The small wing detail that shows Mercedes is still pushing

That much became obvious in the second F1 test, as teams moved away from the early focus on reliability and move towards updates that were more about speed.

Mercedes duly tested a different rear wing pillar arrangement at the second test, opting for a single element, rather than the two elements ordinarily favoured.

The robust looking pillar is not only mounted to the underside of the wing ’s mainplane, but also reaches up to and is merged with the DRS actuator pod, creating a larger central frame that may have some aerodynamic benefits.

Mercedes was not the only team to delve into such intricacies during testing either, with Alfa Romeo having tested a solution that saw its twin swan-neck style mounting pillars increased in height to maximise their aerodynamic effect.

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