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Mike, as I understand it, the large advantage that Mercedes has is down to two main innovations, both virtually impossible for anyone to copy without a redesign that goes far past anything the fia would allow:
1) The configuration of their turbine/compressor. The turbine and compressor are at opposite ends of the engine rather than directly inline. The cool turbine at the front of the car stays cooler because it is far from the exhaust. This gives not only a power advantage, but also a weight and aerodynamic (packaging since they also make the chassis) advantage since their intercooler can be smaller. It also means their tranny at the back of the car can be closer to the center of the car since there is a smaller turbo (compressor is at the front).
2) Much shorter exhausts. As a result of their clever design and packaging, the path to the turbo is much shorter, so that not only do they minimize losses, but they can harvest more heat energy at the turbo since it runs hotter.
This is, in a nutshell, what I have been able to surmise from all the reading I have been doing (the Ferrari spies on Italian websites have lots of info on this), but I am happy to hear input from others.
So you see, Mercedes, being the clever bunch they are have come up with truly innovative solutions, and exploited them both from a power perspective and from a packaging perspective. It would be impossible for this to be copied this year under current FIA rules. Everyone else is left scrambling to do anything they can to gain a few tenths on aero, while merc itself is also not standing still on that front (witness the new shorter front nose they brought to china).
Unless someone does something truly revolutionary on the aero front, not allowing engine development will ensure that the Mercs fade off in the distance every single race this year. But more than that, I would love to have seen how Merc would have improved this system, or others would have developed it (after copying the basic concept). Now we have to write off this year and wait for the next.
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