Taking inspiration from Red Bull in taking packaging solutions to extremes, which in the first two tests had been deliberately conventional and cautious in the name of reliability, Mercedes revealed a profoundly modified W17 in Bahrain.
Like its RB22 rival, it also featured micro-aerodynamic solutions and a decidedly noticeable change to the profile of the sidepods.
The old design is more inclined in its upper profile shape, and tapered towards the rear, with the engine cover now also more refined than its previous iteration.
The underbody has also been modified in the area of the rear wheels, with the addition of several right-angled slits reminiscent of solutions adopted in previous regulations before ground effects.
These solutions are designed to work with the rake, which can be progressively changed according to the track, with the underbody also modified in terms of the lateral expansion profile located immediately behind the bargeboards.
The diffuser has also undergone changes, albeit less evident, related to the vertical profile of the internal section of the diffuser, which is able to effectively manage the outgoing airflow to determine the diffuser stall on the straights.
Micro-aerodynamic changes have also been made to the W17, starting with the mirror mounts, which now appear to be a faithful copy of those on the Ferrari.
In short, on the first day of the final test, the Brackley team seems to have effectively fielded the true configuration of the W17, no longer hiding the concepts explored during the design phase to ensure absolute performance.
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