Mercedes unveils its new W12 E Performance

Mercedes presented its new W12 E Performance this Tuesday. Always entrusted to Lewis Hamilton et Valtteri Bottas, she will have the difficult task of succeeding the ultra-dominant W11 lined up last year. 

The black livery introduced before the start of the 2020 season is back but includes some changes, which notably reflect the strengthening of links with AMG, the high-performance division of Mercedes, whose logos adorn the engine hood.

A natural descendant of the W11, the new creation from Brackley (United Kingdom) is however devoid of the dual-axis steering which characterized its predecessor and helped it to better manage the temperature of its tires. The system has in fact been banned from the 2021 technical regulations, which include some changes to which Mercedes naturally had to adapt. These are mainly located at the level of the flat bottom, the rear brake scoops, and the diffuser.

James Allison is currently refusing to reveal where Mercedes has invested the 2 development tokens allocated per team this winter but the technical director of Étoile specifies that this choice “ will become clear with time ». 

On the engine side, Hywel Thomas, who succeeded Andy Cowell as head of the High Performance Powertrains (HPP) department in Brixworth (United Kingdom), talks about a new stage of development. This is particularly marked by the desire to move towards increased thermal efficiency in the internal combustion engine (ICE). Changes have also been made to the turbocharger to minimize the impact of heat rejection. 

In a desire for optimal reliability, the energy recovery systems have been reinforced, while the aluminum structure of the engine block has been replaced by a new, more resistant alloy. 

Off the track, Mercedes will face the dual challenge of introducing the budget cap and a handicap system in terms of aerodynamic development. The 2020 champions will thus benefit from a 22% lower quota of hours in the wind tunnel and use of computational fluid mechanics (CFD) tools than the bottom of the class, Williams. With one of the biggest budgets on the board, they will have to reduce it significantly to fall below the regulatory 145 million dollars (132 million euros). 

« We had to change the team structure and the way we work, we had to streamline our processes and become more efficient, said Toto wolff, team principal, director, and 33% co-shareholder of Mercedes. The impact is colossal but it also allowed us to set up our Applied Science engineering department which is experiencing exceptional growth and putting our know-how F1 available to many customers ». 

While the major rule changes expected in 12 months are partly motivated by the desire to bring down the Mercedes empire, we would not be surprised to see the German team, owned equally by Wolff, the parent company Daimler , and petrochemical giant INEOS, stay ahead of the competition. 

Introducing the W12 Get your first look at our 2021 F1 car! #WeLivePerformance pic.twitter.com/RiZEBTyarb

- Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@ MercedesAMGF1) March 2, 2021