The W12 is the first Mercedes F1 car that has been developed with the new budget restrictions and its development also happened during a pandemic.
View PhotosThe W12 has upgraded aerodynamics and an upgraded engine
Mercedes are seven-time world champions and have the most successful championship-winning run in the history of F1. They also have the services of Sir Lewis Hamilton who is statistically the most successful driver of all time and arguably the greatest F1 has ever seen. Together, they have now bid to do an encore and especially for Hamilton to a record eighth, beating Michael Schumacher’s seven titles. And the tool for this is the new W12 which was unveiled by Mercedes technical boss James Allison and CEO Toto Wolff. The car has been adapted for the new 2021 rules that reduce the downforce by removing bits off the floor.
Mercedes hopes this car will win the 2021 title
While the cars aren’t expected to be as fast as the ones we saw in 2020, Allison and his colleagues at High-Performance Powertrains have come up with new solutions which will make this car formidable. Allison admits the car uses the same low-rake concept with the same gearbox and monocoque. However, there are changes on the inside which include a more efficient engine that has more power and upgrades to which will make this car formidable. Allison also admitted to not showing off the new floor so as to protect it from being copied early on by its competitors.
The team is hiding the changes it has made to the floor so that they aren’t copied
Hamilton and Bottas will again pilot the Mercedes W12 this year, however, there is a subtle change in livery. The black livery which was adopted last year in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement has been altered to showcase a bit of silver owing to the Mercedes heritage of being the silver arrows and a bot of red from now 33 per cent co-owner INEOS, alongside increased AMG branding for the Mercedes high-performance brand. The wings also have more blueish green which also comes from fuel partner Petronas.
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Overall the car looks like one of the most muscular ones on the grid, though come pre-season testing one can expect more changes as Mercedes moves towards showing more of its hand. This is the first car that has been developed with the new budget restrictions and its development also happened during a pandemic which is why it will be interesting to see how it performs.
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