Few other series can match it for grid diversity, with everything from modern-day GT3s to cars with more than two decades of competition history behind them, all battling it out in a variety of classes such as GT3, GTO, GTH, and GTC.

The National Motorsport Academy has been involved in the GT Cup since 2012, when project founder Kevin Riley first took part. In that time, Team NMA has entered both an ex-works Lotus Evora that has raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and a Mosler MT900 which won the GTO title in 2018.

But what is Team NMA?

Run by director of motorsport Dr. Kieran Reeves, deputy director Wayne Gater, and experienced tutor Ed Sarling, Team NMA is the National Motorsport Academy’s way of delivering real-world racing experiences to students across a variety of experience; from those who are just starting their motorsport career, to those who are studying a master’s and looking to refine certain skills.

GT Cup is known for having a competitive yet incredibly friendly paddock, serving as a perfect environment for students. Ultimately, the Team NMA garage serves as a classroom where up to 10 students every race weekend can actively contribute to every facet of the team’s journey – from set-up and testing to data analysis and tuning, forming a symbiotic relationship between their education and racing.

At the start of every season, students are invited to register their interest in a race as close to their hometown as possible.

2023 was a mixed year for Team NMA, which raced in the United Kingdom’s GT Cup series for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The season consisted of seven rounds with 4 races at each: two 25-minute ‘Sprint’ races and a pair of 50-minute ‘Pit-stop’ races.

Season Gets Under Way

The GT Cup campaign commenced with ambitious plans to race the NMA Mosler MT900. However, unforeseen challenges, including a cracked engine block and chassis repairs, resulted in that original plan being abandoned and the forging of a partnership with Rollcentre to use its Mosler. The first two rounds at Donington Park and Brands Hatch were hugely successful, and became a valuable learning experience for students, who actively participated in overcoming setbacks.

Ahead of the next few races, a major engine failure occurred in Rollcentre’s Mosler. This meant the team unfortunately missed rounds three and four at Snetterton and Oulton Park. Not knowing when the original Mosler would be back to full fitness, this precipitated a shift in focus on rebuilding a Lotus Evora which suffered major damage following a heavy crash in 2022.

For those who love a bit of history, our Evora is built from a spare parts package of the No. 65 Lotus Evora GTE that raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011. That car is now owned by Kevin Riley and can be seen at Central Lotus Nottingham.

The major damage from the 2022 accident didn’t stop the team from putting in blood, sweat and tears to fully rebuild it within a matter of weeks. Testing sessions followed at Donington Park and a private airfield, allowing for fine-tuning ahead of round five at Silverstone. As expected for a brand-new car with barely any miles, Silverstone presented challenges, but it served as the perfect chance for our students to learn and apply those changes. The students’ dedication resulted in four class podiums; a fantastic start considering the Evora was just an engine block two months prior.

At Silverstone, the team also introduced a brand-new competition for NMA students: the ‘Tyre Licking Challenge’. This added a lighthearted, but competitive element to the overall student experience. The fastest student to scrub (or ‘Lick’!) a tyre after it had been on track got to keep it. The winners were Lewis Edwards (16m 20s) and Rohan Smith (14m 16.4s).

Following Silverstone, a six-week gap became a critical period to address some lingering issues.

Concluding the Campaign

With more testing, and a new group of students, the team approached round six at Donington Park with confidence in the Evora – which paid off, as we secured a pole in class on day one. This form continued as the car battled for a win in the first three races, but a mixture of bad luck and great driving from our competition led to three second places in a row.

Sadly, in the final race of the weekend, the wishbone in the front right tyre broke, ending our last hope for victory. However, this also led to one of the highlights of the season, as the tutors and students rallied together, fixed the wishbone, and got it back on track before the end of the race!

The season finale at Snetterton brought resolution to lingering issues, but power loss persisted. Our season ended prematurely during race two, when the Evora lost power and ground to a halt. Despite challenges, Team NMA secured podium finishes, concluding the season with a commendable third place in the GTO championship. A true testament from our tutors and students to be able to bounce back from no car mid-season to a high finish in the end-of-year standings.

