In the latest excellent video from Mercedes, technical director James Allison explains the differences between the team's 2018 car and its latest contender.

"It's an interesting thing that things we thought last year were a source of great pride to us, that we thought we had pushed to the very limit, start to look clumsy and naive by comparison," he admits.

"Take last year's sidepods as an example, they were something we made quite a big fuss about because they were tighter than we'd ever managed to make them in any previous year.

"But look at these sidepods," he continues, indicating the 2019 W10, "look at this bodywork, and it is just vacuum-wrapped to the car in a way that we just wouldn't have thought possible twelve months earlier. Similarly on the front suspension, we've been able to lift them further."

The video is the latest in a series of such behind-the-scenes glimpses the German constructor has provided, videos that are entertaining for both the diehard and casual fan. It's a move that F1 should fully appreciate and other teams - yes, we mean you Scuderia Ferrari - could learn from.

"If you were to take the skin off this car and look underneath it you'd find that in every part of the car it's been just pushed a tighter, made a bit stiffer, made a bit lighter and just bought more performance," says Allison.

"These tyres create a lot of aerodynamic chaos behind them," he explains. "They generate a nasty wake of low-energy, chaotic air. If you allow that air to fall on your own car then it damages that car's ability to generate its own downforce.

"Every year since 2009 we've been developing techniques to take the wake of this tyre and throw it away from the car as far as we possibly can.

"The main agents have been the front wing, the brake ducts and the bargeboards behind, all of which have been snowploughing air outboard, away from the car."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Editor, 13/03/2019 16:40

"@ petmab

And what national anthem is played when the "100% UK built" car wins?"

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2. Posted by petmab, 13/03/2019 16:34

"In your Mercedes video comparison piece you state the words "German Constructor" whereas the car and engine are 100% UK built but is owned by the German Constructor."

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3. Posted by Ro, 05/03/2019 19:06

"What a fabulous video clip. This guy is good!"

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Video: Allison explains differences between 2018 and 2019 Mercedes

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