Mercedes, here is the real W17: goodbye to battered bellies

The new Mercedes scares the competition with what its power unit might be capable of, but to capitalize on its potential it will still have to demonstrate that it has an aerodynamic platform that is up to par. There is therefore great interest in the new W17, which maintains the double push-rod suspension setup of the ground effect era, but with numerous differences. The lines of the bodywork and the solutions for the diffuser are striking, while keeping in mind that the Silver Arrow could change quite a bit in the coming weeks. The suspensions At the front, Mercedes retains the push-rod layout, without adopting the pull-rod setup, currently confirmed only on the Cadillac and Alpine. The choice is entirely dictated by aerodynamic reasons, based on the interaction studied with the front wing to direct the flows and mitigate the turbulent wake of the wheels. Although the new cars no longer need to run close to the ground, the W17 offers a strong anti-pitch geometry, staggering the two elements of the upper triangle (1) in height. It is proof of how the anti-dive scheme does not only serve to stabilize the height from the ground, but also to better direct the air towards the bottom and the bellies. While waiting for better photos and perspectives, the impression is that Mercedes has brought the steering back in front of the suspension, perhaps also due to the difficulties in installing the power steering. The lower arms, however, do not seem to converge in a single point, outlining a multi-link scheme (2). The advantage is greater freedom in positioning the arms, both for aerodynamic purposes and to control the vertical inclination of the wheel. The push-rod also remains at the rear, but the scheme is completely renewed compared to 2025. The rod that activates the spring-shock absorber group is now less inclined, sacrificing less kinematics, but above all it is now positioned in front of the upper triangle. At the moment there is a shortage of images of the lower arms, where however one can glimpse an element that extends considerably forward (3), clearing up the flows collected in the lower part of the sides, particularly enhanced by the bodywork of the W17. However, it will be interesting to see how much Mercedes intends to resort to the dipped set-up, useful for making the diffuser work better at the expense of the height of the center of gravity, keeping in mind that until 2021 the Silver Arrows were the cars that ran with the lowest rake angles ever. No pounded bellies The distribution of space in the engine compartment is also intriguing about the new Mercedes. The air scope, the dynamic air intake at the rider’s head (4), shows dimensions in line with past seasons. The Brackley team therefore did not replicate the monstrous volumes of the Racing Bulls glimpsed in Imola, perhaps dictated by a hybrid system three times more powerful than in the past and which therefore requires nine times more cooling power. Mercedes preferred to keep a good part of the radiating masses in the bellies, so as not to have to compromise too much the height of the center of gravity. The intakes on the sides of the passenger compartment take care of catching the air, inheriting the shark’s mouth shape from the W16, with the upper lip extending forward (5). Behind them, the sides remain wide, helping to ward off turbulence from the front, but above all high, wheels. The W17 thus renounces the flat-bellied layout, very popular during the ground effect era and also taken up by some 2026 single-seaters. Mercedes instead has a design similar to that of the first Aston Martin of 2022, keeping the bodywork high to channel as much air as possible along the lower part, then channeling it towards the gearbox and diffuser area. The rear axle narrows in what once again becomes a Coca-Cola area, according to a philosophy of conveying flows to the rear that is closer to that of 2021. The very narrow tail suggests the intention to evacuate much of the heat through the grilles on the bonnet, intended to open in warmer contexts. All this, combined with a very high stabilizing fin (6), tells of a great effort to compact the overall dimensions in the engine compartment, to the advantage of freedom for the aerodynamic department. Aerodynamic preview The Silverstone shakedown also offers a glimpse into the other aerodynamic surfaces, which are inevitably set to change in the coming weeks. On the front end, the actuator of the two mobile wing profiles is hidden under the nose (7), unlike Racing Bulls which decided to mount two of them in a more lateral position. Also attracting attention are the front brake air intakes, surrounded by particularly narrow and tall carbon structures(8). The bottom, which becomes flat again, is preceded by a three-element Venetian blind (9), used to create an aerodynamic barrier to protect the bottom from the turbulence of the front wheels, constituting a structure that is anchored to the chassis by means of a horizontal bridge. The interest, however, is all about the conspicuous opening in the side bulkhead of the diffuser (10), taking to the extreme the one already present on ground effect single-seaters, known as the “mouse ear”, used to inject air and energize the flows in the extractor. Finally, note the rear brake air intakes (11), which are also particularly narrow and long, and the rims, which this year are once again designed by the teams. Mercedes has chosen an open design surrounded by an external crown, probably trying to extract air from the inside, also to optimize the thermal management of the brakes and tires. Waiting for the track The wait is now all for the tests, which will provide the first precarious feedback on the Brackley project. There is a lot of talk about the power of the Brixworth power unit, but never like this year will it be the only decisive parameter. Energy management will be equally important, as will the availability of torque at low rpm, having to counteract turbo-lag without the help of the MGU-H. Another theme will be that of the ability to reach the minimum weight as soon as possible, as well as obviously that of the competitiveness of the aerodynamic concept, which is yet to be discovered. While waiting to collect the answers, Mercedes has already logged 200 kilometers in the shakedown at Silverstone, protecting itself from any technical problems and heading towards Barcelona ready to run continuously.