During the season, we spoke to many students who raced with us, and asked them what they enjoyed about Team NMA. MSc Advanced Motorsport Engineering Student, Jayan Mistry, said: ‘I enjoyed studying Aerodynamics in the degree. This was my first opportunity to put that practice into a real-world scenario which was great for my future.’

International students also showed interest and joined the team. In the final three races of the season alone, there were students who joined from Canada, Serbia and Greece. Alexandros El-Magkout told us: ‘I came all the way from Athens, Greece just to experience a race weekend. It’s a really unique experience working with the Lotus Evora.’

For motorsport enthusiasts, the National Motorsport Academy offers a unique educational experience that you can’t get with any other educational institution. Becoming a student means you don’t just gain theoretical knowledge, but you also get the chance to put everything you have learnt into practice, in a no-pressure environment. The cherry on top? Working on an iconic Lotus Evora!

As the 2023 GT Cup season concludes, Team NMA emerges as a clear example of how education and motorsport can merge in a straightforward way. The experiences on the track, the obstacles overcome, and the victories attained linger in the minds of both students and racing enthusiasts, leaving a lasting impact on Team NMA’s educational mission.

In 2024, we have big plans to bring back the iconic Mosler MT900 and try to push on further in the GT Cup Championship!

The post Classroom on Wheels: National Motorsport Academy 2023 Roundup appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

The technical working group will include F1 Chief Technical Officer Pat Symonds, Formula E technical director Mark Grain and FIA Single Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis.

Its stated objective is to ‘monitor the progression and development’ of hydrogen fuel cells and battery systems, along with hydrogen technology as part of the paddock infrastructure.

The Extreme H off-road racing series is gearing up for its first season 2025 — replacing its electric Extreme E forebear also run by the Formula E organisation — and is aiming to become the first FIA World Championship for cars running with hydrogen fuel.

The FIA is developing the technical, sporting and safety regulations for Extreme H.

‘As the governing body for both the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the upcoming FIA Extreme H Championship in 2025, we welcome this latest collaboration, said Tombazis.

‘The FIA Technical Department has experience and knowhow in the area of hydrogen technology which we will be bring to the Working Group along with sporting, safety and regulatory expertise.

‘As is currently the case across the entire FIA motorsport portfolio, we will take learnings from this collaboration for the benefit of our sport and mobility.’

Extreme H car builder Spark Racing Technology plans to complete the first shakedown of the new hydrogen-fuelled car before the end of this year, although the fuel cell has already been tested on a mule chassis. A comprehensive test programme is planned for 2024.

The car has been developed on learnings from the Odyssey 21, which has been used in the Extreme E series since 2021. This has included adopting a single-seat cockpit design to improve adjustability and driver safety.

Hydrogen technology has been given more attention by global motorsport bodies in recent years. Several manufacturers have taken part in ACO technical working group meetings related to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s planned adoption of hydrogen.

‘Our transition to Extreme H makes us the pioneers and first-ever testbed of hydrogen technology in motorsport – not only in our racing cars, but also transportation, infrastructure, refuelling processes and safety regulations,’ said Grain.

‘It’s a ground-breaking initiative and we look forward to collaborating with Formula 1 and Pat [Symonds] both technically and operationally, as we continue to champion new technologies and break boundaries on behalf of motorsport, with hydrogen at the forefront.’

The new hydrogen working group marks a first consideration of the technology for Formula 1, which has been using hybrid internal combustion engine drive since 2014. However, the formation of the working group does not necessarily mean that F1 has committed to making the hydrogen switch.

‘Our sport has a tradition of bringing new technologies to the forefront of public perception in incredibly short timescales,’ said Symonds.

‘We do this by being open-minded to all solutions and embracing cross-functional engineering.

‘With climate change mitigation at the forefront of everyone’s mind we are committed to promoting sustainability and therefore need to explore all areas of decarbonisation of the mobility sector. This must include sustainable liquid hydrocarbon fuels, electrification and hydrogen.

