How do the Mercedes Sidepods Work? - Aerodynamic Analysis
Video Overview & Insights
In quite a visually apparent update to the car, Mercedes has brought quite a radical change in sidepod concept to the W13. They have essentially created a large downwashing wing with a shroud around the side impact structure, and then have inverted the sidepod inlet and put it towards the floor. This seems to be in an attempt to get more downwash and stronger vortices from the top of the sidepod, but the legalities are certainly interesting!
This guy picked the absolute worst time to leave Mercedes. Left right before LH most competitive title fight, so him leaving coulda been the thing that lost him that title.
I’m playing obviously, but it would be sick if he did stay to work on this car, that way these videos would be way better. But then I guess the car woulda probably worked, which as a McLaren fan, I can’t say I woulda been happy about lmao
00:00 Introduction
02:33 Mirror Legality
Newey saw this
05:01 Sidepod Legality
09:33 Sidepod Aerodynamic Benefits
Id be so happy to a video of you designing aero for f1 with no rules. Just pure performance.
13:35 Sidepod Aerodynamic Drawbacks
Aero courses: https://courses.jkfaero.com
short answer would be, they simply dont work.
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The so-called zero sidepods concept on the surface sounds like a typical engineering nightmare. Reminds me of a university project I did a while back, where I got this "ingenious idea" in the beginning/concept development phase. I took some pride in it, and when problems started to appear later I naively thought I'd "just" engineer my way around them, and lots of time was spent trying to circumvent those problems in order to keep my initial , "so-called ingenious" idea. This was risky, and led to a huuuge waste of time, as I just kept on going into dead ends around every corner in quite a long period it seemed, while it looked the ultimate fix was "right around the corner". Then towards the end, it turned out, I could have ended up with just as good or probably better solution by doing the "simpler" solution from an early phase. But a mix of pride in my idea and naivity got the better of me, as well as inexperience probably. I don't know how similar the situations really are though, but at least the guys at AMG must be sitting with a somewhat similar feeling after the concept turned out the way it did. Spending all the time to fix it, and even after having done so, it didn't pay of to be any better than the best teams it seems.
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Actually it does not work.
More User Perspectives
To answer the title of the video: they don’t!
@sdm107Aha
@_Ruach_Watching this hopefully ahead of your W14 update video 😁.
@MrcloudpotatoAnswer? Badly.
@christopheroconnor4665No update works on the Merc😛
@m.g.debruin8294update , they dont work. - from a Mercedes Fan
@jackkennedy7078So without you, Mercedes and Hamilton would have lost the title to Ferrari and Vettel in 2018. Thanks for that :)
@ashokathegreat4534Mercedes needs to hire you back mate they're having trouble without you
@a11even44Wow totally amazing video,I love F1 and now I understand the cars and the rules applied to the cars thanks to your video. Just subscribed 5 July 22
@kevintownsend3840🤔 I forgot to say that the suspension is too stif, at least the front one look how morbid Redbull's is?! 🤫 They have a sistem as the ones used in the ones of the old days, one for the pits and one for the track. 😲🤯😤🤫🙏
@mariadagracalucasgoncalves9149🤔 aero for me!? In the voided side pods i would make the B car. A mix of the spoon Ferrari, but lower as the Redbull's and this made with thin surfaces and in the begining of the clam right over the entrance a flux deviator, as the one made in Redbull's, resuming! I would splite the flux. And like the fokker three plane i invert three wings and Open that small exost on top of the bottom, and elevate the entrance of the air cooling up to the anti intrusion to narrow the flancs and the bottom like the turning vains Redbull's style and serrated flat winglets to accelerate the air out. The open flanks help direct the all mass of air previously redirect towards the beam wing.🙏😤🤫
@mariadagracalucasgoncalves9149Nice
@BamBam4-4-4any update on why it dosnt work on Merc aka Porpoiscedes?
@Gecmajster123456HOw do they work? THey don't. That's how.
@wengpimentel5148They tried too much, to be unique and now it is costing them a championship!
