Mercedes has brought several aerodynamic modifications to its W09 in Russia and among them are the new dual rear wing pillars that follow Ferrari’s development direction.
At the beginning of last season, Ferrari was the only team to use double rear wing pillars and they were subsequently followed by Haas, which uses the maximum permitted amount of their parts, so it is no surprise that they have also decided to follow their lead.
Single pillars have the advantage because smaller surface that hinder the operation of the rear wing, but double pillars can be lighter, thus lowering the center of gravity due to its relatively high position on the car but also allowing the central exhaust pipe to be placed between them. Also, it can have structural benefits compared to single pillars, especially in high speeds.
The double pillars that Mercedes has introduced in Russia look like a swan neck, because the rear wing connects to its upper side, thus releasing a clean path for airflow to the underside of the rear wing.
As the central exhaust pipe now passes between the pillars, Mercedes has decided to place a horizontal winglet (orange) between them and over the exhaust pipe that helps to interact with the airflow with hot exhaust gas, which then combine to connect the airflow of the rear wing with diffuser.
This is the first time that Mercedes has been using the double rear wings pillars since in hybrid turbo era as they have also introduced a modified floor in Sochi, which now has longitudinal slots and a slightly modified front wing.
