This new Mercedes for F1 2019 is dubbed the W10. Reigning driver’s champion Englishman Lewis Hamilton, along with his Finnish partner Valterri Bottas, will be in the driver’s seat in the latest Mercedes Formula 1 car. Hamilton is starting a new contract with the Mercedes team in the hope of achieving his ambition to become only the second driver in racing history with six world titles to his name. The two drivers put the new car through its paces round the Silverstone circuit, located in the same county where the outfit is based.
The W10 was specifically created with a singular goal in mind for 2019 to achieve the legendary status of the first outfit in the history of Formula 1 to claim victory in six constructors’ and driver’s championships doubles in a row.
Designing and refining a winner
Intensive work began on this incarnation of the Mercedes Formula 1 car at the close of 2017 with the team putting a strong emphasis on eliminating the flaws of its predecessor the W09 while losing none of its incredible power.
These flaws pertain in particular to the rear tyres of the W09, as technical chief James Allison explained:
"The handling of the W09 was a big improvement over the rather idiosyncratic W08. We managed to be competitive at tracks which had plagued us in recent years. However, we were still not as good as some of our competitors at preserving the performance of the rear tyres."
In comparison, this new Mercedes F1 car has been designed to put less stress on the back tyres, although it does carry forward some design elements from the W09. For example, the wheelbase length is identical. The overall design has been painstakingly refined for improved aerodynamic performance.
The W10 also features a heavily overhauled engine with a firm focus on efficiency. This design comes in spite of the new 2019 Formula 1 regulations which in fact afford participating teams the opportunity to run with an additional 5kg of fuel if required.
Head of operations for Mercedes Formula 1 Andy Cowell has suggested that the W10 will most likely not utilise this option. In carrying less weight, the car will be lighter than 110kg off the starting line and with each 5kg of weight saved, the W10 has the potential for quicker lap times - giving it an edge.
