HOW IT WORKS
Mercedes’ clever F1 suspension
For a time, Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner speculated that Mercedes-AMG had achieved its recent straight-line speed advantage through engine development. But attention has now turned to the team’s rear suspension, which in Turkey was seen to compress in a sudden “nonlinear” fashion on the straights. The process reduces the car’s ride height and stalls its rear diffuser, reducing drag at speed, before the suspension pops back up for the corners.So is the suspension serving an aerodynamic purpose and could therefore be deemed illegal? Yes, to the first bit, but apparently no to the second. That’s because the benefit is created through clever linkage geometry, not airflow.