Mercedes went five months without touching the W17 and still built a 160-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors’ championship. Six wins in ten races will do that. So when the team finally rolled out a serious upgrade package at Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the question isn’t about whether it will be fast, it’s how fast.
This upgrade package is the first serious change Mercedes has made to its car since the Canadian Grand Prix in May, and it touches almost every aerodynamic surface of the machine. It consists of seven components spread over the floor, sidepods, rear bodywork and rear suspension. It’s a substantial package that Mercedes is hoping can tide it over for the remainder of the season.
What’s actually new on the W17?
The most visible changes come from the floor and the sidepods. The leading edge is reworked, as is the corner, floor board, and body to clean up pressure distribution and minimise air separation at the edges of the floor. In layman’s terms, the team wants as much clean air as possible getting to the rear of the car, which also hosts a variety of changes including winglets and reprofiled suspension fairings.
The rear bodywork has also been slimmed down and a larger side ramp pushes air over the rear of the floor. New McLaren-esque sidepods have also been fitted and this weekend sport some rather large gills to help with heat dissipation around a hot Sepang circuit.
Talking on Sky Sports F1, Bernie Collins called it “A very ominous set of upgrades on the Mercedes. It all starts on the front floor area. The floor fences and floor body has been changed, to lead airflow to the rear. It’s all to do with generation of more downforce, more load, more efficiently. This Mercedes is the one to beat.”
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Mercedes W17 technical detail
Photo by: Jake Boxall-Legge
Team principal Toto Wolff hopes it can help achieve pole position this weekend.
“We are bringing an update package this weekend, and that is an important step for us. At the more representative circuits in recent races, we have not been where we want to be. Monza and Baku presented unique challenges, but on the more conventional tracks we have not been in the fight for pole position. We know that and we are working hard to change it.
“The update is hopefully another step forward, but there are no guarantees in F1. The stopwatch is always the final judge. Our focus is on understanding the package quickly, executing the weekend well, and aiming to put ourselves in the fight at the front.”
Russell is hoping it helps him at Sepang: “Hopefully this new upgrade with a few characteristic changes are also going to play into my favour a bit more. So, bring it on.”
There’s more to come for Mercedes later this season. An ADUO upgrade is on its way at some point, but having won 11 of 15 races so far, the team has struggled very little anyway. But upgrades across the field have been plenty, and Mercedes needs to keep up.
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