The team Mercedes AMG Petronas presented this Friday the new W13, the car with which it will try to recover the Formula One world title that last season the Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) snatched the british lewis hamilton.
Mercedes presents a new pair of pilots, since next to Hamilton will be his compatriot George Russellwhich relieves the Finn Valtteri Bottasas well as the return of the silver and major changes to the chassis and power unit to accommodate the major technical regulation change. According to the team, the W13 is 98% new.
The team car for 2022 will be called Mercedes-AMG F1 W13 E Performance. It is the 13th car built by the team’s works team since it returned to Formula One in 2010.
The technology labelE Performance” stands for the continued close collaboration between the team and Mercedes-AMG, with the label appearing on all new AMG performance hybrid cars.
Changes to the technical regulations for 2022, the introduction of which was delayed a year while Formula One was also suffering from the covid-19 pandemic, “represent a fundamental change in design standards and one of the biggest regulatory changes the sport has seen,” says Mercedes.
“As for the chassis, the changes are huge“, said Mike Elliott, technical director of the team. “We haven’t had a change as big as this in my career. I think there are three aspects: firstly, the way the regulations are drawn up is very different, in particular for aerodynamics, and that has a big impact. Second, what they are trying to achieve with aerodynamics means that cars have a fundamentally different shape. Third, it is the first time such a big change has been attempted with a cost cap,” he noted.
The steering wheel of the W13 is the only element that remains from its predecessor. The rest have been modified. “Engineers love a challenge and so it’s a fantastic opportunity to do something new. In the world of aerodynamics, small details are usually chasedbut with the big changes in the regulations, the gains have come in big chunks, which is quite satisfying,” explained Elliott.
“On the other hand, we have had a successful period, winning the last eight constructors’ titles, and this is a reset. All the teams have started from scratch with the model provided by F1 and you can’t pass on the benefits or fix the problems of last year’s car, so everyone has started this journey on the same level,” he added.
A noticeable difference in the cars of 2022 will be the new 18-inch wheels, replacing the previous 13-inch wheels. According to Elliott, from what was seen in the tests at the end of last year, “the tire will help improve racing, it will not overheat as much and it will be easier to manage”.
Mercedes also highlights that “more parts have been changed for the Power Unit from 2022 than any previous modification since the introduction of V6 Turbos in 2014″ as well as a complete redesign of the chassis to take full advantage of the regulations and the regulated introduction of E10 fuel (mixing 10% ethanol with 90% fossil fuel) which has put a lot of demands on the Brixworth engineering team that has worked with Petronas.
“Since work began on the W13 I have seen a enthusiasm in team members like never before”, said Toto Wolff, team principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, who pointed out that at the end of the year, when the project to build the car was completed, there was a deep passion throughout the organization, not just technically, but at the bases in Brackley and Brixworth who had the mentality to do it.”
“We did quite well during the last big regulatory change to the hybrid era and performed well when we went from narrow to wide cars in 2017. Although we have a good track record, my message is clear: we can’t rely on past success for this year’s performance, but we can rely on our people, our culture, our structure and our mindset to do the best job possible for 2022,” he added.
Wolff, likewise, assured that he has never seen “so determined” to Hamilton to try to achieve his eighth crown. “He is the best driver in the world and is accompanied by one of the brightest and most promising of his generation. I have no doubt that we can create a collaborative environment between the two of us to develop this new car. It will be essential, while maintaining healthy competition that will motivate them and the team in general”, he stated. (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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