Motorsports
The unknown “big change” that the new Mercedes W13 hides
The white redesign of this year’s Formula 1 cars has monopolized winter, but Mercedes revealed there is a “huge change” under the bodywork that could dominate them in 2022.
Behind the back of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Hybrid drive engine modification at Mercedes HPP in Brixworth, UK’is hands down the biggest change we’ve made since these regulations began (in 2014).says Howell Thomas, CEO of Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains.
So far, discussions about engines in 2022 have focused on Ferrari’s leap in this area, as has Shell, with a purported new technology being applied to F1’s new biofuels – which will now be 10% ethanol.
And while Mercedes F1 executives are claiming that Ferrari is likely to have the most powerful powerplant this year, Mercedes HPP has now announced it’s made a similar mechanical leap – with the biggest changes since 2014, when cars moved into the hybrid era and Mercedes took the reins of the manufacturers’ championship, which it still holds.
Howell Thomas explained: “The team has done a lot of great work, especially with the way it (engine) is incorporated into the body. The front of the engine is completely different. But this wasn’t a simple rearrangement – it was a huge, frightening change! It’s an area that we review every year, as well as the exhaust systems, with minor changes. But this year is complete.
And then, on top of all that, we have the question of stopping engine development. This will be our powerhouse for the next four years. That’s why we didn’t want to leave anything out – we wanted to put all our ideas into improving its performance and reliability.
On the subject of new biofuels, he added: “Biofuels change combustion. Adding ethanol to petrol reduces the calorific value of the fuel. This means we start with finite efficiency – the same amount of fuel produces less energy. This is a problem for us because it robs us of power.
On the other hand, the fuel lasts longer, which means we can push the engine a little more. A large part of our development this year related to the various patterns supplied by petronas to attempt “, closed the British.
A new Mercedes W13 in Bahrain
As well as the powerplant, rumors have been circulating in recent days that Mercedes is heading to Bahrain this week for the second three days of winter testing – starting next Thursday (3/10) – with an impressively and extensively revised W13 in relation to the car it launched ten days ago presented at the Barcelona tests.
In fact, the champion is said to be following the tactics she had chosen in winter 2019 – which started the first winter tests with a base car and was presented in the following ones with a radically revised B version, an almost completely redesigned new car.
So has Ferrari, whose manager Mattia Binoto recently said Mercedes will be going to Bahrain with “big, very big upgrades” to the W13.
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.