In detail 1 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The W08’s steering wheel featured clutch paddles with finger sockets that allowed the driver to have more feel and better modulation when trying to find the bite point.

In detail 2 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton The serrated windscreen used by the team to reduce helmet buffeting.

Pre-season testing 3 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Early changes made to the diffuser included the segregation of the rearward reaching Gurney trims (inset).

Pre-season testing 4 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes optimised its axehead and bargeboard arrangement, segmenting the previously double element into four distinctly separate sections.

Pre-season testing 5 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola For comparison, here is the two-element axehead used previously.

Australian GP 6 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The new front wing and brake duct used by Mercedes in Australia. Among the changes were 1) a slot carved into the ‘r’ cascade, 2) the brake duct inlet now incorporating mesh-style metal strips to prohibit the collection of debris, and 3) slots cut into the vertical fence, creating another forward element which was twisted in order to affect the airflow around it.

Australian GP 7 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The W08’s novel shark fin engine cover cooling chimney, triple-element T-wing and the squashed wastegate pipework.

Chinese GP 8 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The team introduced a longitudinal floor slot in China (highlighted in yellow), looking to maximise how flow moved along the floor's flank.

Chinese GP 9 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes utilised these perforated Gurney tabs in order to improve the rejection of heat from the engine cover cooling outlet in China.

Chinese GP 10 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The team continued to use the taller pitot tube stanchion (inset) for data accumulation during FP1 and FP2 but from FP3 onwards would switch to the shorter, more aerodynamically adept, single pitot stack.

Chinese GP 11 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A nice view of the splitter region and its various supports without all the bodywork attached.

Bahrain GP 12 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes using an open drum design in order to evacuate the heat generated under braking out of the wheel face in bulk.

Bahrain GP 13 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A large kiel probe array is mounted at the rear of the car to enable the team to better understand how the sidepods, engine cover and rear wing are performing.

Russian GP 14 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the larger cooling hood around the exhaust and extra cooling opened up around the upper rear wishbones.

Russian GP 15 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images Instructions printed on the steering wheel as a reminder of the settings that need to be applied.

Spanish GP 16 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A side view of the nose cape introduced by Mercedes in Spain, the first time we’ve seen such a design utilised.

Spanish GP 17 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A top-down view of the new nosecone, which had to be made slimmer in order to accommodate the nose cape. Also note the displacement of the nose camera pods on new stalks.

Spanish GP 18 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A side-on comparison of the W08 - the front wheel and suspension assembly are faded out so that we can see how large a surface the nose cape is when compared with the usual turning vane configuration. Also note the camera mount changes and the optimisations made to the bargeboards.

Spanish GP 19 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The W08’s front brake and suspension assembly. Note the placement of the upper wishbone with the team using a horn to extend the upright, on which a new winglet was mounted in Spain.

Spanish GP 20 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The floor flap added by Mercedes in Spain (highlighted in yellow), replacing the triangular flap used in previous races (inset).

Spanish GP 21 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The three ‘r’-shaped cascades added to the bargeboards as part of a package of optimisations in Spain.

Monaco GP 22 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Another look at the nose cape introduced by Mercedes in Spain, this time from the rear, showing the flattened-out section that pushes the air in the desired positions.

Monaco GP 23 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the front wing endplate, complete with its twisted and slotted rear section.

Monaco GP 24 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The two-tier monkey seat used by the team in combination with the high-downforce rear wing.

Canadian GP 25 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The open drum brake assembly used by Mercedes in Canada helps to evacuate the heat generated under braking more quickly.

Canadian GP 26 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A view of the front wing's vortex tunnel, which ushers airflow around the front tyre and improves the shape of the wake shed by it.

Canadian GP 27 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images Seen here off the car are the louvred panels that are usually mounted alongside the driver.

Canadian GP 28 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The segmented axehead and bargeboard strakes.

Canadian GP 29 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the floor flap on the rear quarter of the floor.

Canadian GP 30 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the twisted and slotted endplate.

Azerbaijan GP 31 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes front brake assembly shows the apertures in the cake tin's upper panel used to reject heat created under braking.

Azerbaijan GP 32 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola From FP3 onwards in Baku, the team went to a balanced brake duct configuration.

Azerbaijan GP 33 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The team trimmed its front wing's upper flap significantly in Baku in order to balance it with the lower-downforce rear wing being used.

Azerbaijan GP 34 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images Mercedes trialled this lower-downforce spoon-style rear wing in Baku before reverting to a higher-downforce configuration.

Azerbaijan GP 35 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The higher-downforce rear wing raced by the team in Baku.

