Who would have guessed? Mercedes also have opened gills on the W13 which was born with a very minimal hot air vent from the radiators: there was only an opening in the rear of the engine hood for maximum aerodynamic efficiency, but it is all too obvious that in extremely hot races, such as the one in Bahrain, the power unit’s reliability would be jeopardized.
It is not surprising, then, that Toto’s technicians have investigated two different solutions to allow the engine to breathe: yesterday, George Russell, after turning up with the car closed, had continued the afternoon with the small openings on the sides of the cockpit, taking a concept that has been a must of the house in recent years.
However, in the afternoon session, Mercedes switched to the more open version: seven vertical gills appeared on the sides of the W13’s engine hood. It was up to Russell to assess this new configuration, fearing that the “silver arrow” without adequate venting could jeopardize the engine’s reliability.
With the 3rd and final day of Barcelona testing well underway, which innovative measures will we see from the teams today?
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