Ferrari’s aerodynamic advantage that Mercedes tried to emulate in Madrid

Mercedes briefly ran a new interpretation of Ferrari’s FTM (flick tail mode) exhaust at the Madring, but the modification was removed for the rest of the weekend when the W17 ran with the same arrangement as in the previous race, at Monza.

Ferrari’s FTM innovation has been on the car since pre-season testing and confers an aerodynamic advantage by partially blocking the exhaust outlet to enhance its force and directing it upwards to help a) scavenge the airflow exiting the diffuser and b) using that accelerated flow to energise airflow to the underside of the rear wing.