Austrian GP 36 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Having introduced its nose cape in Spain, Mercedes made an optimisation in Austria, placing a slot a few centimetres from the trailing edge and upturning the latter section.

Austrian GP 37 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A look at the L-shaped vane mounted to the side of the crash structure that the team added in Austria (red arrow), along with the smaller blade-style winglets added either side of the structure (yellow arrow).

Austrian GP 38 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes revised its wing mirror and stalk design in Austria, placing the stalk further inboard (arrowed).

Austrian GP 39 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola A top-down view of the engine cover shows the cooling chimney used by Mercedes to evacuate heat.

Austrian GP 40 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the shorter-chord third tier on the Mercedes T-wing.

British GP 41 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The rear brake and suspension assembly. Note the cluster of winglets mounted on the inner brake fence.

British GP 42 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The floor unmounted from the car shows the detail around its front edge, including the bargeboards.

Hungarian GP 43 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A look at the nose and the ‘cape’ solution used by Mercedes.

Hungarian GP 44 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the nose cape introduced in Spain. Note the curved coke bottle=style shape used to direct the airflow rearward.

Hungarian GP 45 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images On this shot of the front wing, note the small silver vortex generators atop the bridged section of the mainplane.

Hungarian GP 46 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the diffuser and crash structure, on which several winglets are mounted.

Hungarian GP 47 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images An unobstructed view of the rear of the car as the team hadn’t mounted the rear wing at this point.

Hungarian GP 48 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The high-downforce rear wing used by Mercedes in Hungary.

Belgian GP 49 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The team used a cut-down upper flap on the front wing in Belgium (arrowed), while introducing a slot in the rearward section of the nose ‘cape’.

Belgian GP 50 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the front wing endplate shows the level of detail used at the rear of the surface in order to turn flow outboard.

Belgian GP 51 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The W08’s front brake assembly without the brake drum attached shows the complexity of the pipework that feeds various components, such as the disc and caliper. Also note how the mechanics have used silver tape to blank one of the openings to reduce cooling.

Belgian GP 52 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The car during build-up, showing off many of the details that normally lie hidden beneath the bodywork.

Italian GP 53 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The low-downforce, single-use rear wing favoured by Mercedes at Monza features a low angle of attack and just three endplate louvres to disperse the tip vortex.

Singapore GP 54 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The W08’s diffuser was updated in Singapore, with an additional vertical vane mounted on the upper outer corner (arrowed).

Singapore GP 55 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes introduced a full-length shark fin in Singapore.

Malaysian GP 56 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The updated nose ‘cape’, which features a much broader leading edge (arrowed).

Malaysian GP 57 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola Mercedes optimised the bargeboards and axehead in Malaysia, with more aggressive and elongated vanes used on the edge of the bargeboard (red arrows) and one less strake forming the axehead (blue arrows).

Malaysian GP 58 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The updated diffuser run by Mercedes in Malaysia featured two more strakes.

Japanese GP 59 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The closed-off version of the team's front brake drum.

Japanese GP 60 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The W08 without the covers on shows the installation detail of the power unit and ancillary coolers.

Japanese GP 61 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the wing mirrors, their stalks and the arched winglet ahead of them.

Japanese GP 62 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images The two-tier monkey seat utilised for extra balance and more rear downforce.

United States GP 63 / 73 Photo by: Charles Coates / Motorsport Images An action shot of the car, with the right rear tyre loaded to the point of nearly tearing off the rim, with small standing waves appearing.

United States GP 64 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the winglet mounted to the ride height sensor and vertical splitter support.

United States GP 65 / 73 Photo by: Sutton Images A close-up of the floor's edge and the various aero elements in that area.

Mexican GP 66 / 73 A great side view of the W08’s nose ‘cape’ shows the contours of the large surface.

Brazilian GP 67 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton A close-up of the front brake duct with its plethora of winglets.

Brazilian GP 68 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton A close-up of the W08’s bargeboards, with the elongated and aggressively outturned vanes that were reprofiled in Malaysia.

Brazilian GP 69 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton An extreme close-up of the slots ahead of the rear wheel. Note the sections of floor which have been stitched in and feature different weaves of carbon fibre in order that it be rigid in the right places.

Brazilian GP 70 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton The W08 with a high-downforce rear wing configuration and the elongated shark fin which meets the T-wing support introduced in Singapore.

Brazilian GP 71 / 73 Photo by: Mark Sutton A close-up of Mercedes' open-ended-style endplate louvres.

Abu Dhabi GP 72 / 73 Photo by: Giorgio Piola The access panel for the additional load sensors embedded in the bargeboards for the team to study potential changes for the 2018 car.