‘This Working Group enables a collaboration which will allow us to gain first-hand experience and contribute to the understanding and development of the many aspects of hydrogen propulsion that Extreme H will embrace.’

The post FIA Technical Working Group for Hydrogen Racing Established appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

How the FIA implements WRC safety measures:

Three-year evolution of the Extreme E car:

Brumos Racing’s Pikes Peak Porsche:

The post Racecar Engineering Offroad Special Edition Out Now appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

NASCAR’s short oval and road course packages:

How the LMH manufacturers fared in 2023:

Wingless wonders in the UK’s Sports 1000 series:

The post Racecar Engineering January 2024 Issue Out Now appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

The British journalist has joined the editorial team after almost six years working as a reporter for Sportscar365, where he provided in-depth coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Europe and other series.

Lloyd, who is based in southwest London, will report to Editor-in-Chief Andrew Cotton, working closely on the production of Racecar Engineering magazine each month.

He will also be responsible for managing the Racecar website and social media channels, keeping the digital readership up to speed on all the latest developments. Lloyd’s coverage will span the full remit of motorsport disciplines including Formula 1, sportscars and rallying.

Racecar Engineering is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company Limited, part of Telegraph Media Group.

‘Daniel is an exceptional journalist and I am delighted to welcome him to the editorial team of Racecar Engineering,’ said Cotton.

‘He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I am very much looking forward to working with him to further develop the magazine and website.’

Racecar Engineering has a global audience in print and online.

For more than 30 years, it has been a market-leading publication that features the latest technical stories from race series around the world.

‘I am delighted to be joining Racecar Engineering in the role of Deputy Editor,’ said Lloyd.

‘For many years, it has been the benchmark for reporting on motorsport technology, so it is a pleasure to become part of such a highly respected publication.

‘Having operated in the same paddock as Andrew, I am looking forward to working alongside him at Racecar. We have lots of exciting stories in the pipeline and we can’t wait to share them with our readers.’

The post Racecar Engineering Appoints New Deputy Editor appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

TotalSim, an Ohio-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) consultant, is utilising technological advancements across industries, especially with respect to aerodynamics and racing.

‘Aerodynamics now plays a role from the top of the motorsports food chain with NASCAR and F1 down to grassroots racing,’ says TotalSim president Ray Leto.

‘There’s been an explosion of information in the past few years that’s allowed these technologies to not be exclusively for top level racing. This has enhanced not only the importance of doing aerodynamics, but the power of doing it well.’

Both physical testing on-track and wind tunnel testing are commonly used to analyse aerodynamics. While still recognising the importance of these techniques and incorporating them, TotalSim believes it has found the perfect recipe for quicker aerodynamic testing at a cheaper cost.

The magic ingredient? CFD. Computational fluid dynamics is a branch of fluid mechanics that employs numerical analysis to predict fluid flow digitally.

Advances in computing power have made CFD a valuable complement to physical testing and, in some instances, a replacement. CFD enables engineers to anticipate fluid flow, heat transfer, mass transfer, chemical reactions, and other flow characteristics by solving fluid flow equations.

The end result of CFD is data, specifically the data of ‘what could be.’ Digital modelling and simulation allow for the input of real-world variables or potential variables to create detailed maps of a vehicle. These maps are used to understand how the vehicle will perform under a multitude of scenarios and/or with various modifications.

This data is easily repeatable, for instance allowing a team to understand its car in unmatched ways and giving it the power to take what it already has and make optimisations.

This process is one of the main things that TotalSim’s co-founder, Naethan Eagles, will be diving deeper into during his seminar at the upcoming PRI Show in Indianapolis. He will focus on the ways in which digital wind tunnel testing can improve lap time while lowering research and development costs.

When he goes into the benefits of this testing, it’s important to recognise that it wasn’t long ago when this technology was too expensive for most. The breakdown of these financial barriers can be attributed in part to the proliferation of 3-D scanning technologies.