@KeithSWDCan you compare and detail why RB and Ferrari are the fastest and how much is due to Aero. Same for Mercedes!
@mazm9897Now Merc have a brand new mirror stay to be explained.
@shoppingforleaves3162Kyle... You need much better illustration tools. Your amazing knowledge is lost in shit sketching.
@BobbyGeneric145Could you talk about forged Fiber? Thanks so much
@leister.carneiroWould love a video on possible porpoising solutions
@fantasyrookie8757Given Merc team's season so far, they probably need to call you back😅
@rodwellcort7503What is happening to the Merc? How do you think it can be fixed. The skids on the sides seems like a temporary solution.
@king.dannymanHey love ur explaination, can u make some video about some f1 teams upgrade and explain what they do??
@triandaiqbal3359Hi Kyle, great series you did on the car launches. Really interesting in depth analysis into all of the cars.
Can you do a video on the issues that merc are currently having? What they are doing to try and fix them? What the updates they have brought were attempting to solve and then why they don't seem to be able to get on top of the issues?
Cheers
It was a very STUPID idea. They need to bring back the side pods or leave the sport and stop wasting our time
@garymack4650Everyone and their mother is throwing out a porpoising video and I'm just waiting for Kyle to drop his 2h deep dive on longitudinal stability that explains porpoising, its fixes, its benefits, and how much breakfast it had for dinner
@dsdy1205Could you now do a video on 'Why the Mercedes Sidepods DON'T work?'
@AllSortsOfVideos123DO you have any hypothesis about Mercedes lack of performance and bouncing??
I know you can't resolve everything but help us understand and what might be the causes..
It would be interesting to hear your thoughts on Mercs issues with all this jumping. Whats causing it ?
@DBukshaHey Kyle, can we get your thoughts on porpoising?
@thethirdman225Kyle could you address the porpoising issue and different solutions to address it whether it be suspension geometry or even higher rake (if still legal with these new ground effect cars). Could one solution be to pull an Adrian Newey and raise the rake of the car and while maintaining downforce? I can imagine the ground effect from the floor would still generate enough air underneath but with a larger exit in the rear for outwash and is that technically legal under these new ground effect cars?
@divorcelawyersuicideencour9461How do the Mercedes Sidepods Work? Well, the car as a whole, it did not work XDDD
@Basics_of_GameologyHey Kyle been having a heated debate with some work colleagues over the 2022 r8 gt3 upgrade package regarding there reverse swan neck mounts.. my gut is telling me that it's a gimmick.. in theory yes a clean leading edge should be better but structurly it's compromised and will weigh more than the aero benefit.. would love to get your opinion!
@jakeparker8254Hey Kyle! Been watching your YouTube channel since you started analyzing the 2022 f1 cars and I'm a big fan! Would it be worth while doing a video 9n the difference in philosophy between the AMR22 style, which has "80s sports car" angles in comparison with the very "organic" W13?
I was asking myself is it the difference in tech or skill? or is it just choice?
Thanks for the awesome videos and enjoy the f1 2022 championship 😀
Could you maybe do aerodynamic analysis on the koenigsegg jesko absolute and the normal one and tell why the absolute or the normal one is better would really be cool because i would really like to know the difference.
@davemave9559Kyle, I have an idea how to make a certain aero part of the current F1 cars (and not only that) better. Are you interested?
@JulianThursday13work? 😂
@wedge7077Zzzzzzzzzz
@nigelweir3852Pretty obvious now, they don't.
@baalaagaaI would think they’re not working at all well
@markcaswell715It seems they dont quite work as well as red bull or ferrari
@andrieslouw2584Hi Kyle - I enjoy your channel very much, and your style of explaining complex concepts very clearly.
A request - would you consider putting together a video that explains the processes the Teams go through to take the rules, break them down to develop a concept that they think will be the best performing within those rules, and then develop all of the features and intricate details that turn that concept into the car that hits the track.
It must be an incredible challenge, when the time and budgets are constrained there is so much at stake.
Just another example of Mercedes twisting the regs to gain an unfair advantage
@johnnyhock