From old race car to new race car: VERICUT takes pole position

Long before a racing season concludes, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team is already thinking about improvements to the following year’s car. This complex process sees the majority of car components redesigned. In production, they rely heavily on VERICUT verification, simulation and optimisation software from CGTech, a core production engineering resource at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team for over two decades.

The process of new car development has evolved over time. Not so long ago, a Formula One car would undergo a complete redesign each year, with the exception of commodity parts like fasteners. With the introduction of the cost cap at the start of the 2021 season, all that changed. Non-performance components or parts already performing at the right level can be carried over to the following season. Today, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team carries over a much larger quantity of machined car components each year, in comparison to pre- cost cap seasons.

Robert Brown, Machine Shop Manager at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team, says: “It’s changed the nature of how we work. Now, as soon as a decision is taken to carry over a component type, we can use some of our spare ‘summer capacity’ to manufacture the carry over, meaning we can focus on redesigned performance parts when they start arriving in time for the following season.”

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