TotalSim uses 3-D scanning on a vehicle and reverse engineers it for aerodynamic testing and analysis. These technologies give TotalSim’s clients efficient and cost-effective results, according to Leto.

’15 to 20 years ago, there was a very small group of experts using this software effectively,’ he says.

‘What we have seen happen over the past decade, and actively have become part of, is the addition of automation around hard-to-navigate softwares. This makes it easier for the CFD simulations to reliably run in the background so that we can purely focus on aerodynamics.’

TotalSim employs software such as OpenFOAM and Star-CCM+, and tailors automated workflows. Commercial software like Star-CCM+ excels in speed and advanced physics processing, while open-source software like OpenFOAM offers flexibility without the need for added commercial licensing. It is a combination of open source, commercial and custom codes that really allow an aero design group to maximise the benefits of each software.

When you take a step back, it seems the real trick to getting the benefits of CFD is to take advantage of those who have already figured it out – and conveniently wrapped it in a pretty bow for you.

‘What we’ve done all started with trying to make our own lives easier by automating some of our own processes to make them run repeatedly and more efficiently,’ Leto says.

‘Then it became apparent that this automation is easy enough for non-experts to use, so we packaged our process behind a web interface in the form of TSAuto and other applications. The open source solvers are great for a reasonable set of cases where we’re looking at aerodynamics on a vehicle. But the commercial solvers are better for complicated physics, thermal analysis or applying other advanced techniques.’

Customers don’t have to choose one type of software or the other. TotalSim’s capabilities expertise is spread across many tools and can be easily personalised to fit specific client needs.

‘Racecar modelling is all about rapid turnaround, rapid analysis and consistent methodology to create results that you can reproduce on race day,’ Leto says.

‘We have a really great team of engineers here, a couple thousand computer cores along with a 10Gbit/s connection to the Ohio SuperComputer Center that are all working toward finding what is needed for a car and driver to succeed.’

Despite the obvious benefits of CFD, branching into this new territory can make one understandably uneasy. CFD isn’t something that can be easily picked up and learned on the fly.

That’s why, for most companies, especially within the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) cohort, strategically partnering with a CFD consulting team makes the most sense.

In the ever-evolving world of motorsports, staying ahead of the competition involves getting the best value for your investment.

As you embark on your journey into simulation, don’t let uncertainty about where to start hold you back.

The post TotalSim is Bringing CFD Testing to the Masses appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

For years, its cars have raced domestically at circuits like Suzuka, Motegi and Fuji, and European viewers have needed to set alarms at absurd times to see them in action. But that will change next year when a field of 10 adapted Super Formula cars, run by university teams, line up for the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL). The competition, which will take place at Yas Marina Circuit on April 28th, is aimed at furthering autonomous vehicle technology and raising public awareness through the medium of motorsport.

A2RL is run by ASPIRE, a branch of the Abu Dhabi government’s Advanced Technology Research Council. Big backing is evident, considering the $2.25 million prize pot that has attracted teams from around the world.

And, rather than using the cheaper and easier option of using some decommissioned single seater, ASPIRE went for the Dallara SF23 which only arrived in Super Formula this year. How did it come to pass that such a vehicle ended up in this situation, and how does it differ from the SF23s that can lap under 10 seconds off a Formula 1 car around Suzuka?

According to ASPIRE executive director Tom McCarthy, there were strong links between some of the A2RL project’s technical partners and Italian constructor Dallara, which builds the SF23 chassis. It considered using the Dallara AV-21 (derived from the 2015 Indy Lights car) that has done well in the Indy Autonomous Challenge. But ASPIRE wanted to do something different and go further in terms of base car performance.

After productive discussions with Dallara, ASPIRE’s management went to Japan Racing Promotion, which holds proprietary rights to the SF23, and successfully attained usage of its car for the A2RL competition.

‘There was a huge act of faith from JRP and Dallara to allow us to take their beautiful Super Formula car and start the redesign that would be required for what we’re calling the Emirates Autonomous Vehicle 2024,’ McCarthy tells Racecar Engineering.

