The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team has fired up the engine of its 2022 W13 race car for the very first time.
Just like every F1 car launched since the 2014 season, the Mercedes W13 will be powered by a hybridized 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 but as the sport aims to reduce its carbon footprint, these engines must now run on a blend of 10 per cent ethanol.
During this clip, Mercedes-AMG shows the engine being fired up whilst engineers gathered around it at the company’s UK headquarters. Given how similar the engine is to last year’s powertrain, you probably won’t notice any differences in how it sounds.
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While very few changes will be made to the powertrains of 2022 F1 cars, new technical regulations promise to drastically improve racing thanks to a focus on ground-effect downforce that will allow for closer racing. All exterior panels will be dramatically revised and much simpler front and rear wings will be featured. Regulations will also ban the use of bargeboards and cars will have front wheel deflectors to reduce the outwash of airflow.
Current research shows that 2021 Formula 1 cars lost 35 per cent of their downforce when running three car lengths behind a leading car and lost 47 per cent of their downforce when following one car length behind. The 2022 cars will reduce these losses to just 4 per cent and 18 per cent respectively.
Racing for Mercedes next year will be seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and ex-Williams racer and Formula 3 and Formula 2 champion George Russell.