“That’s like putting a band-aid”: Former F1 designer slams Mercedes’ new front wing ahead of the British F1 GP

Gary Anderson, a former F1 designer, feels that Mercedes' front wing upgrade for the British Grand Prix this week will not be of much help, as the issue with the car is not related to the wing.

He mentioned that having those changes done to the front wing will only increase the overall downforce of the car:

"Mercedes is leading itself astray with the fact it has a very flexible front-wing flap assembly."

Anderson added that the issue with the Mercedes is more related to the floor of the car than the front wing. For this reason, it is not much advantage for the team to have a change in the front wing, which essentially, as he mentioned, is like "putting a band-aid."

PlanetF1 quoted him:

"It is trying to fix the underfloor problem with the front wing flexing at high-speed. But that’s like putting a band-aid on it because to do that you sacrifice overall downforce."

The crew of the Brackley-based outfit has been working on upgrades robustly ever since the improvement they noted during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Although the Austrian GP last week did not go as well for them, a much better performance has been expected for the British Grand Prix as new upgrades were brought in.

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Anderson predicts Mercedes will be a 'nightmare' to drive at Silverstone

F1 Grand Prix of Great Britain - Qualifying

Mercedes have had the issue of drivability since the past season, and although the W14 was thought to be much better, Lewis Hamilton did complain about it earlier. He mentioned that the car remains difficult to drive despite the upgrades and setups.

Adding to it, Anderson feels that the rigid front wing on the car will not be a great addition and will make it horrible to drive. He reckons that the team will take a long time to improve.

He said:

"However, from what I’ve seen of its car’s problem I’d hate to see Mercedes run with a rigid front wing flap assembly because it would be a nightmare to drive."

He added:

"There is still a long way to go before it has a package that gives its drivers a stable aerodynamic platform."

The team has kept high expectations for the race, as this is one of their most successful circuits and also their home race. However, as far as the weekend has gone until now, the drivers aren't completely satisfied with the pace.