ASPIRE then gained other partners, such as Meccanica 42, which developed specific actuators for the autonomous vehicle, and Danisi Engineering which integrated the autonomous stack (consisting of sensors and cameras) into the chassis. Renowned Japanese squad Team LeMans also pitched in for the development process and Yokohama provided its confidential tyres. Brembo supplied the brakes, as it does in Super Formula.

All driverless SF23s will be built specifically for A2RL, rather than being converted from Super Formula spec.

The main difference between the SF23 and the A2RL car is, of course, the absence of a driver and the installation of an autonomous stack in their place. According to McCarthy, the AV apparatus is not much heavier than a cockpit with driver, while the stated total car weight is 20kg heavier than the SF23. The autonomous stack consists of:

• Seven Sony IMX728 cameras with 360deg coverage
• Four AF ProWave RADAR sensors
• Three Innovusion Falcon Kinetic FK1 LIDAR sensors
• A Neousys RGS-8805GC computer

The computer processes the data that the cameras and sensors record. Like any computer, it requires a high amount of cooling, so the car is fitted with an extra set of vents positioned in the nose. The A2RL car also lacks the Halo device that protects the driver’s head in a standard single seater, while the brake lights (unnecessary in an AV) have been replaced with rear-facing cameras. Otherwise, it looks very much like a standard SF23 that races in Japan.

Under the bodywork, the engine is different from what Super Formula teams use. Indianapolis-based 4 Pistons was contracted to develop a race-tuned version of a 2-liter, four-cylinder unit derived from the Honda Civic Type R. The front and rear suspension are both pushrod, like in Super Formula, and have adjustable dampers.

Because the A2RL autonomous stack consists of spec components, the competition is mainly about how teams synthesise, interpret and apply the data that is generated from the cameras and sensors.

Teams will use the same operating system, ROS 2, to work with the data but they will have the freedom to code the cars how they wish using their own software on the side. They are given an autonomous car that can perform all the basic functions, however it’s up to them how to make it go quickly. This relies not only on savvy coding knowledge, but also a sound understanding of how to set up a car mechanically.

‘The drivers are taken out, but the motorsport challenge isn’t,’ McCarthy insists.

‘We’re making sure that it doesn’t come around and there is this genius software programmer who doesn’t know a thing about motorsport and wins. That’s not going to happen.

‘The really demanding stuff for the teams is how well they can construct the element of the coding that we call the planning module. The planning module takes into account what challenges we give them on the track.’

These challenges are yet to be defined although McCarthy has plenty of ideas, from single-car time trials to multi-car races. The latter in particular gives A2RL a unique aspect over other attempts at autonomous motorsport like Roborace and Indy Challenge, although it will inevitably be difficult for many people to resonate with a driverless spectacle.

A2RL track testing is in its early stages. This week the development team was at Dubai Autodrome running a prototype Super Formula car with ex-Formula 1 and current Lamborghini LMDh driver Daniil Kvyat behind the wheel.

This was standard shakedown testing, to sort out the car’s mechanical characteristics and reliability. The plan for next week is to engage a second prototype with the autonomous stack functioning, having built it in Italy and shipped it to the UAE.

Bench testing of the stack has been done already. During the testing process, all of the data is fed back to the teams, enabling them to prepare in advance of getting their hands on the competition cars after winter.

‘We will freeze where we’re at, at the end of December,’ says McCarthy.

‘One of the real purposes of the testing is data collection. Each of the participating teams will be able to train their software on the simulator.

‘They will have the car performance data that we do in testing, and that will be continuously updated. Then, we will do the assembly of the competition cars in February, in the UAE.’

A2RL is assembling a team of mechanics and performance engineers who will be on-hand to teams leading up to and during the competition.

‘From the middle to the end of April, we have exclusive use of Yas Marina Circuit from 8am to midnight,’ adds McCarthy. ‘We have a run plan that each team will go through on each day.

‘The 28th of April will be a culmination of six weeks of team training and two weeks of intense practice.

‘In the best nature of science, it’s about collaboration and competition. In F1, each team is hermetically sealed. Here, every team will be working in a collaborative way.

