Mercedes Debuts Serrated Diffuser Design At Canadian Grand Prix That No Other Team Has Tried

Mercedes introduced one of its most significant technical upgrade packages of the season at the recent Canadian Grand Prix, with changes spread across multiple areas of the W17.
The Silver Arrows arrived in Montreal with revisions to the front wing, which was almost entirely redesigned while maintaining a broadly similar philosophy to the previous specification.
Considerable attention was also devoted to the bargeboards and the floor, making the Canada package a wide-ranging effort rather than a targeted single-area update.
The region ahead of the rear tyres became notably more complex, which is a sensitive area where engineers consistently look to reduce the harmful aerodynamic effects generated by tyre rotation.
Looking further back, the diffuser area revealed another new feature on the W17 that sets it apart from the approach taken by every other team on the grid.
Since the opening pre-season tests, teams have been attaching diffuser extensions directly to the rear crash structure in various configurations, with some even incorporating the horizontal rear wing support to maximise the diffuser’s effect within regulatory limits.
Mercedes, however, has taken a markedly different route by introducing serrated profiles along the upper section of the diffuser, covering more than half of its width.
This serrated treatment is somewhat similar to the jagged elements used by certain teams on the transparent screen positioned in front of the driver’s cockpit, though its application here on the diffuser is entirely new to the field.
Alongside this feature, a small outward-facing flow deflector has also appeared in the waterfall profile section beside the diffuser, designed to fine-tune the management of airflow as it exits the floor.
While Ferrari has experimented with its own solutions in the lower area where the diffuser meets the lateral waterfall section, Mercedes has worked on the upper section instead, adding the deflector to the highest element of the waterfall structure to clean up the wake.
Both the serrated diffuser profiles and the waterfall flow deflector represent solutions that had not previously been seen on any other car competing in the current technical cycle.
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