The new Mercedes W08 Hybrid EQ Power + car for the Formula 1 season 2017 has been unveiled! Lewis Hamilton has already made the first rounds behind its wheel in Silverstone and we have now the first pictures and details.
The cat is out of the bag. Lewis Hamilton spun the first kilometers with the new Silver Arrow Mercedes W08. In Silverstone, the Vice World Champion finished the Shakedown with the new car. The mechanics used the opportunity directly for a pit stop training. The reason for the premature revelation is the whimsy British winter weather. In Silverstone, a hurricane is about to hit these days. Mercedes wanted to reveal and test the car before the conditions get worse. So the car drove before it was officially unveiled.
Two letters: EQ for “emotion and intelligence” – with this term, which is to describe all hybrid vehicles of the brand with the star in the future, Mercedes will be naming its new Formula One car. F1 W08 Hybrid EQ Power + is the new silver arrow’s full name. Not only in the name, but also in the color scheme, the hybrid components can be found. In addition to the familiar color scheme, the W08 also features an electrically blue visualization of the airflow from the front wing to the ends of the side boxes. Five meters long and two meters wide is the car overall. Weight: the minimum allowed 728 kg!
Some interesting technical details can be seen at first glance. It is clear: Mercedes does not rest on its three titles in a row and 52 GP wins in the last three years. The new Mercedes W08 is a fight declaration to the competition. The car is unspectacularly spectacular. Because it’s different and out of the mainstream compared to what we’ve seen so far.
The first thing you notice: has an extremely long wheelbase, extended by approximately 25 centimeters. From the bird’s eye view it can be seen that the front suspension is swept forward and the rear axle is swept backwards. The front wing is astonishingly small, despite a two-part main leaf and a three-part flap. Near the end plates we count six slots. The new front suspension is also designed to allow the engineers to quickly change the geometry. “We do not really know what to expect from the tires. That’s why we wanted to react quickly to everything. “Like Force India, Mercedes also raised the front axle. “The lower crossbars are higher,” confirms Costa. The reason is obvious. More air is under the car. Costa also admits that the wheelbase of the silver arrow has grown significantly. He calls “aerodynamic reasons” for the measure.
Aerodynamically, the new Mercedes is not necessarily an eyecatcher. And that is precisely the problem for the competition. The silver arrow is unusually common and does not attack all the elements of the new vehicles so far presented. That would give Renault and Co. something to think about. The silver tine obviously leaves enough air under the car to inflow the diffuser.
Even with the nose Mercedes does not follow the trend. The engineers continue to do without a tuber and the S-shaft is still part of the concept. In contrast to Sauber, Renault and Force India, Mercedes deleted the huge aero-fin behind the cockpit. But, take a closer look at the photos of the new Mercedes W08. The car will change its face next week and may look completely different to Melbourne. “In the next few weeks, we will be able to convert almost every aerodynamic form and try out different things in Melbourne,” says chief designer Aldo Costa. “Yes, we will also mount a sail behind the airbox. As beautiful as the car without sail now looks: It would be negligent, not all possibilities to play through. We will bring new things to the car every day. ”
From the perspective of the aerodynamics, the powerful sword at the rear end of the airbox is almost indispensable. “Without the sail, the tailgate loses its contact pressure during cornering. We do not develop the car for cornering the straight. This will give you a few points downforce in the middle of the curve.”
A particularly unusual aerodynamic component grows out of the body in a serpentine shape. This was not seen in any other car. The most interesting detail, however, are the side boxes. They consist of two parts that reach almost to the edges of the ground and thus making the car significantly broader than Renault, Sauber and Force India rivals. They build relatively large at the front, but shrink to the rear. The cooling concept – more important than before – must be a particularly sophisticated one.
Lewis Hamilton was enthusiastic about his new company car: “Yesterday I watched the car being assembled. I have not seen such a detailed car yet in Formula 1.” But he could not learn much from the first rounds at Silverstone. “It was quite windy out there, but unfortunately I could not get a lot of gas, but it still felt unbelievable.”
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