‘They won’t be giving each other software, but there is a point where you work collaboratively to push the boundary. When you get to race day, that’s where you compete.’

McCarthy hopes that A2RL, with its combination of a Super Formula car and promises of ‘proper’ racing, will be a positive step for autonomous mobility in several ways. There is, of course, the potential for software advancement based on what the teams discover. But he also views the potential for the competition to win over members of the public who are sceptical about AV technology.

‘It brings about greater opportunity for consumers to say this could be safe,’ McCarthy suggests.

‘At the moment, we’re at Level 3 autonomy in cars. People are scared when we put in certain types of assists. They’re turning it off. It feels not as if they’re being helped, but as if they’re losing input. We’ve got to start bringing people along.

‘In the more general sense, people are scared of AI and what it does to them. We’re going to be using AI here, so we need to make sure that consumers are involved in the incorporation so they can see how it can be something that’s positive.’

McCarthy is adamant that ASPIRE isn’t trying to replace motorsport as we know it. Racing is appealing because it puts us fragile humans in control of extremely complex machines. Occasionally, the human loses control, which often makes it even more exciting. That thrill will be lost in autonomous racing, but McCarthy reckons there are other interesting things to gain, such as new engineering questions and answers, and a chance to feed into road-relevant technology.

‘We’re all very clear that nobody is replacing the motorsport of the driver, because who would want to do that?’ he suggests.

‘But what about developing something in parallel that is utilising extreme sports, with science in action?’

The post Turning a Super Formula Car into an Autonomous Racer appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

How Ferrari turned the SF-23 into a Grand Prix winner:

The role of the race engineer and AI’s potential impact:

Electric ice racing with Trophée Andros:

The post Racecar Engineering December 2023 Issue Out Now appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

In a statement provided to Racecar Engineering, the global motorsport federation gave the background to the incident, which occurred during checks after Robert Shwartzman’s DS E-Tense FE23 stopped on track.

The fire occurred in a dedicated pit garage where the WAE Technologies battery pack had been taken for inspection by the supplier’s technicians.

The FIA confirmed that, during the manual examination, there was an ‘arc flash’ and sparking that resulted in a localised fire. An arch flash is the product of an electrical current travelling through the air and making contact with the ground or another conductor.

After the Valencia incident, one individual was sent to hospital for precautionary checks and later discharged without treatment.

‘During on-track testing, the automatic battery safety system was triggered in a race car causing the car to stop with the safety light illuminated,’ read the FIA statement.

‘Standard procedures followed, with the driver leaving the car once authorised by the FIA e-Safety Delegate and the rescue team and the car coming back immediately to the quarantine area.

‘Following full safety checks, the car was declared HV [high voltage] safe and proceeded back to the team garage where the battery was removed following further checks and transferred to the garage of the single-supplier of batteries for Formula E cars.

‘Later on, while being manually inspected by the battery single-supplier team, there was an arc flash and some sparking, that resulted in a localised fire. The emergency alarm system located in each of the garages was triggered, enabling the on-track Incident Response Team to act quickly and efficiently to contain the fire and minimise the damage caused.

‘One person was sent to hospital for precautionary checks and discharged without treatment.’

The rest of the opening day’s track activity and the entirety of the second day were called off as a precaution and to allow initial investigations to take place. Testing resumed on the afternoon of the final day after the FIA and WAE deemed that conditions were safe to continue.

The power output of all Formula E cars was limited to 300kW for the remainder of testing, although it is unclear if that approach will be maintained for the upcoming season. The Spark-built Gen3 vehicle, which is gearing up for its second campaign, is designed to have a maximum output of 350kW in qualifying and attack mode. Fast charging of the battery is being evaluated ahead of a potential introduction to races in 2024.

The statement continued: ‘The investigations and findings provided by the single-supplier of batteries for Formula E cars, and reviewed by the FIA confirm that use of the battery packs in line with the single-supplier’s recommendations and requirements are within acceptable safety tolerances for a motorsport environment and therefore acceptable for on-track activity to go ahead.’

