Since the dawn of the Turbo-Hybrid era, no team has been more dominant in the sport than Mercedes-AMG Petronas. The team has generated a seven-time World Drivers Champion and led the Constructors Championship eight times in a row. To say Mercedes was the superior power of this era is an understatement. The team has won more than 50% of all races during that era, and now the W13 is here to usher in the new era in Formula One
Team principal Totto Wolff said that, “Ever since work on W13 began, I have seen an exciting enthusiasm in our team members like never before, thanks to the scale of opportunity that these technical regulations provide.” He adds that, “Towards the end of the year when the car build project truly came together, I felt a deep passion across the whole organization, not only in the technical arena but across our bases at Brackley and Brixworth who were embracing a mindset of ‘we can do this’.”
Visually, Mercedes has returned to its classic silver livery for 2022 after racing with a black design for the past two years as a part of their anti-racism movement. The car features some black trim and a teal shade stripe near their title sponsor Petronas. The car also has star decals resembling the logo of Mercedes-Benz on the engine cover.
Following a rewriting of the regulations aimed at promoting better racing, 2022 marks the start of a new technical era for F1. This has resulted in a considerable change in the aerodynamic design of the cars. The main way of getting downforce is now through ground effect rather than front and rear wing design and setups.
The W13 is a total makeover from top to bottom, with only the steering wheel being the only remnant from its predecessor. Working with a blank slate and such a steep curve for their development team has been a stimulating experience for the developing team. With the new design, Mercedes will enter the new season looking to continue its streak of eight consecutive F1 constructors’ titles that have stretched all the way back to 2014.
The W13 will be driven by one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton, who this year will be joined by Mercedes Young Driver Programme graduate George Russell. Russell will be making his Mercedes-AMG debut in his fourth year in F1.
Toto again stated that, “We did pretty well during the last big regulatory change into the hybrid era and performed well when we went from the narrow to the wide cars in 2017. While 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 possible job for 2022.”
With the new Formula One season approaching the first race weekend in Bahrain many motorsport fans here in Barstow are thrilled to see how the season will play out.
