, the Silver Arrows show better pace on the straights than Red Bull. This results from the changes made affecting the drag and downforce of the machine.

Mercedes have reduced drag while maintaining the car’s downforce by making proportional adjustments to the rear wing and the underbody of the car; this has allowed them to go around 3km/hr faster on the straights.

Red Bull’s rear wing, one abhorred by Mercedes, is still more efficient. So, the German outfit still have a few steps to take before reaching the same level of optimization to run successfully.

Mercedes’ rush for the changes shows how much effort they are putting in to regain their advantage in the championship. Will it work? The changes made were pretty fundamental, and probably just a quick fix. After the upcoming race, we can see if the changes made have worked, or if Max Verstappen is simply too fast for the Silver Arrows.

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