‘The single-supplier of batteries for Formula E cars [WAE] has assessed available data for all batteries and confirmed that none of the batteries [at the test] present the same type of symptoms as the unit that failed.

‘The batteries are of the same specification as used in all twenty-two cars and sixteen races last season. In addition to the normal monitoring, and to mitigate risks, a series of additional safety measures have been introduced including reducing the power output to 300kW and investigating with immediate effect any potential issue or similar occurrence.’

Previous examples of fires in electric motorsport include the 2019 MotoE paddock blaze, in which the entire field of motorcycles burnt down after a short circuit ignited the batteries, and this year’s battery-related incident at Lydden Hill that destroyed Special ONE Racing Team’s fleet of RX1e cars and led to the FIA World Rallycross Championship suspending the class.

Racecar Engineering has contacted WAE for comment about the cause of the Valencia fire.

The post FIA Gives Background to Formula E Pre-Season Battery Fire appeared first on Racecar Engineering.

Having seen Red Bull take a second successive constructors’ title with this season’s peerless RB19, Mercedes rolled out an upgrade that could inform the look of the W14’s successor.

It was encouraging, then, that Hamilton crossed the line within three seconds of race winner Max Verstappen and issued praise for the update package, despite being subsequently disqualified.

Mercedes put the DQ down to a combination of factors, but insisted the updates were not one of them. Technical director James Allison described the weekend as a ‘cast iron vote of confidence’ in the team’s aerodynamic direction, noting that the setup and track bumpiness impacted underfloor wear. This was exacerbated by Austin being a sprint race weekend which forced setup decisions to be locked in much earlier than during a normal Grand Prix.

Mercedes’ changes between Qatar and Austin were headlined by a redesigned floor. At surface level, this was observable in the shape of the floor’s leading edge. The outer flank of this frontal edge was higher than before, altering the airflow to the diffuser for greater downforce. The effect of modifications to the cambered parts of the edge wing were measured using the analogue, but far from ineffective, method of attaching green woollen tufts.

Hamilton later said the upgrades increased his confidence behind the wheel of the W14, which is hugely important on a medium to high-downforce track like Austin.

In the first season of the current ground effect regulations, Mercedes worked on the W13 until the end of the 2022 season. This contributed to it sticking with its troublesome zero-sidepod philosophy for this year, until a major update at Monaco brought it closer in line with other designs on the grid.

Without the option of building a second car around a new chassis, it appears to have gradually morphed the W14 into a springboard for next year’s design. Mercedes’ experimentation of 2024 aero options with a handful of races to go means the team is positioning itself to be a competitive force from the outset, rather than playing catch up.

After the Austin race, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: ‘This is a circuit where only a few races ago we wouldn’t have performed well because of the fast, sweeping corners.

‘The upgrade seems to have made the car happier in those areas and it is working well. Directionally, it’s a very good sign.’

Mercedes also expects to be strong at the next two races in Mexico and Brazil, while the new Las Vegas street circuit presents an unknown quantity.

‘We’ve got Mexico first – high altitude, thin air – where the asphalt is quite different to the ones we’ve just been at,’ said Allison.

‘As long as we can keep the car cool there in thin air, I think we’ll be pretty decent. [Brazil is] a track where all the things we’ve just plonked on the car should pay good dividends for us at the Interlagos track.

‘Vegas is going to be a bit of an adventure, something of a journey into the unknown. [It’s] a new track, so loads of opportunity to screw up there, but also opportunity to do well if you do your homework well and prepare nicely.

‘The particular challenge of Vegas is going to be temperature. It’s the desert, it’s a night-time race. The track and air temperature is going to be way colder than anything we’ve been used to running an F1 car at in recent seasons.’

With three races still to go, Mercedes has the chance to validate its upgrades in different conditions, giving an even better idea of the direction its 2024 underfloor could take.

The post Upgrades Offer Mercedes Glimmer of Hope for Next Season appeared first on Racecar Engineering.