Technical Verdict: What Mercedes’ Big Sepang Upgrade Actually Changes
Former F1 technical director Gary Anderson has analysed Mercedes’ new upgrade package, which touches almost every body surface on the car except the wings. Among the key changes are new vertical vanes in the bargeboard area designed to manage turbulent airflow coming off the front tyres, along with revised sidepod and engine cover profiles aimed at optimising the car’s cross-sectional area.
Anderson puts the expected gain at around 0.3 seconds a lap — calling it more of “a major tidy-up and repositioning” of existing concepts than anything revolutionary. He notes the focus is on managing airflow around the tyres and optimising how the bodywork displaces air.
His verdict is blunt: if Mercedes doesn’t lock out the front row in qualifying and finish one-two in the race, the upgrade will have fallen short of expectations — though he admits it’s hard to quantify the gains from the outside looking in.
Source: The Race
