Tech gallery: How the Mercedes W08 evolved throughout 2017

The W08’s steering wheel featured clutch paddles with finger sockets that allowed the driver to have more feel and better modulation when trying to find the bite point.

The serrated windscreen used by the team to reduce helmet buffeting.

Early changes made to the diffuser included the segregation of the rearward reaching Gurney trims (inset).

Mercedes optimised its axehead and bargeboard arrangement, segmenting the previously double element into four distinctly separate sections.

For comparison, here is the two-element axehead used previously.

The new front wing and brake duct used by Mercedes in Australia. Among the changes were 1) a slot carved into the ‘r’ cascade, 2) the brake duct inlet now incorporating mesh-style metal strips to prohibit the collection of debris, and 3) slots cut into the vertical fence, creating another forward element which was twisted in order to affect the airflow around it.

The W08’s novel shark fin engine cover cooling chimney, triple-element T-wing and the squashed wastegate pipework.

The team introduced a longitudinal floor slot in China (highlighted in yellow), looking to maximise how flow moved along the floor's flank.

Mercedes utilised these perforated Gurney tabs in order to improve the rejection of heat from the engine cover cooling outlet in China.

The team continued to use the taller pitot tube stanchion (inset) for data accumulation during FP1 and FP2 but from FP3 onwards would switch to the shorter, more aerodynamically adept, single pitot stack.

A nice view of the splitter region and its various supports without all the bodywork attached.

Mercedes using an open drum design in order to evacuate the heat generated under braking out of the wheel face in bulk.

A large kiel probe array is mounted at the rear of the car to enable the team to better understand how the sidepods, engine cover and rear wing are performing.

A close-up of the larger cooling hood around the exhaust and extra cooling opened up around the upper rear wishbones.

Instructions printed on the steering wheel as a reminder of the settings that need to be applied.

A side view of the nose cape introduced by Mercedes in Spain, the first time we’ve seen such a design utilised.

A top-down view of the new nosecone, which had to be made slimmer in order to accommodate the nose cape. Also note the displacement of the nose camera pods on new stalks.

A side-on comparison of the W08 - the front wheel and suspension assembly are faded out so that we can see how large a surface the nose cape is when compared with the usual turning vane configuration. Also note the camera mount changes and the optimisations made to the bargeboards.

The W08’s front brake and suspension assembly. Note the placement of the upper wishbone with the team using a horn to extend the upright, on which a new winglet was mounted in Spain.

The floor flap added by Mercedes in Spain (highlighted in yellow), replacing the triangular flap used in previous races (inset).

The three ‘r’-shaped cascades added to the bargeboards as part of a package of optimisations in Spain.

Another look at the nose cape introduced by Mercedes in Spain, this time from the rear, showing the flattened-out section that pushes the air in the desired positions.

A close-up of the front wing endplate, complete with its twisted and slotted rear section.

The two-tier monkey seat used by the team in combination with the high-downforce rear wing.

The open drum brake assembly used by Mercedes in Canada helps to evacuate the heat generated under braking more quickly.

A view of the front wing's vortex tunnel, which ushers airflow around the front tyre and improves the shape of the wake shed by it.

Seen here off the car are the louvred panels that are usually mounted alongside the driver.

The segmented axehead and bargeboard strakes.

A close-up of the floor flap on the rear quarter of the floor.

A close-up of the twisted and slotted endplate.

Mercedes front brake assembly shows the apertures in the cake tin's upper panel used to reject heat created under braking.

From FP3 onwards in Baku, the team went to a balanced brake duct configuration.

The team trimmed its front wing's upper flap significantly in Baku in order to balance it with the lower-downforce rear wing being used.

Mercedes trialled this lower-downforce spoon-style rear wing in Baku before reverting to a higher-downforce configuration.

The higher-downforce rear wing raced by the team in Baku.

Having introduced its nose cape in Spain, Mercedes made an optimisation in Austria, placing a slot a few centimetres from the trailing edge and upturning the latter section.

A look at the L-shaped vane mounted to the side of the crash structure that the team added in Austria (red arrow), along with the smaller blade-style winglets added either side of the structure (yellow arrow).

Mercedes revised its wing mirror and stalk design in Austria, placing the stalk further inboard (arrowed).

A top-down view of the engine cover shows the cooling chimney used by Mercedes to evacuate heat.

A close-up of the shorter-chord third tier on the Mercedes T-wing.

The rear brake and suspension assembly. Note the cluster of winglets mounted on the inner brake fence.

The floor unmounted from the car shows the detail around its front edge, including the bargeboards.

A look at the nose and the ‘cape’ solution used by Mercedes.

A close-up of the nose cape introduced in Spain. Note the curved coke bottle=style shape used to direct the airflow rearward.

On this shot of the front wing, note the small silver vortex generators atop the bridged section of the mainplane.

A close-up of the diffuser and crash structure, on which several winglets are mounted.

An unobstructed view of the rear of the car as the team hadn’t mounted the rear wing at this point.

The high-downforce rear wing used by Mercedes in Hungary.

The team used a cut-down upper flap on the front wing in Belgium (arrowed), while introducing a slot in the rearward section of the nose ‘cape’.

A close-up of the front wing endplate shows the level of detail used at the rear of the surface in order to turn flow outboard.

The W08’s front brake assembly without the brake drum attached shows the complexity of the pipework that feeds various components, such as the disc and caliper. Also note how the mechanics have used silver tape to blank one of the openings to reduce cooling.

The car during build-up, showing off many of the details that normally lie hidden beneath the bodywork.

The low-downforce, single-use rear wing favoured by Mercedes at Monza features a low angle of attack and just three endplate louvres to disperse the tip vortex.

The W08’s diffuser was updated in Singapore, with an additional vertical vane mounted on the upper outer corner (arrowed).

Mercedes introduced a full-length shark fin in Singapore.

The updated nose ‘cape’, which features a much broader leading edge (arrowed).

Mercedes optimised the bargeboards and axehead in Malaysia, with more aggressive and elongated vanes used on the edge of the bargeboard (red arrows) and one less strake forming the axehead (blue arrows).

The updated diffuser run by Mercedes in Malaysia featured two more strakes.

The closed-off version of the team's front brake drum.

The W08 without the covers on shows the installation detail of the power unit and ancillary coolers.

A close-up of the wing mirrors, their stalks and the arched winglet ahead of them.

The two-tier monkey seat utilised for extra balance and more rear downforce.

An action shot of the car, with the right rear tyre loaded to the point of nearly tearing off the rim, with small standing waves appearing.

A close-up of the winglet mounted to the ride height sensor and vertical splitter support.

A close-up of the floor's edge and the various aero elements in that area.

A great side view of the W08’s nose ‘cape’ shows the contours of the large surface.

A close-up of the front brake duct with its plethora of winglets.

A close-up of the W08’s bargeboards, with the elongated and aggressively outturned vanes that were reprofiled in Malaysia.

An extreme close-up of the slots ahead of the rear wheel. Note the sections of floor which have been stitched in and feature different weaves of carbon fibre in order that it be rigid in the right places.

The W08 with a high-downforce rear wing configuration and the elongated shark fin which meets the T-wing support introduced in Singapore.

A close-up of Mercedes' open-ended-style endplate louvres.

The access panel for the additional load sensors embedded in the bargeboards for the team to study potential changes for the 2018 car.

Kiel probe arrays mounted behind both front wheels as the team assesses the aerodynamic consequences of a new tyre construction from Pirelli for 2018.