F1 Fanatic

So the evidence seems pretty strong that Mercedes are doing something clever with that DRS duct, like blowing under the front wing to reduce front drag when DRS activated.

http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2012/03/16/mercedes-are-they-blowing-the-front-or-rear-wing/

And Sundays performance seems to back that up, with Mercedes far stronger in quali than they were at race pace.

So is this going to be a common factor in races at the beginning of this season, Mercedes going fast when they can use as much DRS as possible (qualifying), but being relatively average during race when they can’t use the cool tech?

What do you guys think? If you can stay in front at the start, its a good thing to have, but disappointing for viewers, if they always get passed by faster cars before the chequered flag!

During the race I noticed that the hole at the back of the “coke bottle” of the Merc seemed to feature some form of turbulent air being forced through it. Whether it was dust or vapour I couldnt tell and it was only visible for a second in the corners. I dont recall if the DRS was enabled but the puff might suggest a response to the DRS activation. http://www.google.ie/imgres?q=mercedes+f1+2012+car+rear&um=1&hl=en&biw=974&bih=636&tbm=isch&tbnid=g227s4r2GPSr3M:&imgrefurl=http://www.racecar-engineering.com/news/f1-teams-question-mercedes-rear-wing-legality/&docid=YHdWlLW1LnysKM&imgurl=http://www.racecar-engineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/upw03.jpg&w=640&h=383&ei=l-VpT62oHYK6hAfjuPCXCg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=233&sig=105030831841779622944&page=1&tbnh=110&tbnw=184&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=133&ty=35
Here’s a pic of the rear end and something to watch in the next race. Of course if it rains there will be no DRS but I also think that it has a constant effect as well. I cant see the technical logic of directing air from the back to the front wing effectively

As far as i am concerned Merc istn’t doing anything illegal here, but hey at the FIA they have a mind of their own and sometimes they make strange descisons. Going as far as making an descision and abolishing it a couple of weeks later. I don’t want to see another silverstone 2011 crisis.