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Mercedes: Long wheelbase benefits will outstrip its negatives

Mercedes is convinced that the benefits of its longer wheelbase car on high speeds circuits far outweigh any downside it suffers on Formula 1's tight and narrow tracks, despite some early-season struggles.

Jonathan Noble

Edited: Jun 22, 2017, 8:55 PM

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Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W08

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1, in the drivers parade

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-Benz F1 W08

Following exhaustive analysis of why it faced such big difficulties at last month's Monaco Grand Prix, one area of investigation was the impact of its car having the longest wheelbase in the field.

But after its detailed investigation – which involved a non-stop 10-day run of 24/7 shifts – Mercedes concluded that the wheelbase factor only played a tiny part in its Monaco woes.

And that has given it encouragement for a number of high-speed tracks coming up over the remainder of the campaign, where it is convinced the gains from the longer car will outstrip any downside it has faced at tighter venues.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said: "We decided 18 months ago that we believed a longer car would generate more performance and more downforce, than a shorter car.

"With the new regulations, the wider tyres, and the loads on the suspension, it was a concept we followed. Now we have the longest car.

"It might disadvantage us on narrow street circuits, but the disadvantage is tiny compared to the advantage that we generate on large high speed race tracks.

"Overall it is about finding the best compromise in a race car for 20 races, and not optimising it for one single race.

"We have seen that in the past, some teams are very competitive just in Monaco, or they are very competitive at Monza or Spa. So it is about the compromise, and we have done a very good job in the last years so far."

Set-up factor

Valtteri Bottas, who missed out on the podium in Monaco, says the team's conclusion was that set-up issues were the main factor rather than the size of its car.

"I think the long wheelbase of the car had probably a minimal effect," he told Motorsport.com.

"The team has done simulations and calculations and it [the wheelbase] was only a small problem – much more it was a set-up issue.

"We learned about our issues and probably just struggled to get the car well set-up for the track. And also it is a type of track where the Ferrari car is better.

"They seemed to find a much better balance than us in Monaco and, as a driver, if you find a good balance and do a lot of laps with confidence, it can make a big difference."

Bottas reckons that when the Mercedes W08 is in the right set-up window, then it is the fastest car out there – although the issue at the moment is about how the team finds that sweet spot consistently.

"I think it [the W08] is sensitive in general mechanically and aero wise as well," he said. "Everything is done in such fine detail that if you get it right it is the fastest car on the grid; if not it is more tricky."

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