The Mercedes W13 took to the track for the first time at the Silverstone circuit, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell alternating behind the wheel. According to technical director Mike Elliot, this part of the car would be the only one that has been kept from the W12 of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
Mercedes W13: a powerful engine hungry for air
The typical British temperature and the right pace to be able to film the car did not offer great indications to the team of motorcyclists led by Hywel Thomas , who are plagued by a single doubt. The Arrow, which has returned to silver this year, has been designed with extreme aerodynamics, but will it be able to cool the M13 power unit?
Doubts have been raised since the first images of the sidepods were published, but not just to outside observers, questions have also been raised at Brixworth , where the new power unit was designed.
Mercedes W13: large mouths, minimal exits
The air intakes of the Mercedes radiator are larger than those seen in other cars already presented, such as Aston Martin, Alpha Tauri and Haas, teams that have reduced them to their minimum expression, but what is most surprising are the sides of the car , which are very short, and the reduced air outlet at the rear of the engine cover .
Mercedes has decided that there is no bodywork above the Venturi channel that has to generate the downforce. For its part, Ferrari has occupied the space with very hollow sides to be able to generate said load, while the W13 shows all the details of the lower layout, significantly reducing the resistance in the search for maximum speeds, as can be seen in the illustration by Giorgio Piola.
Mercedes W13: bare bottom with vortices
James Allison and Mike Elliott have taken aerodynamics to the extreme, reintroducing the “shells” on the trailing edge of the flat bottom, which already caused quite a few problems with the W12’s balance last year and were eventually eliminated in the car’s evolution. which was introduced in Great Britain.
When studying the 2022 W13 , it cannot be ruled out that Mercedes wanted to anticipate a solution that did not work last year, but could give results in the 2022 season, thanks to the ground effect allowed by the new regulations.
We will see it on the track, due to the fact that the silver arrow will have to demonstrate that it can dissipate the heat produced by the new power unit. The reigning constructors’ champions take up a concept already used last year by Williams and McLaren, whereby the flow of hot air is drawn from radiators on the sides of the car and directed into a channel below the cabin.
Mercedes W13: Will there be gills like those of Ferrari?
In the heat flow highlighted by Giorgio Piola, one can see the presence of a rectangular cover (marked on the bodywork and marked with a black arrow) in which a hatch stands out, which could be opened to create another exit, perhaps with gills. similar to those designed by Ferrari for the F1-75 and that caused a stir at the presentation of the Italian car.
Therefore, in Brackley they also await the arrival of the Barcelona tests, which will start on February 23 and will clarify the doubts and uncertainties that always accompany single-seaters after a major change in rules. Finding out who got it right and who will have to fix their car will be really interesting.
