Mercedes has introduced its new Formula One car for the 2022 season, the W13 with Lewis Hamilton making his long-awaited comeback.
Mercedes has unveiled its contender for 2022, the W13, which will mark the start of Formula 1’s new era as Lewis Hamilton made a comeback after an almost two month silence over the Abu Dhabi heartbreak. The Brackley based outfit also reverted to the Silver Arrows look.
The W13 now marks the eighth F1 car to be unveiled ahead of the 2022 season, and it is the final model to debut from the front-running teams.
The reigning world champions have reverted to their classic silver color for their all-new slick design, which Mercedes claims is “98 percent new and freshly designed from tip-to-toe with minimal carry-over from its predecessor” after racing in black for two seasons as part of its anti-racism message.
The new car still retains some black trim along its side, which contrasts with the customary turquoise hue of title sponsor Petronas, and an arrangement of three-point stars on the engine cover.
“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,” said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
“Towards the end of the year when the car build project truly came together, I felt a deep passion across the whole organisation, not only in the technical arena but across our bases at Brackley and Brixworth who were embracing a mindset of ‘we can do this”.
Following a complete overhaul of rules and regulations aimed at promoting better racing, 2022 marks the start of a new technical era for Formula 1, resulting in a dramatic change in the aerodynamic shape of the vehicles.
“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,” Wolff said.
Mercedes will approach the new season hoping to extend its eight-year streak of Formula One constructors’ titles, which began in 2014. Last season, Max Verstappen pipped Lewis Hamilton to the Drivers’ title with a last-lap pass at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, breaking the team’s record of seven consecutive doubles.
The loss of the drivers title however, energised the squad ahead of this year’s championship, in which Hamilton will be joined by a new teammate, George Russell, who will replace Valtteri Bottas.
“The mindset of the team has always been the same over the last few years, that the point count goes back to zero,” said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
“There is nothing from the previous years that will make you win the current championship. No credits to be taken, but also no sense of entitlement.”
“Like every year, we are sceptical, whether we have done a good enough job, and that is the right mentality.”
Mercedes will have the first opportunity to complete a shakedown with the W13 today at Silverstone, which is limited to 100km or 17 laps.
