“New everything” is the message from Mercedes, including a new #2 driver, George Russell.
BRACKLEY, England—From 2014 through 2020, Mercedes dominated Formula 1 in both championship categories. That changed last year in what is still a controversial set of circumstances when Max Verstappen of Red Bull nosed out Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the last race of the season to win the Driver’s Championship. Mercedes grabbed the Constructor’s title, though, to keep one streak alive.
On Friday morning, the iconic carmaker revealed the car that it hopes will regain its supremacy in Formula 1 racing, the W 13 Challenger. And Team Principal Toto Wolff emphasized what’s involved in the task ahead.
Toto Wolff: While we have a good track record, 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 possible job for 2022.
How the car performs will have to wait as the AMG Mercedes team continues to improve it over the next few weeks, prior to testing, and between testing and the first race at the end of March. What we do know for sure is that the car’s livery design has changed, from mostly black (done to call for an end to racism) to the traditional silver color, along with the aqua coloring in the front and rear wings, which is a nod to its main sponsor, Malaysian oil giant Petronas.
Mike Elliott (photo. Mercedes)
But the big news was left to Technical Director Mike Elliot. “Compared to last year, we’ve only carried over the steering wheel; otherwise, it’s all-new, and that’s primarily a consequence of these new aerodynamic rules.”
Elliot went on to give background to the changes. “The way the aerodynamic surfaces are defined in the regulations is also completely different. This year you are given a CAD surface and a tolerance to it. That means the designers must think differently, and the process of making sure the geometry is legal is much harder. Now the component detail isn’t anywhere near as complex. So, the gains you are making are in fundamental shape changes and bigger components than before.”
Change in 2022 also applies on the driver’s side of the equation. Lewis Hamilton’s partner, Valtteri Botas, left for Alpha Romeo Sauber. He will be replaced by fellow Briton George Russell, who comes to Mercedes from Williams. Mercedes had a chance to work with Russell in 2020 (on loan from Williams) to fill in for Hamilton, a COVID victim, at the Sakir Grand Prix. He nearly won the race, too, stymied by a tire with twenty laps remaining.
Many analysts predict that Russell will help Mercedes return to dominance, and he may even challenge Hamilton along the way.
Following Friday’s launch, Hamilton and Russell traveled to nearby Silverstone to shake down the new car. Before leaving, they shared initial public thoughts about the new car.
