(Reuters) – Mercedes on Friday took the wraps off their 2022 Formula One challenger, which they hope will enable Lewis Hamilton to take again the drivers’ crown whereas additionally steering the staff to an unprecedented ninth straight constructors’ championship.
The F1 W13 has been designed to F1’s radical new guidelines aimed toward enhancing wheel-to-wheel racing and options the cleaner, swept-back aerodynamics and greater 18-inch wheels of the brand new period.
The automobile, which can be pushed by Hamilton and new staff mate George Russell who strikes up from Williams, additionally has the return of Mercedes’ conventional silver livery after the staff ran a black color scheme in a stand towards racism for the final two seasons.
“The hopes are, to start with, that we have now a aggressive automobile,” stated staff boss Toto Wolff.
“We don’t know whether or not we’re even within the hunt for an additional title.
“My hope is that the automobile goes quick and that Lewis and George are proud of the way it drives and that may be place to begin.”
Mercedes have dominated the final guidelines period which started with the introduction of the turbo-hybrid energy models in 2014.
They have received each constructors’ title since and would have accomplished a clean-sweep of title doubles however for a controversial security automobile restart on the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to go race-leader Hamilton on the final lap and deny him an eighth title.
“It’s somewhat bit surreal that as a staff we have been capable of obtain that eight instances in a row,” stated Wolff.
“Obviously there was this shadow with the drivers’ championship, Lewis’ championship, the Abu Dhabi scenario, however let’s look into the long run.”
The security automobile bungle claimed the job of race director Michael Masi, who altered the restart guidelines and moved solely the lapped automobiles between Hamilton and Verstappen out of the best way, with the governing FIA saying modifications to its race refereeing process on Thursday.
It additionally sparked hypothesis about Hamilton’s future.
“I by no means ever stated I used to be going to cease,” stated the 37-year-old, talking publicly for the primary time since a post-race broadcast interview following his Abu Dhabi title defeat.
“It was clearly a troublesome time for me and it was a time the place I actually wanted to take a step again.
“I ultimately received to some extent the place I made a decision I’m going to be attacking once more coming into one other season.”
(Reporting by Abhishek Takle; modifying by Christian Radnedge)
